In 1809 the botanist William Hooker brought with him back to England a rare and exquisite Icelandic festival head dress costume and bridal adornment. The book is only in Icelandic but has great pictures and stitches.
In the book: Faldar og skart – Hems and adornment, which was published in 2013, the author relates the history of this festival head dress costume as well as the history of Icelandic women’s apparel up until the 20th century placing the primary emphasis on the festival head dress costume. This costume is described in it entirety as well as its individual parts. Hempur (robes or frocks), faldar tröf (hemlines, fringes), hattar (hats), skildahúfur (a type of bridal headwear), skarðhúfur (a type of button-top cap for young girls), spaðahúfur (a type of swarthy coloured cap for girls made of velvet or silk with embroidered ornament), skotthúfur (cap with tassel), treyjur (sweaters), kragar (collars), skyrtur (shirts), upphlutir (bodices), samfellur (onesies), pils (skirts, petticoats), millipils (underskirts, petticoats), undirpils (underskirts), svuntur (aprons), klútar (cloths), handlínur (beautifully embroidered cloth that is attached to the belt of the festival head dress costume), lausavasar (removable pockets always worn under the skirts as a part of undergarments), sokkar (stockings), sokkabönd (suspenders), leppar (patches) and skór (shoes) – along with all the ornamental silver! Material, cut or design, fabric, thread or yarn, dyeing, sewing, needlework: baldýring (traditional embroidery), perlusaumur (pearl stitch), flauelsskurður (velvet cutwork), knipl (needlepoint), blómstursaumur (flower stitchwork), krosssaumur (cross-stitch), raksprang (type of embroidery stich), riðsprang (type of embroidery stitch), holbeinsaumur (type of embroidery stitches), flatsaumur (straight stitches), herpisaumur (type of embroidery stitches), hvítsaumur (type of embroidery stitches)... Here we have the history of Iceland being told through the handicraft and needlework of women.
The author, Sigrún Helgadóttir, is the writer of many textbooks and technical books and she has received recognition. Sigrún has been actively engaged in the festival head dress costume Group of the Heimilisiðnaðarfélagið Faldafeykir (the Handicraft Society Faldafeykir). It was the Handicraft Society of Iceland (Heimilisiðnaðarfélag Íslands) and the publishing house Opna who published the book in collaboration with the National Museum of Iceland in 2013.
