Ever wonder about how silk is made? Despite many efforts, the secret that the ancient Chinese kept for centuries has spread throughout the world with unbelievable ease. Every corner, town, and village touched by silk shone in its finest appearance. As a result, silk has served as a bridge between European and Asian culture, history, and art - from selecting techniques and patterns to their purpose and designs. In Croatia, silk production started in Konavle in the fifteenth century. It has become an age-old tradition, deeply rooted in local culture and history, that continues to live on today.

The art of making  Konavle embroidery

Konavle is a small yet beautiful region with a distinctive nature, located on the southernmost tip of Croatia. With only a 15-20 minute drive from Dubrovnik, it is perfect for a quick trip or a one-day visit. This region will delight you with its beauty and unique embroidery. The art of knitting Konavle embroidery is a tradition that is passed from one generation to another. Embroidery and silk production was a sort of initiation from a girl into a woman. Like the little bugs, the girls kept and took care of their silk thread for their embroidery, and the Konavle girls would get rid of their cocoons and transform into butterflies. Every spring, they grew silkworms in their bedrooms, or little bugs as they affectionately call them, for their beautiful embroidery. Every stitch was an image of the girl's personality. Exquisite, breathtaking embroideries reflected their effort, creativity, and hard work. For years they have collected embroidery for their dowries and their lives. After marriage, they would no longer embroider or produce silk but would dedicate themselves to other jobs. They say the happiest women were those who managed to wear all their embroidery because that was the testimony of a happy and complete life.

Konavle embroidery features strictly symmetric geometric patterns embroidered in myriad shapes, often in black, dark green, and red colors with golden-yellow trim. In 2015, its production was proclaimed the intangible cultural heritage of the Republic of Croatia, which tells you a lot about its worth.

So how the silk threads are made?

This secret of silk production is a tiny little worm called a silkworm. A moth lays around 500 eggs, which are then placed in incubators until they hatch into caterpillars. We read somewhere that the Konavle women put their little bugs in their bosoms, and they would hatch after a few days due to the warmth of their bodies. The silkworms are fed on vast amounts of mulberry leaves, and it takes around 4 to 6 weeks to grow their full potential (about 80 to 90mm). Then they will begin spinning its cocoon by rotating its head in a figure-8 movement. After 8 to 9 days, the cocoons are ready. They are dipped into boiling water to soften, dissolve the sericin gum, and then unwound. Each cocoon produces over 900m of silk thread; how cool is that? 

Silk Workshop in Gruda, in Konavle region

If you want to see how the girls from Konavle make their silk threads, you can do this in the AR atelier by Antonia Rusković Radonić. The atelier is located in Gruda, a little town in the Konavle region. Here you can watch the presentations on silk production and go on a small course in Konavle embroidery. Sound great, right?