The Hidden Stitch Diagrams of the Havelka Embroidery Room

A hushed stillness pervades the Embroidery Room, where a skein of violet silk is tangled mid-drape, and a tiny scissors blade protrudes from a pin cushion, abandoned mid-cut. The arrangement of threads and hoops speaks to a rhythm halted unexpectedly.

Life Woven in Color

These materials belonged to Klara Havelka, professional embroiderer (b.

1879, Prague), trained under a master seamstress yet serving local burgher households. Her neat Czech notations, precise and compact, record stitch counts and color blends. A penciled note references her younger brother, Milan Havelka, “collect finished panel Tuesday,” revealing a structured daily life of dyeing, threading, and counting meticulous rows.

Tools of a Patient Craft

On the central table, embroidery hoops rest in order of size; trays of threaded needles sit meticulously. A partially completed floral sampler remains pinned under a weight, its outline faint and precise. A ledger beneath a folded cloth lists commissions and delivery dates. Jars of silk powders and dried pigments stand by the window sill, long cold, reflecting Klara’s careful color management.

Signs of Disruption

Later ledger entries waver in clarity; stitch counts are crossed out, revised, then left unfinished. Several embroidered panels show uneven tension, edges puckered or frayed. A margin note—“client questioned color choice”—is smudged beyond legibility. Pins left in hoops suggest hesitation, while dye jars are scattered carelessly, reflecting diminished focus under growing eye strain and fatigue.

In the Embroidery Room’s final drawer, Klara’s last stitch diagram ends mid-pattern, counts unfinished, threads loose. A penciled note—“finish with Milan”—cuts off abruptly.

No evidence clarifies why she abandoned her work, nor why Milan never arrived to retrieve it.

The house remains abandoned, its surfaces laden with silk threads and frozen stitch diagrams, a quiet testament to halted diligence and suspended artistry.