Zaans Stikwerk and Haute Bordure at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden

House coat, 1880.

This past weekend I stayed in Leeuwarden, NL, to attend a masterclass in Zaans stikwerk at the Fries Museum. The class was part of the Borduurschool workshops hosted by Crafts Council Nederland and the Fries Museum for the Haute Bordure exhibition, for which I taught several online workshops this spring.

I stayed at a B&B with a traditional reed roof outside of the city, with views of two lakes and a herd of freshly sheered sheep to greet me while biking to and from the museum (Scroll to the end for roof and sheep photos). Riding past canals, birds, and a giant version of a flower that looked like Queen Anne’s lace– which is the invasive species Giant Hogweed– was a charming way to begin each day.

Zaans stikwerk is the Dutch style of whitework and corded quilting similar to Broderie à Marseille or boutis from France and Italian Trapunto. Pieces likely arrived from elsewhere in Europe in the Zaans region as it was an industrial and trade center in the 17th and 18th centuries. The technique probably had no name in The Netherlands until Johanna Naber introduced it in her needlework publications in 1900. The style uses two layers of fabric, rather than three in traditional quilting, and was used to decorate and strengthen garments for the wealthy. It was such a treat to learn this technique and then go see the exhibition over two days! Here is a sample piece of my stikwerk in progress from the workshop:

My stikwerk from the Masterclass in progress. Patterns by Majo van der Woude, Tree of Needlework.

Baby jacket with stikwerk, 1775 -1800 based on a model from 1700 - 1750.

The Haute Bordure exhibition covers 400 years of embroidered clothing in The Netherlands, from 17th century embellished shoes to contemporary dresses. Please go see it if you can! Here are some highlights:

Woman’s shoe from 1620, leather, velvet, and silk. Both wealthy men and women wore richly decorated shoes. This one would’ve remained hidden under a long skirt, rarely seen by anyone.

Cotton stockings with silk embroidery, 1750. Note the unusual heel gusset that serves as a stem for the central flower!

Buttons and pockets for a silk men’s suit, 1785 - 1800.

Child’s mourning dress and display highlighting the embroidery, 1915 - 25.

The exhibition also includes 20th century and contemporary designs by Viktor & Rolf, gowns for the Dutch royal family, and the most recent inclusion, a dress with an embroidered Moroccan tile motif by Karim Adduchi.

Reed roof at the B&B near Leeuwarden.

Friends on the bike path outside of Leeuwarden.