Nostalgia Sunday – Stitching in the Seventies

February 7, 2010 - 7:05 PM by Rachel Neiman

Israelis are a crafty lot – and not in the way you think I mean. Israelis – particularly women – have always liked their handicrafts. These days, every neighborhood boasts a hobby store. Decoupage seems to be the most popular craft of the moment, putting pretty flowered napkins at a premium and shooting gilt paint prices through the roof.

But in every generation there will be needlepoint. Back in the Seventies, gobelin or tapestry needlework, was all the rage. There was far less television to watch and so an afternoon coffee could be quietly — or noisily — passed with good women friends, all of whom came equipped with a plastic bag filled with thick needles, French embroidery thread and canvas printed with the most horrifically sentimental romantic prints, also imported from France.

During our summer visits to see family, my Israeli mother refused to fall prey to the fad though she did help me as I (inspired by those books about young American frontier girls who walked 5 miles to school each day and then embroidered samplers by candlelight) made my own childhood attempts at needlework. We would sit around her cousin’s Rivka’s living room as Doda Dvora, Doda Tzila and cousin Rivkale all stitched away.

Doda Tzila — who was by far the most prolific — bestowed upon our family a version of the lady seen above left, in a heavy gold frame. I absolutely loved it and was quite disappointed to discover that it was a very common and popular print that hung in many an Israeli household, as were the fruit bowl and the cute kittens gobelins that we later received.

There was definitely an Eastern European aspect to the whole needlework thing as Israelis of Russian and Polish origin looked to all things French as the height of culture, while others hearkened back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire (it turns out that Hungary is also a big producer of horrifically sentimental romantic gobelin canvases). Despite the fact that everyone’s flats were furnished in Danish modern-style furniture, you never knew when a tapestry-covered chair or ottoman was suddenly going to turn up.

But it’s very likely that the local Bedouin and Palestinian embroidery was also a big influence. For instance, my Israeli mother was definitely an embroidery groupie, and spent hours and days scouring the Old City shuk for just the right black velvet embroidered jacket and long black dress. She also patronized the Bethlehem Arab Women’s Union (BAWU), which has been running an embroidery cooperative since 1968. More about BAWU and 16 other local artisan projects can be found at the Sunbula fair trade organization website.

There are some young Israeli designers who also resonate to the nostalgia vibe, such as bag designer Shiri Hyman of boutique Fabrica in Tel Aviv’s trendy Gan HaHashmal, whose gobelin-inspired pieces are sold in London boutiques as well as close to home.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , • Category: Art, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Nostalgia Sunday, Pop Culture, design 

Comments

One Comment on Nostalgia Sunday – Stitching in the Seventies

  1. Miryom Shuman on Sun, Feb 14th 2010 10:49 AM

    2. Thank you for sharing your article with me thru Anita. I remember the craze of gobelin embroidery from back in the ’70s.

    If you are interested in other embroidery stories, my group “Jerusalem Embroiderers ” – ten women who have been meeting monthly for many years, has created wall panels which were presented to a hospital, a trauma center and a synagogue. Currently working on an environment hanging for educational purposes.

    Also, the group from our Beit Knesset, which meets weekly and has been together also for many years, does beautiful embroidery – has its work on display at the Beit Knesset. Anita is a treasured member.

    Another story of interest is the growing scene of quilting. The Israel Quilters Association has more than 300 members (I am one of them) – it has quilters all over the country, and even a couple of special stores selling fabrics and supplies for this craft. There are group shows – see the current one at the Mormon Center, and individual shows – see the one at The Jerusalem Center.

    Again, thank you and b’hatzlacha.
    Miryom

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