CREATION OF WEAVING TRADITIONS

In handicrafts courses organized in the 19th century, information that women received was given to others. This experience had little influence on country weavers. At the beginning of the 20th century people tried to maintain, revive and create Lithuanian traditions. Intellectuals invited artists to collect and spread characteristic motifs of national ornamentation.* Exhibitions of folk art were also held in Lithuania Minor.* In the Thirties, Lithuanian intellectuals strongly encouraged weaving art: courses in weaving and handicrafts were held. Anastazija and Antanas Tamošaitis, Mikalina Glemžaitė* invited people and taught them how to weave national costumes and other articles. More possibilities to acquire better weaving equipment appeared. Palaces of Agriculture sold to women automatic weaving looms half as cheap as elsewhere.* Fabrics with national symbols were created at that time.

On the other hand, new ideas spread from Riga also: semi-automatic weaving looms with weaving pattern schemes were brought to Lithuania. There was a weaver in Viekšniai who had weaving pattern books by Pēter Vilumson and looms brought by him.* She wove according to examples in imported pattern books.

Weaving in Lithuania was much influenced by professional weavers, the atkočiai. They came from other countries, and, according to Tamošaitis, they 'would adjust to local taste, collect primitive patterns of country weavers and work them up with better technique'.*

Fabrics were woven according to examples of industrial articles. The Palaces of Agriculture had a great influence on weavers. Exhibitions of agriculture and industry were held. Later, many institutions took care to cherish folk art traditions.

How did women create patterns? Weavers used or recreated textile examples from older generations, and seen motifs. They would borrow pattern pictures — mamų lapukus  
(mothers' leaflets) * —, and fabrics of neighbors * from each other. Others would copy the so-called leaflets from books, and the same patterns were suitable for different needs.* Textile motifs of people of other nationalities were also newly interpreted. Fabric patterns of women traveled from one pair of hands to another. Weavers shared them.*

So, the influence of literature, new information, industry and trade, and weaving courses, was, and is, in some way like the spreading of an international art style.* On the other hand, limited communications and other circumstances would decrease the influence of courses very much. In this way, the ethnic features of national textiles developed.