Sigita Milvidienėv specializes in weaving and knitting, as well as making beautiful Easter eggs. She’s been learning the craft since she was a child, thanks to her mother (Leonija Malakauskienė), a well-known Lithuanian weaver. Crochet, on the other hand, she has learned from her godmother, Vitalija Miklienė, and knitting from her grandma, Stanislava Gailienė.

“When I was a child, I used to sit by my mother’s side and just observe how she weaved. Soon enough, she let me try it out myself. AI can’t imagine my life without weaving; it’s one of my greatest pleasures in life. I’m ever most grateful to my mother that since I was little, she has taught me how to weave basic kraykas. Over the years, she has shown me how to make patterns and put them in these belts. If you were to ask me how many of them I’ve made so far, I couldn’t tell you.t the same time, I also started learning how to knit and crochet. And while I was quite good at weaving right off the bat, knitting didn’t come to me as naturally. So my grandma no longer had the will to teach me. Some years later, I had to master knitting as a part of my school curriculum, so she had to stand my subpar skills once more to help me prepare for classes. Many years later, she did compliment the knitted gloves I’ve made and admitted she had thought I was a lost cause in terms of knitting ;)”

With time Sigita has taken a liking to making woven belts and even though she comes from Samogitia, nowadays she makes kraykas and belts from all regions of Lithuania.

“I can’t imagine my life without weaving; it’s one of my greatest pleasures in life. I’m ever most grateful to my mother that since I was little, she has taught me how to weave basic kraykas. Over the years, she has shown me how to make patterns and put them on belts. If you were to ask me how many of them I’ve made so far, I couldn’t tell you.”

Sigita Milvidienėv works for the Šiauliai Aušros Museum as the head of the ethnography department. Said museum’s wild array of textiles is one of her sources of inspiration. She recreates different old patterns but also bases new ones on them, which she then creates with her mother. She weaves kraykas, which are a type of a woven belt. Among other things, she also knits gloves, socks, and cuffs. As for crocheted works, she makes doilies and bonnets. She also makes Easter eggs. Her sister, Vitalija, and nephew, Augustinas, are also involved in traditional crafts.

Contact
www: Audėjėliai fb
e-mail: milvidiene@gmail.com
phone: +370 68256720