cotton

Headscarf (tsemberi) made of fine cotton cloth (kouroukla), with black (karakalemi) printed floral decoration consisting of continuous, narrow wreaths of printed patterns around the borders (kenarin) and branches with flowers in the corners. 

Headscarf (tsemberi) made of fine cotton cloth (kouroukla), with black (karakalemi) printed floral decoration consisting of continuous, narrow wreaths of printed patterns around the borders (kenarin) and branches with flowers in the corners. 

Headscarf (tsemberi) made of fine cotton cloth (kouroukla), with black (karakalemi) printed floral decoration consisting of continuous, narrow wreaths of printed patterns around the borders (kenarin) and branches with flowers in the corners. 

Headscarf (tsemberi) made of fine cotton cloth (kouroukla), with black (karakalemi) printed floral decoration consisting of continuous, narrow wreaths of printed patterns around the borders (kenarin) and branches with flowers in the corners. 

Purse made of cotton thread in its natural off-white colour. It is hand-knitted with decorative patterns in nine horizontal rows. The four of them have perforated patterns. The lower part is plain, densely knitted. The lower part has two decorative additional tassels and also one at the bottom of the purse. All of them are made from the same material and of the same colour with the purse. The openning is closed with a string.

ΜΓ 349

Wide cream silk chemise with long sleeves. The fine fabric of the garment features alternating broad and fine, light brown stripes, vertically arranged across all the main pieces.

The central front part is made of a single fabric panel, 44 cm wide, which extends to the back. A long vertical curved opening reaches from the neck to the middle, at a height of 52 cm. Another two fabric panels make up the sides of the garment (one on each side) and also the sleeves, which feature a seam along the outer side of the arm. A triangular fabric segment, 15 cm long, has been added on each shoulder, extending to the upper arm. The separate fabric sections of the chemise have a selvedge of black and beige stripes, which forms a decorative band across the two vertical joints front and back, as well as on the triangular segments on the shoulders and sleeves.

The edge of the sleeves is decorated with fine lace, beige and black. A similar lace trims the neckline and the breast opening, down to a height of 41 cm. The bottom part of the front opening (height: 11 cm) has a finish of very fine lace with consecutive arches. A low hem runs along the bottom of the chemise.

Height: 84 cm.

Width: 85 cm.

Sleeve length: 52-53 cm.

Sleeve width: 20 cm.

Date of entry to the Collection: 18.9.1981

Provenance: Unknown.

ΜΓ 22

Women’s pantaloons of thick loom-woven cotton.

They consist of eight fabric sections. At the centre front and back, two pieces (one on each side)  extend from the waist downward across both legs, tapering from 20 cm at their top to 2.5-3 cm at the hem. Attached to these sections are two more, one across the inner side of each leg, tapering from 12 cm at the top to 4 cm at the hem. The left leg has two successive outer pieces whereas the right leg features a single outer piece. On the right side of the pantaloons, a small added fabric piece extends horizontally under the waist, front and back, across a total length of 23 cm.

Embroidered decoration in red and blue covers the lower part of both legs, externally. The dense (pefkoto) embroidery, in a design known as the karpasitikon (of the Karpasia area), features consecutive lozenges arranged in successive rows. The lozenges enclose smaller ones, while in their side corners’ cut-offs they contain single triangles. The pefkoto embroidery is crowned by a row of korou(d)es [girls] on the left leg and finikou(d)es [palm trees] on the right. Both motifs consist of a lozenge above a vertical line with two opposite-facing oblique projections that may depict leaves or hands. The korou(d)es are rendered with more elongated lozenges of two triangles joined along their base. The white-coloured woven fabric peeks through an uncovered vertical line in the middle.  The korou(d)es crafted with blue yarn feature red-coloured triangle fillings, while for those crafted with red yarn the fillings are blue. The pantaloon legs gather at the bottom.

All fabric sections at the upper part of the garment are folded outwards, forming a hollow hem casing (height: 3-3.5 cm) with a threaded drawstring.

Height: 80 cm.

Maximum width: 72 cm.

Width of leg opening: 21 cm.

Date of entry to the Collection: 26.10.1948

Provenance: Fyti, Pafos – Donation.

ΜΓ 810

Long, long-sleeved foustanin of ready-made cotton imported fabric with fine pink stripes alternating with rows of consecutive tiny dots or circles in red against a white background.

In the upper part of the dress, the two front panels, that have seams on the shoulders, reach under the armpits and cover part of the back, with their stripes obliquely placed. A third piece of fabric, with vertical stripes, forms the centre of the back. A 4 cm-tall waistband is made from a separate piece of the same fabric, with horizontal stripes.

