Zmijanje embroidery UNESCO world heritage - the outstanding aspect of this Serbian embroidery is that it exclusively made in dark blue or black wool thread. It is only found in this tiny portion of the Bosanska Krajina, and beyond that, only in the far Skopska Crna Gora.
The arrangement of embroidery was dictated by tradition, of course: on the bodice, two paired panels called krpice; at the shoulder seams, prerukavlje; on the sleeve hem, zarukavlje; occasionally, the skirt hem, skuti; and the collar, kolijera. This arrangement is also typical in the northern Dalmatian districts of Bukovica, Ravni Kotari, and Cetinska Krajina, which speaks to the migrations and origins of the Serbs in these areas. The hallmark fibre for Dinaric costume is wool, and embroidery was generally done with the finest wool yarns possible. In the interwar period, cotton threads began to be used. Techniques varied, but mainly relied on variations of cross stitch, pokrstica, and stitches that involved counting threads.
Serbs from Mrkonjić Grad, photographed by Blanch Payne - University of Washington // Embroidery photographs - Biljana Regan // Text - Aleksandar Stošić
