Keeping the embroidery profession alive

Although she is not an artisan, nor has a title in the craft village, in Van Lam embroidery village, Ninh Hai commune (Hoa Lu district), when mentioning Mrs. Dinh Thi Bay, everyone has a special affection for her. People not only appreciate her artistic hand-embroidered works but also appreciate the way she is preserving her ancestors' craft every day...

Nestled in a small alley of Van Lam embroidery village (Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district), the house of Mrs. Dinh Thi Bay brings people a strange feeling of relaxation and peace. A familiar roof next to an old rose tree that is laden with fruit. A red brick yard large enough to gather childhood memories. Everything is simple and humble like the mother's and father's homeland, making all the hustle and bustle, worries, and crowds of the city seem to be left outside...

Next to the embroidery frame, which has turned yellow with time, sits a woman who is nearly 60 years old, working diligently. Her thin hands, marked by the hard work of going back and forth, yet with the green and red threads, her hands move quickly and rhythmically like a shuttle; like a drawing, like a painting. In no time, the shapes of birds and fish are embroidered and undulating on the white cloth, to the admiration of onlookers.

Mrs. Bay pointed to her embroidery and introduced: "This is the painting I made for an American Vietnamese. Once when they came to my village for a tour, they were extremely interested in the lace embroidery technique here. When they returned home, they sent me a photo of "Ocean" and wanted me to embroider according to this model. From that small photo sent via Zalo, I took it to wash, draw a pattern, add a pattern and then improvise to make the painting more vivid." So for the past 3 months, Mrs. Bay has been working hard on the embroidery frame, looking forward to the day she can give the painting to the honored guest with all her passion and creativity.

Like other villagers of Van Lam, since birth, Mrs. Dinh Thi Bay has been familiar with the image of grandmothers and mothers working hard at embroidery frames. Embroidery is like a source of nourishment that has never stopped flowing for her since she was a child. Even through ups and downs, prosperity and decline, she has not given up the habit of maintaining the profession that her ancestors taught her.

Mrs. Bay said: "When we were young, we learned to embroider out of curiosity and interest. When we grew up, we embroidered to help our parents. When we got married, the embroidery profession flourished, so the profession helped me have a stable income to raise 4 children to study. People love the profession, the profession is attached to people. Just like that, everything is like fate, a debt that cannot be separated for the past several decades."

Nowadays, when life has stabilized and her children have grown up and started their own businesses, Ms. Dinh Thi Bay still works hard every day on the embroidery frame. Sometimes she embroiders paintings ordered by customers, and when she has free time, she embroiders as gifts for her children and grandchildren to hang in the house. She herself does not place much importance on financial matters, so even if customers place orders, Ms. Bay does not dare to accept many. She said: "People who love embroidery are people who love beauty, meticulousness, and naturalness. The more meticulousness and dedication you put into it, the more beautiful and delicate the painting will be. Therefore, if you chase after quantity, it will be difficult for the embroiderer to bring sophistication and carefulness to the painting."

Not only does she love her job, Mrs. Bay is also blessed with a special artistic ability that not every embroiderer can do. Sometimes, she just needs to close her eyes to see what is missing or what is too much in the picture. She can imagine, embroider on the fabric and skillfully mix colors for the green and red threads. With her talented hands and creative mind, this rustic woman has brought life to the rough fabrics that are not very impressive. In the fluttering, swaying lines of the fabric are the sounds of night-blooming cereus flowers blooming in the scent, the melodious sounds of swallows in the fabric…

Currently, in Mrs. Bay's house, there are still more than 20 paintings embroidered by her own hands. From the first paintings "A glimpse of Tam Coc" with simple, clumsy lines to the paintings "Tu Quy" and "Dong Que" with sophisticated, artistic curves. Especially the scroll that she embroidered and hung solemnly on the family altar as a way for this woman to remind her children and grandchildren in the house about a traditional profession left by her ancestors, everyone must have the responsibility to preserve and respect...

Mr. Vu Thanh Luan, Chairman of the Van Lam Embroidery Association, said: "The Van Lam embroidery craft village is facing the risk of extinction. The number of people with high technical skills is decreasing. Meanwhile, many people are old and have poor eyesight, so they have long since given up the profession. People like Mrs. Bay are very valuable because she is not only trying to preserve her ancestors' craft but also promoting the quintessence of embroidery to friends around the world, contributing to reviving the embroidery craft." In the embroidery village, it is rare to see people who still take out fabrics to embroider in their spare time to give to friends and relatives or hang them up in their homes as souvenirs. It is also rare to see a house that still has a large hand-embroidered frame like Mrs. Bay's.

Modern life, the pressure of food, clothing, rice, and money makes women in the village have to do many jobs to make a living. Young people are shy about meticulousness and time-consuming work. The older generation is also gradually fading into the past, leaving behind regrets for a thousand-year-old profession. Only then can we see how precious Mrs. Bay's love for embroidery is.

Article and photos: Minh Hai

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