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.

Slavnost in La Grange, Texas

Sarah, Ed and I attended Slavnost (formerly May Fest) on May 17, 2009 in La Grange, Texas. The event was a fund raiser for the Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center (http://www.czechtexas.org/).
Special guests included two senators from the Czech Republic; representative from the Czech Embassy, Vaclav Vochoska; and Czech Queens. Czech queens attending were: Sarah-2006 Miss Czech-Slovak USA; Ashley Sulak-2008 Miss Texas Czech-Slovak Queen; Michelle Barak-2009 Miss Texas Czech-Slovak and her Little Czech Sister and Jana-Miss Lavaca County Czech-Slovak Queen.

Miss Texas Czech Slovak Queen Pageant

Beautiful kroje (Czech costumes) were on display at the 2009 Miss Texas Czech Slovak Queen Pageant on April 18, 2009 in Hallettsville, Texas. The new queen is Michelle Jenee Barak. Her Little Czech Sister is Katherine Stuckly. Watch for future blogs for a press release and I hope to have descriptions of the Queens' beautiful kroje. Stay tuned...

Sarah wears Hanacky Kroj at TOCA Dinner

My daughter, Sarah, wore her new costume to the Texans of Czech Ancestry Awards Banquet on April 4, 2009. The event was held at the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center in LaGrange, Texas.
http://www.czechtexas.org/

Costume description:
Sarah is wearing an authentic-looking reproduction of a kroj representing the Hana region. The costume, designed by Sarah, was made by her mother.
The top white skirt or apron that Sarah is wearing would be worn by a bride or at another festive event. The apron is made of white broadcloth, is hand embroidered and edged by hand. The design is completed with Swarovski crystals.
The skirt is made of yellow fabric. You will notice throughout the kroj the touches of yellow, the color of sunshine, that is common in kroje from this region. Often skirts would be made with fabric on hand. Sarah wears two petticoats that are stiffly starched to create a full skirt.
You will notice that a large handkerchief is worn on Sarah's kroje. The intricate design is hand embroidered and hand edged.
Sarah's blouse features hand embroidery and buttons from the Czech Republic. Blouses can be worn with sleeves stiffly pleated or puffed sleeves as Sarah's costume.The focal point of Sarah's kroj is the vest made of dark red brocade with hand embroidery, gold trim and buttons from the Czech Republic. Vests from the Hana region are commonly short with one closure at the bottom of the vest. Sarah's green belt is made of ribbon from the Czech Republic.

Most notably on kroje from this region is the full, stiff lace collar. Sarah lace collar was created with 13 yards of lace and ribbon from the Czech Republic. The collar is detachable and is completed with red ribbon common to costumes from Hana.
The embroidery designs on Sarah's costume are authentic Czecho-Slovakian designs from a book Sarah's mother found entitled Czecho-Slovakian Embroideries. Sarah and her mother would like to thank Jana & Ludmilla Vaculik; Maggie Grmela and Alice Vida for their help researching the design for this kroj.

Stiff Lace Collar for Hana Kroj

I am almost finished with Sarah's new kroj. This costume represents the region of Hana (see earlier posts for more pictures and details). Here are a few pictures of the collar I just finished. These kroje are easily recognized by the stiff lace collars. In all of the pictures I have seen, the lace is very wide. I could not find any wide enough so I combined a wide lace with a thinner lace. The lace is so gathered that you may not notice that is in two pieces. This collar took a total of 13 yards of lace; 3/4 yard of Czech ribbon; and 1 yard of red ribbon. I made the collar to be tied with the red ribbon but Sarah has decided that she would rather have a collar hook with the red ribbon just as a decoration. To make the collar stiff, use boiled starch.

Hanacky Vest

I finally finished the Hanacky vest. I did all of the embroidery by hand. It is not as clean as that done by a machine but it is more authentic. I lucked out and found buttons from the Czech Republic at the local fabric store-JoAnn's. The beautiful gold trim was a gift from a dear friend, Alice Vida. Thanks Alice, you were right. It is perfect. I had a small piece left over after trimming the front so I took it apart and used it to form the lines on the front to the buttons. Here are a few pictures, feel free to click on to enlarge.

Now, I am going to make the stiff ruffled collar...wish me luck.

Sharon

Everybody Looks at the Back...

One thing we have noticed... when you show anyone a piece of embroidery they always want to see the back.

Notice the pictures of both the front and the back of these pieces. The first picture is of the front of a hankie for a costume and the next is the back of the same hankie.

The third picture is of an apron for a costume and the last picture is of the back of the same piece.

So, keep this in mind when you are working on a piece, such as a costume, that you hope to become a family heirloom. My grandmother taught me how to embroider when I was about 6 years old but unfortunately she passed away before I learned the finer aspects of the craft. Much of what I have learned, I have learned by my mistakes.

Here are a few of my tips...
1. I never tie knots on the back of my embroidery. I work the end of the thread under the design both one way and then the other. Much to my surprise, I have never had a stitch pull out using this method. It seems to be not only more appealing but more practical then bumpy knots on the back of a design.
2. This one is hard to do, but well worth the effort. I never stretch embroidery floss across the back of the design from one area to another. Remember...THREAD IS CHEAP! So don't try to take short cuts by jumping over open areas just to prevent finishing off the thread. Take the time and finish off the thread and start a new thread in the next area. I know...it is a pain but believe me your patience will be well worth it when you get as many compliments of the back of your design as the front.

I imagine that the costumes I am making today will become heirlooms that will be passed on to future generations. My daughters do have Americanized kroje that are beautiful but I now am challenging myself to try to make a costume that people have to look at very close to see that it is new and not an authentic one.

Design for Back of Hanacky Vest

I am almost finished with the embroidery along the front of Sarah's new vest. Now time to find a design for the back. I went back to the antique book I found on the internet, Czecho-Slovakian Embroideries. I found a design that complemented the one I have been working on. I scanned the page in to the computer and printed out the design. Sarah and I selected the colors that matched the front of the vest.

We colored the page to try out how the colors look together. Check back later to see the vest turns out.