This October CRMA organised a weaving workshop in Tyros, in the Peloponnese, and Jennifer and I went together from Crete. Tsakonika Weaving is run by a mother and daughter in their studio, where the most beautiful kilim rugs can be seen and bought. Thomae and Elizabeth follow in the steps of Elizabeth’s grandmother, who passed on her knowledge to her granddaughter, and now Elizabeth gives weaving lessons not only in her studio but also in Athens and internationally.
I am reluctant to use the word ‘workshop’ as I feel that neither of these words, ‘work’ nor ‘shop’ describe what we experienced in the five days we were in Tyros; in fact they drag it down to something mundane and commercial – with a coating of obligation. I would rather say that our collective journey was an immersion – we were welcomed with open arms into the world of kilim weaving; experiencing wide invitations to the opening of our imaginations to the possibilities of colours, styles , tradition, but also hardships, pain and endurance.
Elizabeth began by introducing us to the local Tyros delicacy, Tsakonian baby aubergines* in syrup – sweet and spicy they easily deceived us , no one guessed we were eating a vegetable, not a fruit.. From there she introduced us to the history of kilim weaving among women, how the geography of Tyros meant the men were fishermen and the women in each village mostly isolated from each other.
The art of the Tsakonian vertical loom arrived from Asia Minor around 1870, brought by a woman, Polyxeni Dounia, who came from Aydin. She wove using the designs and colours used in the homes of Greeks in Asia Minor and taught the craft to four students. Weaving took the form of a cottage industry, and over time, a second workshop opened, and women set up their own looms at home.
Kilims were woven to be gifted at weddings (when the Tree of Life often centred the rug) and other special occasions, as well as for use at home. But weaving was lonely; the looms were very large, immobile – so each woman would be in her home, alone, weaving her dreams and wishes. Elizabeth told us that a weaver will look at her finished work and remember how she felt at different stages of completion, when she wove THAT part she was feeling sad ; THIS part was when she was wishing her neighbour would get well, and so on.
The finished kilim contains the hopes, fears, and personality of the weaver.
Elizabeth’s grandmother loved weaving but she also felt alone in her craft, so she actually got local craftsmen to make her some movable looms – enabling her to weave outside and with company.. These were the looms we were fortunate to work on.
Over the course of five days we learnt about the various traditional patterns, how to dye wool with natural colours using for example walnut cases, hibiscus flowers, and onion skins. We learnt to weave triangles and make ‘tsibima’ (Greek τσίμπημα) this describes the technique required when working with different colours, necessary to avoid holes in your work- tsibima in Greek means a bite , and you can see that the word is particularly apt when you look at the finished work. We each chose a design and for two full days we wove – just finishing our individual work as the last day ended.
We were four in our group- two from CRMA; Click, a Zimbabwean who has lived in Athens for over thirty years, and Martha Ann from the US . As we wove we relaxed into each other’s company, absorbing the enthusiasm and expertise of our teacher Elizabeth and her mother’s help. At times the room was thick with the concentration of creation – leaving us with a strong desire to return if possible in the future, as well as to continue using small and maybe makeshift looms (in Leonidio**, in the weaving museum of Tsouhlo, amongst the glorious huge kilims displayed, we saw a loom made of an old window frame).
We left taking not only our work but also stiff and painful shoulders – a very small insight into the less beguiling part of weaving – but Thomae assured us pain is superseded by the joy of weaving. I felt sorry for her, as she has recently broken arm and is unable to do what she loves most – the last thing she said to me was how much she is missing her weaving. We are so grateful for the opportunity we had to see the wonderful work this mother and daughter team have produced and to learn from them not only about weaving but also natural dyeing techniques and most of all the importance of passing these skills down from generation to generation. The studio has many beautiful rugs of traditional and modern design and my favourite was the design inspired by all three generations – grandmother , mother and daughter , a kilim woven in a pattern created by the mixture of their ‘favourite things’ – tiles; pebbles under water; and mermaids – I am saving up now to buy one. And just from those short five days, the magic of Tsakonian kilim weaving has inspired us too; and we are already thinking about returning next year.
*https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/143522/pretty-sweet-thing-the-tsakonian-eggpl ant/ **https://en.protothema.gr/2024/06/18/the-women-in-leonidio-breathe-new-life-into-a n-art-that-defies-time/
About the Author:
Sian has lived in Crete since 1985 and has three children two of whom are in Crete and one living in London. She feels lucky to have always been self employed and working with people, outdoors and close to nature. The Cretan traditions of sharing food and hospitality, offering without expecting anything back, have always aligned with her core beliefs. She learnt knitting, sewing and cooking from her maternal grandmother and has passed these skills and the joy of creation to her daughters. Excited to learn weaving she is looking forward to CRMA beginning lessons for local girls helping to keep the ancient traditions of weaving alive, and to making connections world wide with women weavers. She sees this as giving us opportunities to learn from other cultures, to share our knowledge, and to support younger women in learning the richness of their traditions.
