We are having a few days in Budapest, Hungary. The Museum of Ethnology, just by the Parliament building, has a permanent display of Hungarian life. The display includes a wide range of amazing costumes for men and women, from all the main parts of Hungary, mainly dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The many forms reflect Hungary's diverse and complicated history. The exhibition also includes many different decorative techniques, as for instance felt applique, laces of various types, pulled thread work, as well as decorative stitch forms. To the uninitiated eye some of the men's outfits could be taken as elaborate women's attire. This is quite a revelation to someone used to more sober (and boring) West European men's clothing. The embroidery and woven textiles are well worth seeing and studying in further detail.

Lots of embroidery for sale in the city, but most of it is made in China for the Hungarian market (sounds familiar?). However, we found a small shop called Vali-Folkart. It is full of 'good'  embroidery and the shopkeeper, Bálint Ács, knows what he is talking about. certainly a place to visit! More details about Vali-Folkart can be found at their website www.valifolkart.hu

Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, 3 July 2014