Discovery and Tradition: Oya Needle Lace

One of the most culturally distinctive of the traditional Turkish crafts, the centuries-old art of oya, or ‘igne oyasi’ as it better known, has been enjoying a revival in popularity and growing worldwide acknowledgement.

Although fewer Turkish women make oya lace themselves nowadays (or know how to), it is still very much revered and sought after in modern accessories. Young people enjoy wearing bracelets, necklaces, earrings, belts and bags adorned with oya lace. Older people may, out of tradition, put away oya laced bed linen, towels and prayer head scarves in a classical bridal trousseau for their daughters.  In any case, home furnishing accessories with oya trimming can be found in even the most modern and trendy homes in Turkey. I especially love the oya used in modern jewelry, mixed with silver or semi-precious stones.

A local jewelry artisan named Birsen Sonmez, has used oya beautifully in her jewelry, and I fell in love with it at first sight. There is no limit to the styles and colours she will use. I will be promoting her work along with the other artisans’ at the Stitch & Craft Show at London Olympia in March 2010 and am eagerly anticipating the reaction the oya will receive for the first time!

Oya is a lace technique which uses a tiny straight needle to make even tinier loops and knots and as the knots are tightened the stitches also grow smaller. At first glance, oya appears very similar to crochet lace. However, it is much finer, designed to be sewn onto something else and differs in its ability to be two-dimensional or three-dimensional. There are two main stitches – the square and the triangle. Phases in the work are called root oya, rock oya and main oya.

A composition is created by using several styles together. Often it is desired to make the oya stand stiff and, while in pre-modern times horse hair was used to achieve this, nowadays wire or plastic thread is used. The oya was starched using egg whites, sugar or gelatin. Today, because of economy, the silk thread classically used to make oya embroidery is used much less than before and cotton thread, even polyester, is more common. 

Recognized universally as ‘Turkish Lace’, it holds a strong place in Turkish history. Although its origin is placed in Anatolia around the time of the Silk Road, due to its particular use of silk and the popular production of silk in the region, it isn’t known exactly where and by whom oya was first developed. 

Nonetheless, the art of oya has played a large role in decoration during every era of the Ottoman empire, both in the palace courts and in regular homes. Antique oya lace is valued highly by collectors and antique dealers, especially today as the demand for handcrafts is getting higher.

Oya techniques have not changed since Ottoman times and have traditionally been passed down the generations through women teaching one another, within the family or neighbourhood setting. Very few extensive written instructions, patterns or other similar records have been kept and even this fact makes it more astonishing that the art has not been lost! The strength of women teaching one another over the generations is evident in the loyalty to technique and style in oya lace today we see when compared to antique examples on display. 

Oya lace has always had a story or message to communicate – love, sadness, yearning, mourning, joy. Originally made to trim headscarves, bed linen, towels and bridal veils, the designs have been named after flowers (lilies, hyacinths and violets the most popular), nature and legends (such as Mejnun’s nest). The colours and designs of the material to be trimmed lend inspiration to the oya – to make the embroidery a delightful continuation of the fabric.

Figen Cakir is a regular contributor to Valley Fiber Life. She writes from her home in Turkey, where she and her partner foster economic development in their community through business incubators, workshops and her online shop. Here are ways to connect with Figen and her work:

Creative Consulting: www.intarsiaconcept.com
Owner/Designer: www.theknitbox.com
Blog: www.knitbox.blogspot.com 

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Comments

[ys]

This is our one of traditional hand work,we call it ''iğne oyası''. It's models change to every region and all of them have a name and also a meaning. Especially in the past this work was very very precious and common,every young girl has it in their chests (before marriage parents and girls make lots of hand work etc. and keep them in the chest untill marriage.)which is another traditional behaviour; but there are not so much person how to do it; but nowadays women want to learn it and take some courses because they want to keep the tradıtıons alive and absoluteliy it is so beautiful,valuable... This needle works are not very easy to do. Patience is first condition to make it :) In old times people raised silkworms for maintain their own silks and they made it with pure silks. Today there are still some areas rais silkworms but I am not so sure how many family. We wish to be more and more knows to make it. There are lots of to tell about iğne oyası.Apologize for my mistakes. Best wishes from Turkey.