cotton

Two pieces of embroidered fabric for slippers, part of the dowry of Antaram Chichegian (Ανταρος Τατσιγιάν), Mara. Antaram Tavitian Chichegian intended to make a pair of slippers for her fiancé Canabed Chichegian. The embroidery on the black fabric, which would form the upper part of the slippers, consists of colourful -red and white- flowers with green leaves. The young girl brought the two pieces of fabric with her from the village of Germir in Kayseri to Marash, and from Mersin to Mara, where she was married. Due to the massacres, the slippers were never completed. During the massacres, both the girl and her fiancé died of typhus, but the slippers came to Cyprus with Mrs. Antaram's mother, Mrs. Maritsa. They were later inherited by Mrs. Antaram's son, Hasop Chichegian, and are now in the possession of Mrs. Sirvart.

The costume consists of ypokamison (chemise), foustani (dress), a headscarf and an apron for the waist, a bag and podines (boots).

The chemise is short and made of taiston cotton fabric (woven material with crinkled stripes running lengthwise). The fustani is made of striped cotton alatzia, with white and red stripes in the warp and a brown cotton weft. It is entirely hand-sewn and has a body with a large V-shaped opening, passing beneath the breast, which is covered by the chemise. The long sleeves are attached to the body by sleeve-seams, as in modern garments. The long skirt is gathered at the waist. A black woollen apron is tied around the waist. The head is covered by two square kerchiefs, one tied like a cap and the other worn loosely over it.

The podines (boots) come up to the middle of the thighs and are made of black leather with thick soles made of several pieces of leather.

The costume of the woman of Karpasia with routzetti comprises the following dress items: a skirt called routzetti, the ypokamison (chemise), the sarka (sleeved jacket), the headdress consisting of two scarves. There is a belt with bucles around the waist.

The heavily pleated skirt, called routzetti, is made of woven cotton material dyed a dark red colour, and of a crinkled texture. The chemise is made of striped silk material woven on the loom in a natural colour. The edge of the neck, the opening on the front, and the sleeve hems are trimmed with silk pipilla (lace), forming an elaborate garland of flowers.

The sarka is made of black felt. Is fastens by means of four hooks and-eyes set vertically beneath the breast, leaving a deep opening. The narrow sleeves flare at the bottom. The hems of all the openings are trimmed with garland consisting of twisted gold braid threads worked into a floral motif, spirals, volutes, and plaits, with border of a continuous scroll. The scroll is a decorative feature found in many Cypriot sarkes, of which it is a characteristic finish. The sarka is lined with white cotton material, and the sleeves with red.

The headdress consists of a square cotton kerchief which has black printed floral decoration against a white ground and a border around the four edges of fine papilla (lace) and sequins. The outer kerchief has multi-coloured printed decoration on a light red ground. The breast is adorned with a myrmidi consisting of thin chains and a gilt silver filigree cross with toutounia.

The female black podines (boots) have a small heel and pointed toes. The heel, which consists of several layers of leather, is fastened on by small iron nails, and the sole is attached by iron and wooden nails. On the stitching at the sides there is an additional strip of leather of the same colour, and two leather loops are sewn to the tops with white cotton thread. The podines come up to the middle of the shins. Their only decorative feature is the white cotton stitching around the heel and three rows of fine stitching, two straight and one wavy, on the finish at the top.

Girdle (uçkur/uşgur) made of beige, factory-produced cotton cloth. One long side has a loom-woven selvedge (kenar), the other three a hem made with the sewing machine. The two narrow sides are ornamented with the same flower pattern embroidered with gold wire (tel) in filling (dolgu işi) stitch. The flowers are arranged on either side of a horizontal band which has one straight side and the other wavy. There are five flowers with stems on each side, completely filled with gold wire (tel) and outlined with gold thread in backstitch (iğne ardı). They are similar with the double-faced (çevre) embroidery. It seems that the metal gold thread had finished before they completed the same pattern of the other side; therefore, the last flower was partly filled with two colours, green and mauve, thus adding some colour to the monochrome decoration. Width: 21cm. Length: 2.38m.

Cotton cloth, off-white with selvedge on both long sides. The narrow ends are cut. The decoration on the narrow sides comprises five groups of flower patterns separated lengthwise by pencil lines, marking the cuttings for making five girdles. Each pattern consists of groups of motifs arranged in two rows. On the upper row, a thick wavy line encloses within its curves a composition of three stems with leaves and flowers on top, four in all. Below this, in the second row, the same pattern is repeated in a simplified form, only three stems in each curve. This row was not finished, since three of the patterns are marked in pencil but not embroidered. The stitches applied are stem stitch (sap işi) and filling stitch (dolgu işi) for the flowers. The colours used are dark green, light mauve, beige, lilac, purple and orange, in different combinations. Total width: 87cm. Width of the individual girdles, according to the marking: 17.5cm, 17cm, 16.5cm, 18cm and 18cm, respectively. Length: 2.12m.

