Centralne Muzeum Włókiennictwa

Department of Folk Textiles

The core of the collection are items collected starting from 1959, still in the Muzeum Sztuki (Museum of Art) in Łódź. The collection includes now 2 795 inventory positions (more than 4 000 objects). These are mainly textiles and folk garments in many regional variations. It allows to learn about such issues as folk textile materials, structure of fabrics and their techniques, folk weaving and lace techniques.

Majority of objects come from the regions – the closest to Łódź – the central and northern Poland (region of Łowicz, Opoczno, Rawa and Sieradz; Kujawy and Kurpie) as well as eastern and northern-eastern Poland. The collected objects are from the 19^th century until the present day. Some of them were purchased in Cepelia, other – from artists or private collectors. In recent years expansion of the museum collection was possible due to generosity of private donators – donations make almost ¾ of the acquests. Majority of the collection include fragments of garment fabrics, laces, hand and machine embroideries, which illustrate various weaving techniques and types of ornamentation. Among them the set of 420 workshop embroideries from all over Poland should be paid attention. They look like needle embroidery, manufactured with the use of the weaving technique called interlacing (“peretyk”) or alternating (“perebora”).

A considerable set of items includes woolen and linen-woolen decorative-functional textiles, which were used as bed covers and table cloth, rarely as wall decorations, with patterns in stripes (“pasiaki”) or chequered (“kraciaki”). These textiles were called “kilims” (rugs) or “semi-carpets” or “carpets” and are considered to be the most examples of the Polish folk weaving. “Pasiaki” and “kraciaki” were widely used in garments (female skirts, aprons, spencers, male trousers and belts).

The collection housed by the Department also includes linen and linen-cotton sheets and blankets, tablecloths and towels, in which ornament is the effect of textural weave (most often the checked motive) and – to a lesser extent – chromatic resulting from various shades of white in various materials (linen and cotton) and the degree of grassing flax.

The so-called double textiles form an interesting distinct group in the collection. They are also called double warp carpets and come from the northern-eastern part of Poland from the years 1880-2008. These are double layer textiles with patterns, manufactured of wool in two colours, where the reverse side is chromatic reversal of the right side. They are manufactured with the use of canvas weave on hand looms with tread and 4 harnesses and the pattern is hand made with the use of wooden selvage. This technique allows to apply the whole variety of motives in the composition, including weaving figural scenes of narrative character. Both in composing the whole and in single motives folk weavers do not usually make any sketches or designs. The whole creative process takes place in the artist’s imagination. These are small or full-size carpets (ca. 150 x 200 cm). Formerly, they were given dates and name of the commissioning party, the contemporary ones have the date and signature of the manufacturer. Double textiles were used for covering tables or beds and were an obligatory part of the bride’s dowry. With time they became wall decoration with new contents repertoire, highly praised also outside villages.

An interesting set includes objects from the historical region of the former Republic of Poland – multiethnic Poland of the Eastern regions. These are mainly decorative-functional textiles from Vilnius, Belorussia and Hucuły region – multi-harness textiles with geometrical cube ornamentation, kilims, Hucuły blankets called “liżniki”.

A small but an interesting and colorful set includes textiles, ceremonial accessories and elements of Eastern, African, Central and South American garments.

A collection of tools for weaving and fibre processing forms a supplement to the collection.

Lidia Zganiacz
Senior Curator
Head of the Department of Folk Textiles