Pilot 5
Semne Cusute (Romania)


     EMBROIDERY
     BUCHAREST,
          ROMANIA


About Semne Cusute

Semne Cusute is a movement of women that share and teach traditional embroidery online.  Embroidery is a traditional craft in Romania, the birthplace of the network, that is traditionally  shared within the family, and thus has no official school or professional status.  Semne Cusute blends cultural preservation, sustainable fashion, community building, and education to promote and protect the heritage of the Romanian traditional shirt.  It highlights the intricate patterns and wisdom encoded in its design, showcasing it as a masterpiece of collective creativity.  It is a movement that convinced more than 53.000 persons to get actively involved into keeping the textile heritage alive. 
Their project Needlework Chronicles creates more recognition for the value and cultural heritage of the craft with younger generations and craftspeople, educating craftspeople in marketability and how to differentiate themselves from machine-embroidered textiles.



Learn more

Activities

  • Online needle lace courses to introduce the public to topics related to the craft and how it fits into the wider textile crafts, cultural, socio-political, and historical context

  • Practical in person workshops focusing on needle lace techniques, from beginner techniques to more advanced ones

  • Define a capsule collection with 5 textile items that show how tradition and modernity can coexist. 

  • Exhibitions to show how needlelace has evolved and has been used on textiles

  • Create a Samples Album that will include needlework from traditional Romanian shirts as well as examples from other European and Global cultures in an effort to present the connections that these crafts have created over the centuries

Results

  • A network, which will be self-sustaining beyond Tracks4Crafts.

  • Allowing inexperienced members to learn the basics of creating objects, plan their work and invest in materials

  • A virtual, collaborative space to bridge different needlework traditions, tell stories and document the craft not just as skill, but as a way of passing down information, identity, values and aspirations.

Impact

  • Create a multi-cultural model, bringing together and exploring traditional needlework techniques rooted in different regions within and beyond Europe.