Description

In Brooklyn, New York, there is a famous Balkan festival called “Golden Festival” which has run for the last 37 years and celebrates Balkan music, dance, and culture. This year, I was honored to be asked to design a special embroidery for their virtual “sedenka” which is a traditional gathering in which women sew and sing folk songs.

Inspired by a traditional embroidery from the small town of Berova in northern Macedonian, this design’s bold motifs evoke a “bartisan,” a corner turret on a medieval castle, many of which can be seen throughout the Balkans where this design originated. The lavish use of red and garnet are traditional to many Balkan textiles and create a wonderfully intense energy to this striking table mat.

This design is quite easy to use to make larger runners—simply use a longer piece of cloth and work more repeats of the design. 

Finished size: 6-1/2 x 10” with hem finish

(actual area of embroidery is 4-1/2 x 8”)

59×101 sts/3507 total sts

My high quality kits come with everything you need to make the embroidery in the photos–26 count 100% cotton Traditional Groundcloth (imported from Greece), DMC floss, full color SOC (symbol-on-chart) pattern, along with a John James size 24 tapestry needle. The raw edges of the fabric are serged for your convenience, so you can start stitching as soon as you open the kit!

Additional information