Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Hanacky Kroj Apron #2

I am currently working on a kroj (Czech costume) representing the Hana region of the Czech Republic. The costume is for my daughter Sarah. Sarah is the 2006-2007 Miss Czech-Slovak USA Queen and she is still very active in the Czech community. She is designing this costume to look as authentic as possible.
We thought we were finished with the costume but after wearing it a few times we realized that the apron really does need more embroidery. (See photos from previous post entitled "Slavnost"). I could add more embroidery to the apron I finished a few months ago but just could not find a design that we thought would go with the current design.
SO, I am working on a new apron. This may be better because I really do not want to rush it and this way Sarah can wear the costume while I am working on the new apron. When making authentic-looking costumes, speed can not be part of the equation. So far, I have been working on this apron a couple of months and probably finished 20% of the embroidery. I am using a hot iron transfer (Aunt Martha's #3759) combined with designs from Czecho-Slovakian Embroideries. The hot iron transfers are so much easier than tracing designs scanned from a book and I was thrilled to find a design that I thought would work on this costume.
A few things to keep in mind when working on a piece like this that is sure to be a family heirloom. They are 1) don't rush it; 2) make the back of the design look as nice (or almost as nice) as the front of the design (see photos comparing back to front of the apron) and above all 3) don't be afraid to remove stitches if the piece does not look like you expect. Remember, it is just thread.