Focusing On This Region’s Style
This post concerns the style found in the Kalocsa area which is located in the Bács-Kiskun county of Hungary. The city is quite old, but the needlework has taken on a modern range of color that make the look very light and bright.Folk Dress
Showing the traditional costume.
Stitches Transform Into The Flowery Forms
This style uses satin stitch, stem stitch, and french knots.
Samples Of Heavily Decorated Vests
young woman’s embroidered vest
Usual Color Combination
Many medium pastels with an emphasis on red and pink impart a youthful vibrancy. This is the default color palette. For young girls, and brides apparel, many household goods are also decorated in these hues.
Sad” colors for older women or widows
“Szomorupamukos”
An alternate look, called the “sad colors”, contain shades of purple and lavender… along with other harmonious colors. It is called “szomoru”, meaning gloomy.To most of us, this is a gorgeous set of shades and anything but sad, yet it is the palette for older women to use for their colorful aprons and vests.A Flower Garden Of Colors And Motives
It looks like a virtual flower garden. With so many stylized versions of Grandma’s flowers, the wide variety of colors are those might be found growing in a garden during spring and early summer. That might explain the allure of these patterns. The colors seem to burst joyfully from the fabric.The All White Traditional Variation
efore colorfast dyes became available, the embroidery work of this region was the white and cutwork pattern as seen on this piece of fine work
Color Evolution
At first, all the embroideries of this region were done in white on white. Then as colorful threads became available, they became more of what we are familiar with today. The earliest colored embroideries date from the years 1904-1905. Non-fading colors were introduced circa 1912.
Careful Stitches
Hungarian woman working on embroidery
Stitches Or Colors?
Since this regional form originally was all white and is also made with that color today, it isn’t actually the colorfulness of the piece that identifies real Kalocsai needle art, it is the fact that the work would look the same on both sides with no knots showing.
This is how a quality piece original to the area is identified.
Richelieu or Riseliő style
Kalocsa regional embroidery often employed cutwork within table cloths, doilies, and edgings of items. This refers to the cutwork embroidery which snips out patterned holes and stitches them with a buttonhole stitch. Once very intricate and difficult, it is much simpler to make with modern machines. It makes a very lacy looking effect which is highlighted with colorful satin stitch motives.Broderie Anglaise
This was the manner in which fabrics were hemmed or accented before the Riseliő style became popular. It looks something like “eyelet lace” to my eyes. Believed to originated in the area of Hungary during the 16th century, it took its name from the popularity it found in England.A Modern Example
Rich with Riseliő style cutwork.
Naturalistic Kalocsa Embroidery
The flower patterns are taken from nature and made to look as natural as possible. As a gardener I recognize many of them.
If The Colors Aren’t Vivid, It’s Not Kalocsai
The Represented Flowers
The types of flowers and plants represented.
One kind of flower may be found in different colors.
Red | Blue | Yellow | Pink |
|---|---|---|---|
Roses | Berries | Daffodils | Peonies |
Fuchsia | Cornflowers | Chrysanthemums | Bleeding Hearts |
Paprika peppers | Gentians | Ears of wheat | Lilies |
Carnations | Forget-me-nots | Daisies | Daisies |
Zinnias | Pansies | Tulips | Larkspur |
Where in The World Is Kalocsa, Hungary?
Explore the Arts Of This Place
Kalocsa Embroidery Decorated Capes
Vintage photo of men of Kalocsa wearing traditional capes heavily embroidered.
Patterns and Motives Of A Culture
Embroidered Coat
Hungarians Love Decoration
It seems that everywhere you look in the area of this region there are decorated surfaces, The houses are painted with the identical flower forms and colors of the embroideries, the furnishings are decoratively painted, and of course, the household linens and the clothing are like fields strewn with flowers of every imaginable type. The Hungarians have a field day with their patterned and colorful pictures filling the spaces of their everyday lives. It makes a lively look for interiors and exteriors!In Kalocsai Mode
Hungarian folk wall painting Kalocsa style
- Decorative Hungarian Folk Art Painting Hungarian folk painting covers walls and household items with the same intensive detail and color used in their embroideries. A decorative art tradition of brightly colored daily surfaces resulted.
