In World War II (1939-1945), the whole region was occupied by the Hungarians. After the war, the former Czech parts of the region were ceded to the Soviet Union. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, these became part of Ukraine. In the 1990's the Hungarian section was re-named Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg.
Beregi embroidery often consists of counted thread work, made on a linen or cotton ground. The main stitch used is cross stitch. Beregi embroidery is characterised by its use of symmetrical and geometric designs, which are normally worked in repeating blocks. A pattern is often worked as a series of large, isolated blocks enclosed by lines of smaller blocks, usually based on a different, but complementary, geometric pattern.
Modern examples tend to be much simpler in form than the older forms. The most popular colours for Beregi embroidery are blue and red (sometimes using two or more shades of these colours within one design) and to a lesser extent, mid-brown.
See also the TRC Needles entry on Hungarian embroidery.
Source: FÉL, Edit (1961). Hungarian Peasant Embroidery, London: B.T. Batsford.
Digital source of illustration (retrieved 6th July 2016).
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