White cotton cloth with loom-woven selvedge on one long side; the other three sides are cut. On both narrow ends the same embroidered pattern, a row of eight groups of flowers, is repeated eight times. Each group is a synthesis of three flowers repeated on either side of a horizontal zigzag line running in the middle. Each flower has three petals and one leaf on either side of its stem, forming a V. The embroidery is made with simple filling stitch (dolgu işi). All stems and the zigzag line are embroidered with orange thread in backstitch (iğne ardı; ardın ardın = backwards) or sap işi stitch (sap = stalk, stem, also to deviate, to turn off in a different direction). The flowers are mauve and lilac, only six of them completely green. The same colours are used for the leaves. Between each group of flowers, on both sides, there are vertical lines made with a pencil to mark the cutting in order to make eight separate girdles (uçkur/uşgur). Width: 76cm, 9.5cm for each girdle. Length: 2.10m.

A long and broad piece of cloth made of woven cotton in ivory/cream colour with embroidery on the extremities of both narrow sides. The decoration consists of four (on one side three and a half) groups, each comprising three rows of three cypress trees in oblique arrangement, forming a square. The last group comprises three rows of two trees. Below each group is a series of six stylized floral patterns in a rectangular frame. The last group is made of five patterns. The trees are embroidered with coloured threads in various combinations of yellow, orange, red, lilac, mauve and pink; the stems green. The same colours are used for the decoration on the lower part, in different order and combination. One long side has a loom-woven selvedge (kenar), while the other long side, as well as the narrow ends, were simply cut with no special finishing. It should be noted that between each group of patterns there is a line made by removing a couple of threads. These lines marked the point where the cloth was intended to be cut lengthwise in order to make four separate girdles (uçkur/uşgur) out of it. This type of girdle had to be narrow, because it passed through the hem of the drawers or underwear. Since only the ends were visible, decoration was only applied on them. This example clearly shows that the girdles were first made in one piece and then cut. Its length is 2.02m and the total width 72cm. According to the marking shown by the drawn threads, they intended to make four separate girdles having a width of 20cm, 20cm, 18cm and 14cm respectively.

Man’s underwear girdle (erkek don uçkuru/uşguru) made of ivory cotton cloth. On all four sides it is finished with a hem made with a sewing machine. It is decorated with simple, fine embroidery in thin gold wire (tel). The decoration comprises four flowers, most probably stylized tulips, with four crosses between them. The stem of the flowers ends with horizontal projections, one on either side. The ground below is formed by six separate motifs with wavy outlines. The embroidery is made with filling stitch (dolgu işi) in fine execution. Width: 19cm. Length: 2.39m.

Waist girdle (uçkur/uşgur) made of cotton cloth, with hand embroidery on both narrow ends. The decoration consists of five groups of patterns, each comprising four long stems with branches in different colours; from right to left, the motifs are purple, bluish-mauve, light green, then again purple and bright blue. Through the middle of each group runs a horizontal zigzag line embroidered with thin gold metal wire (tel). The other end is decorated with the same patterns in corresponding colours. The edge of one long side is formed by a loom-woven selvedge (kenar), while the other side is simply cut. Probably, it was intended to make five long and narrow girdles out of this piece. This is indicated by a pencil line, which separates each group, marking the strips which would form separate girdles. Width: 38cm. Length: 1.53m.

Girdle (uçkur/uşgur) of coarse, off-white calico (kapot bezi or kaput bezi), factory-made. One long side has a machine-finished selvedge, while the other three sides are cut. Two different patterns, one next to the other, are repeated on both narrow ends. A pencil line separating them lengthwise suggests that it was intended to make two similar girdles (uçkur/uşgur). The first pattern consists of a wide wavy line with two curves in yellow colour, with triple or single stems projecting on either side. The stems are embroidered with backstitch (iğne ardı). There is also a pair of three-petalled flowers, one big and one small, made in filling stitch (dolgu işi), in purple and mauve with blue, and with mauve outline. Each pair is found within each of the two curves. Below these patterns, near the edge, there is a wavy line in mauve colour with small motifs embroidered in filling stitch (dolgu işi), within each curve, up and down. The colours used are mauve, dark mauve, blue, yellow, purple/dark red and greenish yellow. The second, completely different pattern comprises a composition of floral patterns repeated two and a half times. Stems of green and some of yellow colour are made with backstitch (iğne ardı), and light lilac flowers in filling stitch (dolgu işi). The same pattern decorates the edge of the other end. Here the motifs are more faded. Width: 43cm, each girdle 21.5cm. Length: 2.16m.