Krustpils Women's Folk CostumeFold-out, Latvian State Printing House, 1958

WOMEN'S NATIONAL COSTUME OF THE KRUSTPILS DISTRICT

This costume was confined to a very small area, yet one that stood on such a high artistic level that it had a wide range of influence.

The most decorative article was the «sagsha» — a woollen shawl — which was most variegated in design. Broad borders of embroidery ran along its side edges, and a narrow one along one or both of its top and bottom hems. The embroidery along the side edges formed three rows, the central one broader than the other two. Between them smaller ornaments were stitched. The top and bottom hems were usually bordered with one band of embroidery, edged in with a kind of feather-stitch («kruhmu raksts»). The older type of sagsha was embroidered in cross-stitch, while later on this was superseded by stem-stitch and satin-stitch in green, yellow, red and blue wool.

Along the side edges, the sagsha was trimmed with white fringes to which a coloured fringe — made on flat little sticks and arranged in groups of tassels — was attached. The sagsha was put about the shoulders and fastened in front with a «burbulsakta» («bubble-brooch»), or a decorative silver «sakta» spangled with red glass stones and adorned with silver pendants.

The coronet was usually low. Married women wore tall tower-shaped hats, embroidered along the front edge in red-and-white one-way drawn-thread work and trimmed with an embroidered length of tulle.

The blouses varied. The one represented here has a turndown collar, an inset yoke and loose long sleeves. The collar and sleeves are embroidered with small ornaments in red and white. The collar has a dented edge, while the sleeve is trimmed with little loops. The yoke is attached to the rest of the blouse with a loose joining seam of white thread, into which a fine pattern is worked. The blouse is fastened at the neck with a small silver «sakta» (brooch).

The skirt was usually woven in small chequers. The woven sash was brightly coloured, the whole colour-scheme being carefully matched.