Decorative slipper embroidery

Before becoming a separate craft, sharachestvo was a set of techniques used by makers of aba woollen clothing to decorate parts of the costumes they produced.

In the nineteenth century, richly decorated terlitsi slippers began to be worn with these costumes. Individual craftspeople specialised in designing and making the slippers.

A number of settlements in the Smolyan region had women known as sharachki, who were hired mainly to decorate slippers for weddings and other special occasions. Slippers became an important part of weddings, with 30–40 pairs commissioned for a single celebration. Even today, there is still a custom of giving slippers to the family and wedding guests. The slippers varied greatly: designs and techniques depended on the customer's sex and the occasion. A bride's slippers, for example, were red, while a groom's were elaborate and brown.

Today, terlitsi are an established traditional souvenir in the Rhodope region. They are also sold in miniature versions particularly suitable for decoration.