Hello all,
I'm relatively new to embroidery but figured since I just geeked out in Greece, I should share some photos with you all in case you have never been. I prioritized with my husband (bless his soul) seeing various textile and embroidery shops, as well as visiting the Benaki Museum to see older examples of Greek embroidery. Let me know if you have any questions. This set of photos is remarkably small compared to what I took, but should have the most detail/clarity for close observation. If you guys ever get to go, it does not disappoint!!
(3) Antique shop in Crete (Rhthymno) had hand towels and table runners that were handstitched.
(9) Folklore museum in Crete (Edit: Chania, not Haraklion**) had some handstitched things that were on display from various households, and the trees/crop scenes were machine stitched by the woman who owned (?) the museum.
(1) The bird with ΚΑΛΗ ΜΕΡΑ (Kali Mera or Good Morning/ Good Day) is a hand embroidered wall hanging I bought from Chania, Crete, where the lady was apparently the oldest traditional embroiderer in Greece. Her stuff was gorgeous, but I could not take any photos of her work, except the one I bought. Her name is Maria Galanaki with "Center of Traditional Folk Art & Culture" if you ever want to see more of her work or purchase a book of her work.
The rest: Benaki Museum in Athens. Traditional embroidery, costume, lace, etc. from all around Greece. I threw in a familiar mermaid for those of you looking for Easter eggs!!
I can see you had a wonderful time in Crete, and how could you not? It is one of my favorite places to visit. How long were you there? Sounds like you went from one end of the island to the other. One small correction though--"the Folklore museum in Crete (Heraklion) had some handstitched things that were on display from various households, and the trees/crop scenes were machine stitched by the woman who owned (?) the museum"-- the museum in the pictures is in Chania (Hania) and is owned and operated by Ireni Koumandraki, a dear friend of mine. Almost every town or city in Greece has a folklore museum and it is a great way to get to know that area, it's history and the people. You must have done just that when you were in Crete. I hope you can come back again and before you do contact me. We can meet for coffee. 🙂