Paper short abstract:

The production of traditional soft furnishings in Slavonia is a process of selecting patterns, using traditional textile techniques and finally displaying finished textile items in ones home. This is an emotional and sensory process meaning material connection to the past and present home-making.

Paper long abstract:

Contemporary production of traditional soft furnishings in Slavonia is fairly present today. It is complex process of selecting patterns, making the soft furnishings, tablecloths, doily etc. by applying traditional textile techniques and finally displaying finished textile items in ones home as both everyday and festive home decoration. Women in Slavonija use traditional patterns and develop new ones for different textile items which are sort of upgraded traditional textile. It has deep emotional and sensory meaning in home-making process which is not only connected to aesthetic home decorating, but also has the function of representing the material connection to past by making stronger sensory dimension of home. The research focus will go in two directions: firstly the old, inherited textile objects and secondly, the newly made textile objects. In both cases, using and practices connected with them will be significant in discovering their role in home-making process in Slavonian homes today. Does it means that ones home is less of a home if it does not have embroidered tablecloth for Christmas or some other occasion? What is the criteria of selecting the home textiles for everyday or some festive family gathering?

Pointing out several examples of contemporary domestic production of soft furnishing and usage of it in ones home, the paper will try to answer the question: How does the emotional bond with traditional textile items is helping one to make a home, or how does the lack of these items affects the context of home-making process?