"Description of popular handwork
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the false patchwork, the method of artychoke
Handwork activities are very popular and quite common not only in Czech Republic but in the whole world. People like producing decorating and useful products by themselves. Handworks are very common hobby especially among women in maternity leave and mothers that want to entertain their lively children.
One of the popular and very common method of handwork is the false patchwork that should be called with more names like the method of artychoke, patchwork without needle, puncture patchwork or pleated patchwork. It is very simple method because you don’t need any special experiences and nearly everybody can do that.
1. The origins of false patchwork
False patchwork or the method of artychoke is very simply method that was involved from similar handwork method called patchwork. As the name gives us the clue, this technique is based on sewing a lot of small pieces of textile in different colors together. It creates geometrical forms of bigger textiles that could be used as blanket, pillow, mat, bedspread, and so on. In these days you can see also bags, rucksack, clothes, and so on produced by this method.
The first art of patchwork was probably carpet decorated by creatures of animals and abstract spirals. It was found in tomb in Siberia. The second finding of patchwork product was cotton overcoat decorated by Egyptian cotton. The origin of this overcoat is from royal tomb from 5th century AD. At first time this method was used mostly in East than in West
This technique was used widely approximately since 16th century. Wives of American settlers were the inventors of it. They wanted to have avail from the rest of textiles and from old devastated clothes. It had been widely used since 19th century in America.

After the Second World War it seemed that patchwork had been forgotten but it wasn’t fortunately true. Now it is very popular mainly in the United States and in Japan and its popularity is still growing. In Europe it has been widely used since the end of 20th and 21st century. In the Czech Republic we can find a lot of new shops and clubs where you can buy needs for patchwork. You can also learn this method thanks to some training courses.
In these days it is very popular in Czech Republic too, because it is very easy. Everybody and also small children are able to learn it and create nice decorations. It is used as popular handwork mainly for creating nice decorating things. Patchwork is produced from special materials just now. The most common is 100% cotton with different patterns."

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