Romanian embroidery at Maryhill: a museum's centennial and lessons in geometric pattern
Until 15 November 2026 the Maryhill Museum of Art in Washington State, USA, is showing "Romanian Embroidery". It opened on 15 March and marks the museum's centennial: in 1926 it was dedicated by the Queen of Romania, who travelled to the United States for the occasion. On display are embroidered Romanian blouses, chemises and other pieces (exhibition page, museum press release on the 2026 season, OPB report on the centennial, 18 September 2026).
The embroidered Romanian blouse
A traditional embroidered Romanian blouse is recognisable by its pattern: geometric motifs and repeating bands on the sleeves, shoulders and chest. Many designs are worked by counting the threads of the cloth — just as we count squares on a cross stitch chart. That makes these pieces a good source of ideas for cross stitchers.
What to take from folk pattern
- Counted motifs. Diamonds, stars and zigzags are built from simple steps across the grid. Draw one motif on graph paper and repeat it as a band.
- Few colours. Folk embroidery often uses two or three colours — red and black on light cloth, for example. Such a palette looks unified straight away, and the chart stitches quickly.
- Symmetry. Many motifs are mirrored. Stitch from the centre of the motif so it's easier to keep count; for counting in tens see "How not to get lost in a big chart".
- Linen or evenweave. Folk embroidery was worked on woven cloth. For a similar texture, choose evenweave — see "Fabric and count".
Another article on embroidery from museum collections: "Samplers as landscapes".
About the author
This article was written by the Crossette team. We're building Crossette, a cross stitch tracker for iPhone and iPad. It's in development; to join the beta, email [email protected].