Nancy Haydon

Increasingly of late there's been a growing interest in traditional Hungarian cross-stitch patterns, fostered in the main by the country's rich history of embroidery and cross-stitch.  Adding to this rich tradition of Hungarian cross-stitch and embroidery is the tendency for the styles to vary considerably across the regions. 

Kalocsa is known as the embroidery center in the Great Plain region. Initially, Kalocsa embroidery was white, with open-work. Nowadays, colored Kalocsa embroidery has steadily grown in popularity following its introduction in the early 1900s. On the northern edge of the Great Plain, the Bereg style of cross-stitching was developed by simply combining several different styles.

The traditionally red and blue Palóc cross stitch is still used often as the main decoration for tourist gifts such as: towels, handkerchiefs, aprons and bedding sheets. The centre for  this famous style is the Sárköz part of the Transdanubia region.

History of Hungarian Cross-Stitch

The oldest surviving piece of Hungarian embroidery in existence today was originally in the possession of the first king of Hungary, Stephen I.  The piece, a coronation robe, is believed to have been stitched around 1000 A.D.  From this early beginning, cross stitch evolved continuously, picking up influences from the styles of other countries.  These influences combined in a number of ways throughout the areas of the country, creating very distinct regional styles.

Urihimzes

In the 16^th and 17^th centuries, needlework began to gain great popularity.  There were workshops on noblemen's estates so that beautiful and delicate textiles could be created for use on the property.  The style of the embroidery and cross-stitch was mostly due to the influence of the Italian renaissance and Turkish styles.

Folk Embroidery

While the Urihimzes style has much more symmetry and stylized design, the folk designs are plainer.  They represent more of the simplistic world of the peasant and the naiveté the people possessed.

Hungarian cross-stitch and embroidery is found more often in textiles than in clothing, because it was a way that a family could show off its wealth.  It used to be that a young woman would have to learn how to stitch early in life, because she was not able to marry until her trousseau was full of home linens. Being considered a good stitcher by one's peers was one of the highest honors in the country.

Political Resistance and Hungarian Cross-Stitch

In many cases, the people in Hungary would find ways to use their cross-stitch in silent resistance to an oppressive government, because the stitches could be a hidden way to show their dissent.  After the fall of the revolution in 1848, the women of Tard stitched the pattern of the Kosuth banko on their dresses.  The red and black pattern was a silent mourning for the fallen revolutionary leader, Louis Kossuth, for the people were banned from mourning his death.  The Paloc women wore a blue dyed kerchief to show their mourning

Popular Motifs

Due to the different developments in various areas of the country, popular motifs developed in each locale.  For instance, in Northern Hungary, there is a focus on the carnation, lily, and pomegranate.  Not only are these motifs found in cross-stitches on textiles, but they are even painted on the facades of homes and found in woodcarvings.

In the Paloc region the embroidery often uses blue and red with motifs including the aster, heart, and pigeon.  Sometimes their designs alternate light and dark blue.  While hair embroidery is more popular in Kalosca, they also have motifs for their cross-stitch and embroidery projects.  Their motifs are usually drawn on white or light blue textiles, and include: marguerite, cornflower, field-poppy, tulip, and rose.

No matter which region the pattern may come from, there is a great amount of creativity put into the Hungarian cross-stitch designs.  Traditionally these designs were completed in black and red on white linen cloth.  Moreover, the peasants that developed cross-stitch in Hungary have grown in skill over the centuries to create the most wonderful intricate and colorful designs while at the same time developing time saving techniques put to good use by us all.