The traditional art of Cypriot plumista weaving on a loom is alive and well in the village of Fythi in Paphos. Although this craft is mainly practiced by women, it is also practiced by Athenodoros Georgiou of Pachyammos in Tyllyria.
Today, Fiti weaving survives mainly due to the few women who still live in the community, as well as those who have moved to Nicosia and Paphos due to marriage or other reasons. In addition, weavers trained by the Cyprus Crafts Service do their part to help maintain the tradition.
Weaving is considered one of the most important forms of weaving embroidery in rural Cyprus and one of the oldest crafts in the country. Initially the colors used were limited to granular and blue as these were the only dyes available. However, over time, the palette expanded, yellow, green and orange began to be used.
Weaver Teano Mavrelli, who has been weaving in Fiti since she was 12, learned the craft from her mother and grandmother. Later she began to create her own patterns. Mavrelli recalls that weaving was “our job because we weren’t sent to high school.” After finishing primary school, they made “plumista” and baked bread.
Mavrelli also mentioned the museum she and her husband Charalambos founded in Fiti after he retired from teaching. The museum attracts both local and foreign visitors. The woman explained that each design starts with threads and can take two to three days due to its complexity. The couple also creates designs from the Karpasia region.
Mavrelli expressed concern about the future of weaving, noting that younger generations are not as involved in the craft, which could jeopardize its survival.
Panagiota Kyriakou Aristides, another resident of Fiti, spoke about the art of loom and her weaving works. Despite his age, Aristides continues to create his favorite embroideries on his loom, using a range of colors including black, red, orange, yellow, blue and green.
She uses a special traditional loom made by local artisans and adds that their embroideries are called plumista. The flake fringe, white or colored, is hand knitted and the finished products have a distinct front and back.
Athenodoros Georgiou from Pachyammos Tyllyria, who also has his own loom, learned weaving after serving in the army in 2007 through an EU program for young high school graduates in Cypriot crafts. Subsequently, he mastered other types of weaving. Georgiou even built a small loom to carry around with him.
Source: cyprus-mail.com
