My books on Kalocsa are filed under the Embroidery category, because they rely heavily on a pre-existing foundation fabric for execution. On occasion, parts are made of needle lace, but this is rare today.
In 1991, I went to Hungary the first time, landing within an hour of Pope John Paul II's arrival at Franz Liszt Airport. The city was in a festive mood. Celebrating the Pope's arrival, handcrafters set up their displays and demonstrations at the Castle. The lace makers were wearing Renaissance costumes, and tall cone hats with wispy scarves floating from the tips. It was possible to buy some lovely bobbin lace items. On a day trip, we went to Kalocsa. We saw demonstrations of making the Kalocsa Embroideries. They were using old treadle sewing machines to make the white lacy parts. Obviously, the cost for hand-made needle lace would have greatly increased the price and limited the amount that could be sold. >From time-to-time, pieces of Kalocsa have come my way. If just solid embroidery, it may be stitched on wool felt, an important fabric used for coats in Winter by people living in the countryside. The lacy parts are not work ed on the felt. In 2012, visiting friend Ilona in Budapest, we found a lovely book about this Embroidery with the appearance of lace surrounding it. I can happily recommend, because it is in Hungarian and in English: "Treasures of Kalocsa" by Kati Fejér, Kossuth Publishing, ([email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) ) or (_www.kossuth.hu_ (http://www.kossuth.hu) ) 2nd edition 2012, ISBN 978-963-09-7132-4, a hardback of 248 pages that covers the subject in detail. Since it was a 2nd edition (the first was in 2006), you will realize how popular it has been. Much of the folk art of Kalocsa is covered in this book. It starts with the history of the region. In 1001 AD, King Stephen, founder of the Christian state, established the 2nd archbishopric of the country here. Thus, you realize this is a special place to Hungarians. The book covers important architecture, and shows photos of entire rooms, furniture, pottery and Easter eggs painted with the colorful flowers that also appear in embroidery. Wonderful floral embroidery smothers traditional costumes and linens. It is even used for altar cloths. It reached its zenith in the 1930s. It is possible to buy fabrics and linens printed with the designs. Originally, the Kalocsa Embroidery was white-on-white on linen. Color-fast dyes were late to develop, green being a problem until 1912. It is still wise to test rich colors before using them on white fabrics, and if the dyes are fugitive, it is preferable to try to make them color-fast before embroidering. Vinegar, added to water, is the solution recommended in the book for Hungarian threads. The book contains patterns illustrated with beautiful color photos. There are instructions for doing eyelet, appliqué, Madeira and Richelieu embroideries in white threads on cotton/linen. These surround and embrace the very colorful embroidered flowers stitched in a flat satin stitch. Threads to use are specified. The old Singer Sewing Machine Company book, reprinted in 1987 by Lacis in Berkeley California: "Singer Instructions for Art Embroidery and Lace Work" is recommended to those with an interest in trying something new on an old treadle sewing machine. Be aware that (_www.lacis.com_ (http://www.lacis.com) ) has a warning on G**gl* that "This site may be hacked". Hungarians have established centers throughout the world where they offer exhibitions of their traditional arts and crafts, including Kalocsa works. If they have gift shops, they may have Hungarian books or be able to order them for you. You can read what Arachne members have written in the past by entering "Kalocsa" in the Search box at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/index.html Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center -------------------------------------------------------- In a message dated 9/13/2015 12:52:29 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=kalocsa+lace&qpvt=kalocsa+lace&qpvt=kalo csa+lace&FORM=IGRE It's embroidery and needle lace. Jane in Vermont, USA [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