At the front, the simple round neckline extends to a vertical opening, 42 cm tall, 14.5 cm of which below the waistband. The opening fastens with four hooks, two at the front and two on the waistband, most of them probably posterior. At the front, next to the neckline as well as below the breast, each piece of fabric is tucked and held in place with stitching for better fitting. The tuck under the breast reaches down to the waistband. At the back, a blue decorative ribbon, secured within the seam, runs along the oblique joints of the central piece to the side panels. At the middle of the central piece, a vertical band of fabric with two small, opposite-facing tucks along its edges, is flanked by blue ribbon of the same type. At the front, above the waistband, vertical bands of bias-cut fabric (height: 23.5 cm, width: 2.5 cm) flank the vertical opening. Each band is also trimmed with 0.5 cm-wide faded blue ribbon. A similar ribbon also accentuates the horizontal seams on the shoulders.

The sleeves consist of a single fabric piece with an inseam. A bias-cut ruffle, 3.5 cm in height, has been added to a 1.2 cm-tall hem on the edges of the sleeves. On one sleeve, the ruffle is made of a single band of fabric; on the other, of two joined bands. Here too, the joint of the ruffle to the edge of the sleeve is adorned with fine blue ribbon.

The skirt comprises three elongated panels, one of which is 50 cm wide and the other two 60 cm wide. In the upper part, the fabric of the skirt is turned in and gathers, particularly on the side and at the back, where it is reinforced internally with white cotton fabric and a second fabric piece, also white cotton, displaying floral motifs. A ruffle around the hemline, 7 cm in height, is defined in the upper part by a blue ribbon. Slightly higher up, two parallel horizontal pleats outline the skirt.

The entire bodice, with the sleeves, is lined with white cotton fabric. Most of the seams of the foustanin are handmade using white thread and, more rarely, red. The ribbon on the sleeves, the hemline and the breast is also secured with stitching by hand, whereas the joints at the back appear to have been made with machine stitching.

Overall, the dress appears more elaborate because of the varied arrangement of the fabric panels and the resulting combination of oblique, vertical and horizontal stripes.

Height: 118 cm (bodice with waistband: 36 cm, skirt: 82 cm).

Width: 28 cm on the shoulders, 36 cm at the waist, 83 cm around the hemline.

Length of sleeves: 48.5 cm.

Width of sleeves: 20 cm (on the shoulders) and 12 cm (at the hem).

Date of entry to the Collection: 28.7.1994

Provenance: Nicosia – Purchased from Militsa Panayiotou.

ΜΓ 745

A man’s shirt of white cotton fabric.

Its largest part, not including the upper section back and front, consists of two fabric panels with machine-sewn vertical joints at the sides, beneath the armpits. A low machine-stitched hem extends along the bottom of the shirt. Τhe upper part of the garment, front and back, consists of two additional oblong pieces of double fabric (length: 37.5 cm for the breast piece and 41 cm for the back; height: 18 cm for the breast piece and 12 cm for the back), joined with a machine-made seam along the right shoulder. The seam is overlaid by handmade decorative feather stitch of white thread. On the left shoulder, the open joint closes with three buttons, one of which is placed at the collar stand, over the neckline.

The collar stand consists of a 2 cm tall band, secured with machine stitching along its edges. The collar fall ends in pointed tips at the front (maximum height: 6 cm). When the collar is closed, the tops of its points are 3 cm apart. A second button on the collar stand, sewn on the left of the centre front, is paired to a loop of red thread at the underside of the collar’s left pointed tip. The collar fall is made of double fabric and covered on the inside by consecutive lozenges, 5x3 cm, of red machine-made stitches. Near its outer edges, the collar is also decorated with a handmade stitch of white thread, similar to that on the right shoulder. The outer sides of the collar are trimmed with ready-made machine-stitched white edging, decorated lengthwise with embroidered red motifs, namely lozenges alternating with four-lobe elements. The wavy outer side of the edging is accentuated with red thread.

The breast is covered by a composite floral motif, consisting of a vertical stem with three pairs of opposite-facing leaves and a four-petal flower, crowned with a three-lobe blossom. At the base of the stem there is a multi-petal flower with an upside-down palmette at the bottom. The flower consists of a disk-like centre encircled by eight pointed petals. It may represent a sunflower. From the flower emerge two opposite-facing branches with stems, leaves, rosettes with spear-like petals, and multi-petal flowers similar to the central one. Each branch ends in a pomegranate. Two opposite-facing birds flank the central stem. Embroidered branches of red and white thread border the floral composition on the left and right. All embroidered motifs consist of dense interlaced stitches, creating solid surfaces. 

