Two weeks ago when I was in Vienna, I went to Budapest for a day. During some free time, I walked through the central market building and took photos of all the great arts and crafts.
One of the things I love to photograph when traveling is rows and rows of souvenirs. Fortunately in Hungary one popular type of souvenir is DOLLS. These were so pretty I just had to share…because they were dressed up in embroidered dresses that reminded me of some of my favorite florals at eQuilter.
There is a textile design trend that mixes up a big batch of influences: Bohemian, Gypsy, Eastern European, Russian, Indian, Paisley, Scandinavian and even Turkish. They overlap in so many ways that often it is difficult to tease out individual influences.
You may recall that a few years ago I traveled to Russia, and during my time in Moscow I was offered a private tour through the Textile History Museum at the Textile Design University. As we traveled through each room of the museum, I tried to absorb the hundreds and ultimately thousands of design influences that were collected there from across Russia and the parts of the former Soviet Union. I was allowed to take photos of most rooms, but only if I promised not to share the photos.
So I can share the memory of that experience, and I can tell you that it sparked a deeper interest in these Bohemian-Russian-Eastern European textile designs that are so distinctive. By the way Bohemian is not a retro design trend from the Seventies. It refers to Bohemia!…which is now the Czech Republic. (roughly speaking)
My next design curiosity and inspiration I think will be Polish ceramics. I’ve seen some here in Boulder, then saw some more in Santa Fe in March (!), and had my nose pressed up against a window in Hungary, admiring the detailed painted florals on plates, cups and cream pitchers.
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