Alaya Blanket

A handmade cotton blanket crocheted and decorated with the characteristic Alaya motif. The relief elements—leaf-shaped projections, “knots,” and geometric formations—recur across many of Alaya’s woven and crocheted textiles, forming a recognisable emblem of local aesthetic tradition.
As part of a bridal dowry, the blanket combines technical skill with decorative tradition, attesting to the importance of women’s handicraft in the lives of Asia Minor refugees.
Crocheted by Varvara Koumoutsou–Tsompanaki, of Alaya origin, who worked for decades as a labourer in the textile mills of Eleftheroupoli.
Donated to the collection of the Alaya Association by Varvara Koumoutsou–Tsompanaki, it is exhibited at the ALAYA Cultural Centre.