395 Bulgarian Samples

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I have been working over the past week, on a couple of samples for a workshop I will be running in September 2022 on Bulgarian embroidery. I realise this is a bit absurd, when there are plenty of projects with shorter timelines that I  could prioritise. This one is a bit of a challenge for me, because the focus needs to be on counted work, and I need to chart the samples - and I don't have much practice.

I have written about this collection elsewhere and the links here and above provide the background. Suffice it to say, the workshop is to be based on a collection of embroidery by Vala Georgieva, a Bulgarian woman whose son and daughter-in-law live here in South Australia. The tree of life motif above is from one of her runners. 

The issue I had with charting for use by others is around the clarity of coloured pencil once photographed, and the need to show both stitch and colour. I know I could use software or an app to do this - I have done that many years ago, but no longer have the software, which is, in any case, more useful when working from photographs.  I'm hoping my manual effort will be sufficient for this exercise. I'm hoping to get a friend to try it out for me - another reason for working well in advance.

This is a second motif from Vala Georgieva's work. The shape, I believe, derives from a figure of the Great Goddess, evident in Bulgarian embroidery since Thracian times. One of the distinctions of Bulgarian embroidery is the persistence of symbols from pre-Christian times, often incorporated into Christian practice. Recently I have been making bookmarks from Aida bands and I decided to chart this motif and incorporate it into a bookmark. It worked quite well, I think, and students at next year's workshop can decide if they want to use it that way or not.

I lined the back with silk. The earlier bookmarks I made were lined with felt, but that's a bit thick to use in a book.

I worked the Tree of Life motif on 14 count Aida. I did look for other fabric, but decided that this is closest to the texture of the fabric in the original, which is, I think, hand-woven hemp.

I folded the piece I had used various ways to find one that worked as a bag or pouch, settling, in the end, on an almost square shape.

This called, I thought, for another motif on the back.  Two Bulgarian motifs I had not examined in my original reading were these, known respectively as Elbetica and Celestial Turtle.

Elbetica is a symbol of the four directions - North, South, East and West and of the whole world, linked through a single point. It also represents the four seasons. The Celestial Turtle symbolises wisdom, moderation, perseverance, moderation and longevity.I chose a simple version of Elbetica.

I lined the piece with a remnant of linen from my stash, picking up on the red which is a feature of Bulgarian embroidery.

I'm very pleased with the result - and with having two sample projects which I think will work for the workshop. I can now check the instructions with a couple of friends and relax into some of the other projects on my list!

I hope I've done justice to Vala Georgieva's beautiful work, and her  commitment to Bulgarian embroidery.