Avlea Embroidery - Balkan Bartizan - Bit Kit

In Brooklyn, New York, there is a famous Balkan festival called "Golden Festival" which has run for the last 37 years and celebrates Balkan music, dance, and culture. This year, I was honored to be asked to design a special embroidery for their virtual "sedenka" which is a traditional gathering in which women sew and sing folk songs.

Inspired by a traditional embroidery from the small town of Berova in northern Macedonian, this design’s bold motifs evoke a “bartisan,” a corner turret on a medieval castle, many of which can be seen throughout the Balkans where this design originated. The lavish use of red and garnet are traditional to many Balkan textiles and create a wonderfully intense energy to this striking table mat.

This design is quite easy to use to make larger runners—simply use a longer piece of cloth and work more repeats of the design.

This pattern measures 101 stitches wide by 59 stitches tall for a total of 3507 stitches

The Balkan Bartizan Bit Kit Includes:

- 26ct 100% Cotton Groundcloth from Greece
- All the DMC floss required to stitch this pattern
- A full-colour symbol-on-chart pattern
- A John James size 24 Tapestry Needle