Draft:Kalotaszeg peasant embroidery

Kalotaszeg is a Hungarian region located in Transylvania. Hungarian Kalotaszeg was annexed to Romania in 1920 (Peace Treaty of Trianon). The folkart of this region is extraordinarily rich and a significant branch of Kalotaszeg decorative arts is the varrottas which translates literally as sewings but should be understood as embroideries. These were originally made to enrich dowries and from the end of the nineteenth century were adapted, and also sewn for sale. This type of embroidery is specific to this region, but the art of embroidery has always been an important Hungarian tradition,

There are three main techniques associated with Kalotaszeg peasant embroidery;

• the keresztszemes or cross stitch;

• the vagdalásos or Hardanger, and
• the nagyírásos or densely sewn open chain stitch.

The method for the nagyírásos stitch is that for the open chain stitch, but rather than regularly spacing apart the stitches, creating a ladder effect, they sit close to one another creating a zsinór/ a solid sewing line of colour. A woman who draws the patterns for the nagyírásos stitch is known as an íróasszony (írás translates as writing).7 Women talented enough to be engaged by others to sew are known as varrónő or sewing women. Kónya Gyuláné Schéfer Teréz was the central figure guiding this sewing tradition during the difficult years between the two World Wars.

Textile details  

Mothers and daughters prepared special woven cloths and decorative sewing for the Kalotaszeg wedding dowry, to be used and cherished throughout their married lives. The contents and style (woven, or embroidered with írásos, Hardanger or cross stitch) varied between villages and over time, but generally was made up of a variety of cloths, e.g. for decorating a table, covering a basket of food, bed sheet ends, bed end hangings and a series of kendővég or ceremonial scarves also known as násznagykendó and vőfélykendő. These items were proudly displayed on a bar suspended from the ceiling beams for all to see. There was also a range of decorated pillows; kis párnato to place under the head of a corpse for burial), dívány párna or settee cushions and párna csúp pillow cases (the ends of which were decorated and displayed at the top of a dressed bed); as well as various blouses.

In general, Hardanger was used on the cuffs and necklines of the men’s blouses; the edges of ladies’ petticoats, and the edges and joins of sheets. The earliest recorded írásos decorated the pillow case ends, the kendővég, and the vállfűs ing or young unmarried woman’s blouse - the shoulder is decorated in the large part with írásos, the band of dense embroidery appearing only as a patch of colour as the sleeve is gathered in such a way that the pattern detail cannot be seen.

The earliest surviving dowry pieces date from the eighteenth century with many more from the 1800s. Following the Great Exhibition London in 1851 there was an increased interest in folk art objects, especially peasant sewing and costume.  This interest gave rise to many individuals and movements opposed to mass production, who valued and supported traditional handicrafts and applied arts above all. However, by 1929, everything was sewn for sale; young women only sewed the Hardanger leaving a few older women sewing the írásos with no young women being taught it. The use of írásos was confined to the parts of the vállfűs ing. blouse worn from the time of confirmation to marriage.