Main art form Paulina Młynarczyk continues is net embroidery, unique to Szamotuły and Bambers. However, that’s not where she started. She began over 10 years ago with crocheting, and with time, she got into lace making. With every new technique learned, her hunger grew, and so she decided to learn more about patterns local to the Wielkopolskie voivodeship. In her own words: “During the pandemic, I found a book by Adam Glapa, ‘Atlas polskich strojów ludowych – Strój Szamotulski’ (eng. The Collection of Polish Traditional Costumes from Szamotuły). That’s when I started to really notice the details and intricacies of the Szamotuły regional costume, but I couldn’t find any information on how to make these stitches. The book, however, had a picture of a crocheted ruff. I’ve found more photos of them on the internet, and so I decided to make one for the Embroidery and lace competition coordinated by the Szamotuły Cultural Center in 2021“.

Her first findings motivated her to dig deeper – in 2022, Paulina and her husband started museum hopping with the objective of visiting all museums in Wielkopolskie voivodeship. “We’ve traveled far and wide, met many people throughout the way, and different tour guides with whom I had fascinating discussions. That’s actually how I got into an event, ‘The Living Open-Air Museum’ organized by the Wielkopolskie Ethnographic Park, where I had the pleasure of talking to Alicja Gniazdowska, a professional Hazak-style embroiderer who showed me some basics”.

That same year, Szamotuły Cultural Center opened up its embroidery club, where its attendants not only began to expand their knowledge of local embroidery techniques but also began searching for old bonnets as their future points of reference. Paulina, for example, began making doilies based on patterns from old bonnets, ruffs, and aprons. She also adapts these patterns into a smaller format – hoops and brooches.

Her need to further her knowledge through research is unbound. She visits museums, takes photos, looks through old (digitized) magazines, finds archival photographs, and even contacts embroiderers from other regions. In 2023, she finished a project, “Treasure of Szamotuły”. Its role was to provide expert opinion, as well as to draft embroidery patterns based on the collections of the Górków Castle Museum in Szamotuły, and to hold workshops.

Next, she started to dabble in Bamber-style embroidery – she runs an embroidery club near the Museum of the Poznań Bambers. Paulina has also done a scholarship scheme titled “Ceremonial and festive bonnet at Bambers”.
She has also attended the Pałuki embroidery club by the Regional Museum in Wągrowiec.

In addition to embroidery, she also crochets.
She works with the Poznań Bambers Association.

In 2018, the cultural traditions of Poznań Bambers were written into the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Contact
www:
Wyszywoczka Paulina fb
Wyszywoczka ig
e-mail: mlynarczakpaulina@gmail.com