The Fine Art of Embroidery

Undoubtedly, the fine art of Philippine embroidery is well recognized worldwide because of its intricate designs that are simply captivating. Embroidery, the art of forming decorative designs with hand or machine needlework, has become an immediate inspiration to Dr. Romula Savellon, CNU museum curator, to hold an exhibit on the development of education yet zeroing in on Home Economics, one of the many aspects of education. She focused on Home Economics projects, giving so much weight on the fine art of embroidery.

Dr. Savellon, who is Ma'am Moling to most of us Normalites, opened this up to me one Saturday noon over rice and escabeche (oh, how fond was she of the fish head!). She said that Dr. Marlon Lopez, VP for Academic Affairs, asked her to hold a one-day exhibit on the development of education in connection with the university's charter day celebration held recently. How poignant was Ma'am Moling's idea to come up with an exhibit emphasizing on the fine art of embroidery that is almost, if not totally, gone to oblivion!

The exhibit was long been done yet Ma'am Moling simply transferred the exhibit in the university museum so that museum-lovers can see the captivating creative handiworks, which, by the way, we Filipinos should be proud of. Though this is fast becoming a lost art, it is always inspiring to know that we are still able to keep a few of these treasures that showcase our admirable skills and creativity.

"Embroidery was a household art taught to young girls as far back as the Spanish era and as late as in the 1970's when the advent of embroidery machines rendered it more expensive, in terms of time and effort. But for a long time, it was a much admired and much valued skill, especially among the colegialas in exclusive schools such as the Colegio de la Immaculada Concepcion," Ma'am Moling underscored.

The Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion, which served as the first school for girls belonging to the elite families, was famous for women's work. This included the very expensive and exquisite embroideries that were done with originality.

Embroidery in the Philippines actually originated as a hobby among womenfolk in provinces and barrios. Pupils in the Spanish era, especially the convent schoolgirls, were taught handicrafts weaving like embroidery and basket weaving. This continued well into the American era. Truly, young schoolgirls of the Spanish and American eras were especially skilled in embroidery and handicraft. On the other hand, industrial arts was intended for the boys.

In the exhibit, the one that really caught my attention was the embroidered corpiño because of its intricately-done calado (cutwork). Before the brassierre was introduced in Cebu, young ladies wore heavily embroidered underwear such as the camison (chemise); corpiño or camisole (half-chemise for the upper body) and naguas (half-slip). The beautifully embroidered corpiño was made by the Borromeo sisters. A woman named Basilisa Solen Mercado during her wedding in 1913 wore it!

Likewise, the balls of the native cotton plant (Gosypium Philippinense) called Cotton Balls were displayed. During the Spanish era, cotton balls were spun into thread to be woven into cloth. Young girls in convent schools were taught to spin their thread from the balls of the native cotton plant using a spinning wheel (Kalingasan) and weave their own cloth on a handloom (habanan). Ma'am Moling said that she was supposed to display the original Kalingasan her family owned but she could no longer find it. So, she decided to illustrate it herself. After all, she is not only good in writing poems, essays and scrutinizing folkloric literature, but also in illustrating!

Two beautifully done baskets made of rattan also caught my attention. Then fifteen-year-old Paula Rodamonte made one of the baskets when she became the wife of Sr. Arcadio Ouano, the last cabeza de barangay of Banilad, Mandaue City. Sra. Paula used the basket as a container for her sewing utensils in the 1880's. The other basket was made by one of Sra. Paula Ouano's children as a project during the American era.

The Americans also introduced crocheting, one of the lace-making techniques, that became immensely popular among young ladies of the era. Crocheting continued to be taught in schools up to the 1970's and 1980's. The crocheted doily in the exhibit was a pupil's project in the 1950's. A few home economics program still teach the art.

Tatting, another lace-making technique, was introduced in elementary schools after WWII. A woman who claimed to have learned the art in school right after the war did the diamond-shaped doily in the 1970's. Tatting, which is now fast becoming a lost art, was taught to elementary schoolgirls as late as 1950's.

A landscape design showing the different kinds of stitches, namely: running stitch, single ray, back stitching, lazy daisy, outline stitches, French stem satin stitch, long and short stitch and satin stitch, Bullion stitch and Fishbone stitch took center stage. Embroidery samplers made by a CNS alumna, Dr. Lourdes Concepcion-Tago, were also highlighted in the exhibit.

The small exhibit, no matter how few were the works being displayed, takes us back to our past - a significant past in fact that is almost strange to us.