For many years, Bulgarian girls learned many different embroidery stitches and practiced them on a regular basis. Their goal was to produce items they would use in the homes they would make when they married. They embroidered a wide range of items, putting their Bulgarian stamp on many items.
As you can see in the examples in this article, geometrical designs and flowers are common themes in Bulgarian embroidery. Common thread colors are black, white and red, with a special emphasis on the latter.
There may not be as much of demand for embroidered pieces in a modern home but embroidery is often sold at places where other crafts are sold. What started out as a pragmatic occupation for Bulgarian girls and women has truly become an art form. Many Bulgarians have embroidered pieces in their home and many pieces have been bought by tourists because, well, cloth doesn’t break and it doesn’t weigh much.
The above piece is very precious to me. When I worked in Bulgaria, an elderly woman came regularly to the store for the elderly and disabled I helped run in Sofia. She used to gather the empty boxes from the food we sold there and sell them for a few leva. Baba Ghena walked with a cane and had to climb some fifty steps to get to the store. After many trips to gather and then haul cardboard to the recycling place, she announced one day she could at last afford a Bible. This was no small thing for someone who, because of Communism was not able to make such a purchase for most of her adult life. When I asked if I could have the pleasure of instead buying a Bible for her, she was so grateful she made the long trip up the stairs a few days later and presented me with this beautiful cloth.
There aren’t such stories to go with the pieces below but they were prized enough to be placed on my couch and table when I lived in Bulgaria. I bought a lot of embroidered pieces when I lived there because so many older women had no other way to earn money and buy food. Beautiful in so many ways…
