Item SH 991040.2 Embroidery Design - Pattern Tracer, Hungary, pre 1957

Summary

Pattern Tracer, used for copying patterns onto fabric for embroidery. It was brought to Australia by Zsofia Molnar, when she migrated in 1959, as she hoped to make embroidery to sell, using traditional Hungarian patterns. Zsofia and her husband Sandor, were sponsored by their daughter Ella Toth, who had migrated to Australia, with her husband Josef and brother Imre, in 1957 after fleeing the Soviet invasion of Hungary.

Zsofia never made embroidery to sell, although she and Ella did make embroidery for family members and for sale in Hungarian church fetes. Their embroidery was also an important way of preserving their Hungarian culture. Zsofia and Sandor lived with Ella and Josef, first in a house in Surrey Hills then later in Box Hill. Zsofia would look after her granddaughter Sue, while Ella and Josef were at work. Zsofia and Sandor both lived until their 90s, and never wanted to return to Hungary.

Physical Description

Square of white cloth with a pattern outlined in blue.