The art of sewn flowers – Kalocsa embroidery

Besides Matyó embroidery, there is another style of folk art which had a great impact of cloth-making: it is the Kalocsa style. It received its name from a city in the southern part of Hungary where it was made for the first time. It is still quite popular among Hungarians and tourists alike.

The art of Kalocsa embroidery originates from the 19th century, according to Folkfashion.hu. The embroidery was originally plain white and the pattern was formed of holes. They usually used only white yarn to decorate bedclothes and tablecloths. Red-blue and black cotton yarn was only used for other types of textiles. It was only in the 20th century when the Kalocsa embroidery began to use colored materials on a wider scale.

Moreover, the creators of the embroidery developed a color pattern of their own.

For example, the red or scarlet rose always has a yellow middle, while the center of pink flowers is a darker shade of amber.

The female dwellers in Kalocsa sewed embroidery as hired labor by the end of the 19th century. It was originally made for the upper-class families of the surrounding towns. Before the custom of hired work, the women and maidens of Kalocsa made such works only for themselves. The spreading of the sewing machine in the 20^th century also helped Kalocsa embroidery to become a part of the clothing industry.

The coloring of the embroidery on a piece of clothing is determined by the age of the person who wears it.

The bride’s dress was the most vivid and colorful. As a woman got older, her dress became less brightly colored and darker. Blue, purple and green were the signs of mourning according to this special symbolism.