Local Handicrafts and Clothes

Handcraftsmanship is a long-lasting tradition in the remote mountainous villages of Pshav-Khevsureti. Mastering fancywork was the duty of highlander women. Women were trained in wool processing and dying from their childhood. Highlander women used to color fabrics using natural dyes, which they would sew into clothing and other household items.
Clothes in Pshav-Khevsureti were made from local wool. The cloth used is thick, heavy and crude but is durable and resistant to wear and tear.
A remarkable specimen of Georgian folk art is a traditional garment of Khevsurs called a talavari. It is sewn from dark blue or black wool cloth. Women’s traditional outfit, a dress called a sadiatso and a mantel called a koklo. Sadiatso are shorter dresses that are tight around the waist and decorated with sophisticated geometric patchwork, embroidery, fine beads, coins and buttons—all of which have sacred meaning. The traditional Khevsur woman’s headdress was also remarkable and differed according to whether the woman was married or was recently widowed. Samkhedroni, a male’s attire, had colorful embroidery with crosses and astral symbols. The outfit was traditionally accompanied by chain armor, and a sword, shield, and helmet. An indispensable part of the outfit was the knitted britches (pachichebi) and bast shoes (tatebi) with leather soles.
The traditional clothes of Pshavs resemble those of Mtiuls. A one-piece female dress in Pshavi is called a juba. Later on, one-piece cloth dresses as well as wrinkled two-piece dresses were introduced. The dresses, which were short and tight around the waise with an opening around the armpits, had a mantel called a papanagi, which was decorated with buttons and coins. Woman wore shirts and a short, long-sleeve jacket called a sagule under the juba. Woman also wore belts and a headdress called a tavchita to complete the outfit.
In wintertime, women wore a coat made of sheep skin in addition to their other attire. The coat tightens around the waist and short. Pshav and Khevsur women were fond of decorations and wore necklaces made of silver coins and crosses. It was common for leather or silver to adorn women’s dresses.
The male outfit consisted of a bright-colored shirt called a samkhre and the traditional slim line Khevsur chokha, which had cross-like details on the shoulders. Indispensible attributes of the male dress were the silver belt, dagger and knitted britches, cow-hide footwear and felt cap. The modest character of the ornamental pattern and color combination obtained by natural dyes is a general element of Georgian art that one can see reflected in the traditional clothes in every region of the country.
Carpet and rug production are among the leading products of local cottage craftsmanship. It is characterized by the sophisticated combination of cross-shaped ornamental patterns. Black, green, blue, dark red and yellow are the dominant colors.
Woodworking and wood carving are also long-standing traditions in Pshav-Khevsureti. Archeological discoveries of carved ottomans, chairs, and bedsteads, the graphic ornamental pattern used in residential and religious buildings are evidence of the region’s expertise in the aforementioned crafts.