Traditional Bulgarian embroidery has been inspiring people for centuries. The diversity of its elements is an expression of the rich soul and artistic talents of the Bulgarian woman and embodies the constant pursuit of beauty. For five years now, Maria Gergova has been putting her inspiration, talent and positive energy into bringing embroidery into our modern life, depicting it on glass vessels. And she succeeds to bring joy to many people through creating unique glass objects.

She received the creative impulse from another talented Bulgarian woman who creates embroidery on knitted cuffs. This made Maria think how to make the elements of traditional embroidery constantly present in our everyday life. She bought books with authentic motifs, became a member of several specialized Facebook groups and in this way manages to constantly enrich the elements she recreates on glass:

"The less popular they are, the greater my desire to recreate them, as they are different and more colorful - something that I am very satisfied to see on glass. Popular embroideries are everywhere these days - people are putting them on a variety of things, not just clothes. I want my work to stand the test of time and that's why rare motifs are more valuable to me," says Maria, who has turned her hobby into a profession. She also uses her own labor-intensive technique of painting on glass:

“The embossed image was the idea I came up with in order to make the embroidery more realistic. I did not borrow from anywhere. The making of a single glass has 13 stages - from tinting of the glass, to the finishing touches."

• The immortal beauty of Bulgarian embroidery

The work is delicate – decorating a set of wine glasses, for example, takes more than a month. But the satisfaction is great, especially when she manages to seal on glass an old embroidery pattern, passed down from generation to generation in some Bulgarian family.

"When I started 5 years ago, I was very impressed by the embroideries from the region of Ruse. I have also recreated motifs that had been handed down in families for many years. I made a motif for a wedding that was passed down from grandmother to granddaughter and this really touched me," Maria Gergova says, while the people who have trusted her talent invariably return with another order for some beautiful occasion. This gives her an incentive to put her soul into her work:

"The energy of the embroiderers has been part of me for more than 5 years and this is a wonderful charge not only for my soul. It is great to see that what I do is valued by people."

See also:

• Bulgarian embroideries and the comfort of near and dear brought Jasmina Atanasova back to Bulgaria

• Irene Velichkova-Yamami lives in Japan, but does not stop ‎embroidering... Bulgaria

• Embroideries from Sofia region preserve prehistoric knowledge and wisdom

Interview by: Mina Deneva, BNR-Shumen

Text: Elena Karkalanova

English: Al. Markov

Photos: Facebook