Rare handcrafts: Kadom Veniz

The unique Kadom needle embroidery “Veniz”

In Russian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuGakYLwC-o
In Japanese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk0Gqucj8xs

The beginning of the unique Kadom embroidery goes back to the ancient days. According to the old legend the Russian tsar Peter the Great ordered all boyars and other nobles to wear the European clothes richly trimmed with lace. The Russian nobility paid for the Venetian and Brussels lace in gold. And in order not to spend the state treasury the Tsar prohibited to purchase the lace abroad and ordered to train Russian nuns to the skill of making the Venetian lace. The nuns were brought to Kadom where they taught the local needlewomen to make fantastic patterns by a needle, to make the wonderful Venetian lace. And soon on the basis of this technique they created the unique needlework “Veniz”. On the basis of the real folk patterns and colour combinations the craftswomen created such articles as table – cloths, napkins, curtains, runners, women’s dresses and blouses.

It is really good that this handicraft has carried on the tradition in the modern articles of the Kadom needle emdroidery “Venis”. Nowadays the designers use in their work the traditional stitches. White cloth, threads, plain needle – but when the skilled hand touches them the wonder happens: the master makes them live and the delicate ornaments embroidered in silk make the articles really unique. “Veniz” is a very laborious embroidery. It takes minimum 8 hours for the skillful needlewoman to make an openwork pattern diameter up to 5 cm. The collections of “Kadom Veniz” are exhibited at many All – Russia and international exhibitions in Brussels and Montreal and win a lot of prizes.