azadig bidanian archive

Azadig Bidanian, émigrée from Anjar, Lebanon, currently lives in the Armenian population center of Fresno, California. Before retiring, Azadig worked as a professional seamstress in the San Francisco Bay Area with a specialty in creating one-of-a-kind wedding gowns. Unsuccessful in finding a relative to whom she could bequeath the collection of Armenian textiles she had made and collected from friends and relatives over the years, she was delighted in Deborah’s keen interest when they first met in 2019. They maintained email communication throughout the pandemic, and after, Deborah continues to visit Azadig a few times a year.

In December 2023, Deborah and Elise visited Azadig together for the second time. Azadig had prepared a delicious meal of traditional Armenian dishes thoughtfully translated into vegan versions. Sitting at her round kitchen table, they caught up on family news. But soon their conversation turned toward Armenian culinary practices, especially on growing and curing olives and grape leaves for making yalangi sarma (stuffed grape leaves). 

Afterward, Azadig unpacked boxes of her Armenian needlelace and crocheted doilies, tablerunners, and collars, and one by one, described who made them. Some pieces she made when she was recuperating from surgery as a girl. Others were made by childhood friends and presented in 1966 to Azadig as keepsakes when she left Anjar, knowing that they might never see each other again.

Sitting on her bedroom floor Deborah took photos of each piece for identification purposes while Elise took notes so that there would be an accurate record of Azadig’s kind donation. The pieces have been cleaned, photographed, and archived. Most are currently in Deborah’s care and selected pieces are showcased here. 

For a more complete story of Azadig Bidanian, please read Deborah Valoma and Elise Youssoufian’s story “The Needlelace Roadtrip” (coming soon).