Artist story
I was born in Bukhara city in the family of hereditary masters. My grandmother and mother were skillful embroideries. They embroidered not only for themselves, but also for sale and by order. They were professional embroideries and were very famous in our city.
The grandfather and the father were artists and helped with creation of patterns and drawing.
The grandmother and the grandfather often told us about the time when each person could express their thoughts and feelings.
Everything changed when soviet power came to central Asia in the beginning of the 20th century. Embroidery became forbidden. And not only was the embroidery – any private activity put beyond the law.
The state embroidery factory which united the best masters and skilled workers was created in Bukhara city. My grandmother had no choice and she was compelled to work at factory. She had to teach young women who could embroider, but they had to be controlled to make only those patterns which were approved by the board of factory.
In 1950th the first tambour machines which were operated with the hand appeared in Bukhara. This machine was making chain stitch. My grandmother was one of the first who learned how to work on these machines. Then she taught other people - her neighbors, children, etc.
My mother was making hand embroidery at home, and at factory she worked on tambour machines.
I started embroidering at the age of 7 years. I was very patient and tried to learn how to make different stitches.
When I was 12 years old the Soviet Union collapsed and the factory lost orders and was compelled to sell tambour machines. My mother bought 2 machines and began to embroider at home.
You even cannot imagine how I was surprised to see how on white fabric with nothing on it colorful and intricate patterns appeared. It seemed that trees and flowers started to blossom under my mother's hands. I asked my mother to teach me to work. I remember when at the first time i started to use this machine i could not manage to get the pattern. The machine was pushing me away but I persistently continued and eventually learned to operate it.
Now sometimes I embroider patterns by memory without sketch.
Difficult patterns are drawn by my father; the duty of my brothers is to repair our machines.
We own a home workshop shop with 25 machines.