Quilted kaftan from Turkey, first half 20th century, TRC 2026.0841.(Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, 20 June 2026) A year ago we were given a large group of Ottoman and later Turkish textiles and dress from the Kavak Costume Collection, that is owned by Jean-Marie Criel and his partner from Antwerp, Belgium (for more information, click here and here).

Then came TRC's move to Boerhaavelaan 6 and we had to put the Kavak collection to one side. We are pleased to tell that we are now working together again on this amazing collection and over the next 12 months more items wil be given to the TRC. In fact, twelve boxes and bags have just been picked up from Antwerp, which include  a beautiful, hand quilted kaftan (TRC 2026.0841).

I knew about the Yorgan or quilted bedspreads, which were an important feature of many Turkish homes, but I had not heard about quilted garments.

Detail of quilted kaftan from Turkey, TRC 2026.0841.Historically, quilted bedspreads were made by men. Towns and cities used to have special quilt quarters. But cheaper modern products have meant that many quilters have stopped working and it is now more and more difficult to find apprentices to carry on the trade. Such quilts can be made from silk, cotton or sometimes woollen cloth and were traditionally filled with raw wool or sometimes cotton. Nowadays, synthetic fillings are used, as these can be more easily cleaned.

The overall design for a quilt was usually decided by the quilter and the person wanting the quilt. Floral motifs were popular for dowry quilts, others had repeating geometric designs.

The required pattern was worked on card, cut out and then the templates were used as stencils to draw the desired motifs on the ground material. A professionally made quilted bedspread took between two and three days to make, depending on the complexity of the design.

Dinolite microscope detail of the kaftan, TRC 2026.0841.The pink quilted kaftan

The pink quilted kaftan from the Kavak Costume Collection comes from Konya, in the southwest of central Turkey. The kaftan has been dated to the first half of the 20th century. It has faded and there is some staining on the lining, which suggests it has been worn, but in general it is in a very good condition. 

The kaftan is made from pink silk satin, with an off-white (tabby weave) lining. The trapunto quilting technique has been used to stitch the two layers of cloth together and decorate the garment. This technique involves a thin roll of raw cotton being placed in the required position, between the two cloth layers, and then stitched on either side to keep it in place.

At first I thought it had been machine-stitched because of the regular nature of the small running stitches. But the reverse side of the cloth quickly proved it was hand stitched using a pink cotton thread.

Dinolite microscope detail of the quilted kaftan, TRC 2026.0841.The pattern consists of a repeating, quatrefoil motif, perhaps based on stylised leaves. The consistency of the pattern’s layout, stitching and general appearance indicate it had been drawn using a stencil and then worked by someone very experienced in this technique..

We are looking for more examples of quilted garments from Turkey as well as relevant information. Can anyone help?

I could not resist putting this on the TRC webpages: an interview with Gillian Vogelsang-E`astwood, director TRC, published by an online news service about the Netherlands. I am very proud of her! Click on the photograph to read the item. Willem Vogelsang.

Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, photographed for DutchNews, June 2026.

Het Leidsch Dagblad publiceerde vandaag, woensdag 10 juni, een artikel van twee pagina's over de TRC, de verhuizing naar de Boerhaavelaan en de ambities voor de toekomst. Het vestigt ook de aandacht op de textielboekenmarkt aanstaande zaterdag, vanaf 10.00 uur.

Find the books you have long been looking for, and help support the TRC by buying some of them! 

We are going to have our annual book sale on Saturday 13^th June, from 10.00 until 15.00. Hundreds of second-hand textile, clothing and accessory books will be on sale, at very reduced prices! 

The TRC regularly receives donations of books. We select them en see whether we can use them and whether the titles may already be included in the extensive TRC textile library. If we cannot use the books, we very much want to pass them on to other textiles friends against a low price.

Why don't you pop in and have a look? You may find the book that you have long been looking for. You will also have the chance to see the TRC’s current exhibition about appliqué textiles called khayamiya which come from Egypt, as well as seeing the TRC’s new building and garden, and of course meeting TRC staff and others.

Our address is: Boerhaavelaan 6, 2334 EN Leiden, just behind the Leiden Central Railway Station.

The Textile Research Centre, Leiden.For three years starting mid-2026, the Textile Research Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands, is offering a total of seven junior and four senior fellowships for up to six months each. The fellowships are being sponsored by the Gieskes-Strijbis Foundation, Amsterdam. Fellows are invited to carry out research based on the TRC’s extensive textiles and dress collection. The junior fellows will be supervised and assisted by TRC staff; senior fellows will carry out independent research.

The TRC will regularly advertise for the fellowships. Fellows are selected by a special committee of TRC staff and/or Board members after, if appropriate, the advice of external specialists.

The first fellow, appointed per 1 April, is Flora Kovacs-Wester, who on 23 May 2026 wrote an interim report.

We are now opening the second round of the fellowships that covers:

• Two junior positions
• One senior position

These will be starting in October 2026 (with a degree of flexibility), for a duration of up to 6 months. Applications for these positions should be submitted by email to the TRC by 20 June 2026 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)  with the reference: ‘Fellowship programme Junior/ Senior' (depending on the position applied for).

In various recent blogs we referred to the TRC’s need for extra storage to house the TRC Collection. We have promised more information and here it is!

Front of Boerhaavelaan 6, the new home of the TRC. The Annex will be built to the left.As you will know, the TRC is an international textile knowledge centre that has just moved into new premises (Boerhaavelaan 6, Leiden) thanks to the help of Leiden Council, the semi-governmental organisation, Monumentenbezit, and many anonymous benefactors.

The building (B6) is an urban villa that dates to about 1909 and was expanded in the 1920s. It was the home of one family, the Barge-Nauta's, for nearly 100 years (see a recent TRC blog).

The TRC currently has a handling collection of over 54,000 registered items of textiles, clothing and accessories. The Collection includes objects from all over the world (culture and textiles have no artificial boundaries), dating from prehistory to the present day. We have, for example, some of the oldest textile fragments in the world, as well as modern items representing current events and trends.

The Collection is one of the largest in this part of Europe, and we are very much aware that it will continue to grow in the future. It is a handling collection that people can see, touch and feel, as well as gain inspiration.

The Spring 2026 issue (No. 227) of the international magazine HALI includes a six-page article, with some splendid photographs, explaining the creation of The Atlas of World Embroidery (Princeton University Press, Febr. 2026). The article and book were written by Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, director of the TRC. A Dutch version of the book, Atlas van de Borduurkunst, came out on the same date and was published by WBooks.

The article is published on pp. 228-229, 230-231, and 232-233.

HALI Vol. 227, 2026, pp. 228-229.

The move to Boerhaavelaan 6 is nearly finished, just a few more weeks and all the rebuilding, painting, furnishing, packing and putting away of boxes will be over! A great relief to all.

I would just like to extend a big ‘Thank You’ to everyone who has made a donation to the TRC moving fund. It made such a difference to have your support, best wishes and interest in what we are doing and plan to do. Please feel free to come and see what you have helped to create - the new and improved TRC is an elegant, early 20th century town villa!

Inevitably, we continue looking for help with different projects, and any further financial assistance will be greatly appreciated.

The TRC will open again to the public on Monday 11th May, but in the meantime, workshops, study days and lectures are already being presented. And I can assure you, there is lots more to come!.

Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, Director TRC, 4 April 2026.