Beneath the breast, tucks cover a four-sided surface, 25.5 cm long and 20 cm high. At the centre and near the edges, a wider double tuck, 3 cm wide, is framed by smaller ones, 0.5 cm wide. All the small tucks are stitched along one of their long sides, whereas on the wide tucks two vertical seams, that form opposite-facing tucks, flank the decorated centre. The decoration consists of curvilinear embroidered motifs made of blanket stitch (continuous wavy line from which tiny vertical straight lines emerge) in red colour. At the central tuck, the wavy motif is interlaced with a similar one of white thread. Three opposite-facing oblique strands of a different stitch, namely feather stitch (the upper and lower strands made of red thread, the central one of white), join the three vertical wavy bands. Beneath the part with the stitched tucks, free pleats extend down to the hem of the chemise.

At the back of the garment, free pleats are formed beneath the horizontal seam of the upper segment. The machine-made joint is accentuated lengthwise by handmade feather stitch of red thread.

The sleeves consist of a single piece of fabric with a machine-made inseam. Along the inner side of each sleeve, an elongated triangular gusset tapers from the armpit towards the wrist (length: 35 cm, maximum width: 10.5 cm). At the extension of the pointed tip of the gusset, the machine-made inseam of the sleeves is followed by a 12 cm long slit at the wrist.

Each sleeve ends in a cuff, 7 cm high, of double fabric (the inner fabric of a different, whiter type). The cuff is covered externally by assymetrical lozenges of red machine-made stitches. The sleeve fabric gathers both above the cuff, and higher, at the top of the shoulders. The vertical joint of the sleeves to the body, again machine-made, is decorated lengthwise with handmade feather stitch of red then white thread. The colours of the stitches alternate in different parts of each sleeve. The vertical sleeve stitches, in combination with horizontal stitches of the same type across the lower end of the breast piece (in white) and the back piece (in red) form a continuous rectangular frame.

The shirt is particularly elaborate with rich embroidery which is rare on traditional shirts. It originates from Asomatos, Kyreneia, and was used as a groom’s shirt in the early 20th century. It used to be a set with vest ΜΓ 744, which bears the date 1915.

Height: 66 cm at the front, 74 cm at the back.

Width: 40 cm on the shoulders, 76 cm at the base.

Sleeve length: 55 cm.

Sleeve width: 28 cm in the upper part, 11 cm around the cuffs.

Date of entry to the Collection: 26.10.1992

Provenance: Asomatos, Kyreneia – Purchased from Karolos Orphanos. It belonged to Vrahimis A.

ΜΓ 421

Loom-woven cotton and silk-cotton (koukkoullariko) women’s pantaloons, most likely unworn, preserved in excellent condition.

The long pantaloons gather both at the bottom and around the waist, which features a machine- stitched hem casing, 2 cm tall. Two rectangular fabric panels (height: 32 cm, width: 20 cm) extend from the waist downwards, at the centre front and back of the garment (one on each side). Another two panels, one on each leg, cover the outer hip and thigh front and back, reaching up to the waist (height: 52 cm, width: 44 cm). These are joined to the rectangular pieces with vertical seams, featuring a low hem. Further down, two oblong panels extend along the inner side of the legs, reaching to the bottom (height: 65 cm, width: 20 cm). These are joined to the four panels mentioned above, as well as to each other under the crotch (joint length: 20 cm).

The lower outer side of the legs is made of silk-cotton fabric (height: 33 cm, width: 40 cm in the upper part), adorned with wide and narrow beige horizontal stripes. The pantaloons gather and fasten at their bottom by means of a thick string of braided yarn, passing through the hem casing.

The garment is entirely machine-sewn.

It is part of a woman’s ensemble, typical of the Karpasia region, which also includes the following garments: sayia ΜΓ 419, chemise ΜΓ 420, scarf ΜΓ 422 and kouroukla (headdress) with sequins ΜΓ 423. These were made on the loom in 1984 by Martha Hadjiloizi, originating from Yialousa, and are replicas of old garments from Karpasia.

Overall height: 87 cm.

Waist width: 43 cm.

Leg width: 33 cm (maximum), 17 cm (at the bottom gathering).

Date of entry to the Collection: 7.2.1985

Provenance: Yialousa, Karpasia – Purchase from Maria Sophroniou.