Telli

Dress with example of telli work, Egypt, mid-20th century. Dress with example of telli work, Egypt, mid-20th century. Courtesy Textile Research Centre, Leiden, acc. no. TRC 2008.0496. Photograph: Joost Kolkman.

Telli is a form of metal thread embroidery from Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. It uses thin strips of metal thread to make herringbone stitches, satin stitches and detached Roumanian stitches. The metal thread appears on both sides of the ground cloth. This style of work is directly linked with metal thread work from the former Ottoman Empire. This technique was used to decorate a range of garments, such as dresses and shawls.

The designs associated with telli are typically geometric and consist of diamonds, triangles and flag-like motifs. Telli should not be confused with the related technique of tulle-bi-telli (also known as badla), which uses individual knots, rather than the stitches that are applied in telli work.

TRC online catalogue (retrieved 7 April 2017).

GVE

Last modified on Monday, 17 April 2017 10:04