Istanbul, Turkey used to be a thriving mecca of quilting activity with 1200 traditional quiltmakers counted by the Chamber of Commerce. Today, about 200 quilters are plying their needles there, while in Ankara, a woman named Gunsu Gungor has become the “champion of quilting” in her country. A write-up about her and a beautiful appliqué block made Cemre, one of her two sons, can be seen at Planet Patchwork.
An interview with Gunsu (in Turkish) is worth clicking onto because if one scrolls down the page, there are wonderful examples of her quilts that had previously been placed on exhibit. Included are Crazy Quilts, dolls, and clothing, etc.
Another quilter is Sadiye Okyar, (you will be re-directed from that site link, right after clicking on it). She is associated with Mrs. Gungor via GC Patchwork Studio, owned by Gungor, but is a prolific quilter in her own right. An amazing amount of talent is shown in these online galleries that prove that piecework, appliqué, and landscape quilts, and dressmaking are alive and well in Turkey today.
Traditional Turkish quilts were wholecloth affairs, the bottom layer being muslin or cambric, and the top being a shiny, elegant-looking, satin. In between the outer layers were wads of sheep fleece. Washing the quilt required disassembling it. Therefore, the stitches to put it together were inordinately large for that reason.
Some modern Turkish quilts continue to be wholecloth and have satin tops. They look wonderful, quilted in designs such as “lozenges, pears, stars, tulips, clover, leaves, vines, carnations, violets, daisies” (and others).
The Tulip or “Lale” is a favorite and oft-repeated design motif.
Fatih Kurum (b. 1984) make wholecloth quilts and is considered a master craftman in quilting. He can be seen with some of his quilts at the Turkish Culture site.
Sally Ward, a British quilter, supplied the following two links on a mailing list: a Turkish male quiltmaker in his shop, and here’s another link.
A Turkish quiltmaker is called a Yorganci, (pronounced Yorganchi).
Halikarnasus, a European boutique, sells “Yorgans,” traditional Turkish quilts. These are cotton, measure 84″ long x 74″ wide and could cover a queen size bed. Each is filled with 10 pounds of Turkish cotton. They are stitched by hand, and priced at $250.
My first awareness of a quilting tradition in Turkey came when I purchased the book, Turkish Delights to Appliqué by Linda M. Poole, a total inspiration! The author’s 14 designs were inspired by a visit to Turkey after having met Gunsu Gungor at an international quilt show in Austria. Linda was invited by Istemihan Talay, Turkey’s Minister of Culture, “to teach and exhibit at the first International Peace with Quilts Exhibition.” (page 7, Poole book). Linda’s work is inspired by Iznik Tiles and Pottery, the first tile of which was given to her by Gunsu Gungor.
While I did not hunt down photos yet, to include on this page, I believe there are sufficient links to give you a good idea of the level of craftmanship being done in Turkey these days. We may not all be able to afford to go to Turkey, but the Internet continues to bring the quilting community together. As the lyrics of the song heard at Disney World said, “It’s A Small World, After All.”
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
