Collections by Name | Collections by Region

East European Textiles

MSU Museum textile collections contain fine examples of traditional clothing and textiles of eastern Europe, many of which are hand woven and feature intricate embroidery in motifs and patterns traditional to their respective regions.

Highlights of the collection include: five-piece women’s wool ensemble including chemise, sleeveless coat, apron, socks and shoes from Bulgaria; several embroidered linen or wool runners, tablecloths and doilies with traditional embroidered designs from various regions in Poland; woven stair carpets, a 19th century embroidered table runner depicting a Jewish wedding, a woven apron and other clothing items from Russia; several examples of embroidered Ukrainian household textiles, including pieces made by Michigan Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Awardee Eugenia Worobkevich of Warren, Michigan; a complete women’s outfit and portions of a man’s ensemble dating from 1930s Czechoslovakia; several pieces from Serbia and Croatia collected in the 1920s, including a man’s traditional embroidered wool outfit from Dubrovnik and a man’s wedding apron and a woman’s silk coat, both heavily embellished with metal thread embroidery.

These items are part of a much larger collection of textiles from around the world, held in trust by MSU Museum. Materials from this collection are made available to researchers and students by appointment.

Donors and Fieldworkers

Carolyn Wicker, Doris Neilson, Eve Boicourt, Merry Silber, Eva Hlasny, Lester Wegrzecki, Dr. Yvonne R. Lockwood, Dr. William G. Lockwood, Eugenia Worobkevich

East European Textiles

Embroidered table runner, Poland

Pink and gold brocade coat, Yugoslavia