Ukrainian Embroidery
By Adeline Panamaroff
Adeline, a freelance writer/proofreader, located in Edmonton, Alberta can be contacted at www.adelinepanamaroff.com for writing and marketing requests.
History: Ukraine is a vast country, covering many geographic regions that each have their own cultural characteristics. The embroidery styles are no less varied throughout this diverse nation. Yet the techniques are distinct from those used in Ukraine’s neighbouring countries.
The motifs used in designs date back to pre-Christian times. Symbols of stars, squares, circles, plants, and animals all have meanings that reflect protection against evil elements, bless unions of marriage and encourage fertility in crops. These symbols first found expression in pottery, then on decorated eggs, and lastly on clothing.
Part of shirt sleeve, worked by author’s mother, Mary Ann Slonowski
Geometric designs are characteristic of western Ukraine, floral patterns are used mostly in southern and eastern parts of the country, while fauna themed elements are used throughout the country, but their use is reserved for very special occasions.
The first fabrics and threads used were flax based. Unbleached, or sun and water bleached fibres were used until plant-based dyes were discovered. Red and black were the first colours of plant-based dyes to have been developed, which is why they are the predominant colours in most Ukrainian stitched designs. Once cotton threads began to be imported these were used as well. Silk and wool yarns also were used, as international trade increased. The wealth of the stitcher could be seen in the variety of colours used in one design. The less well-off would use more red, with a smattering of black, while the more wealthy would use greens, yellows, and blues in addition to the standard red and black.
Once Christianity was brought to Ukraine by St. Andrew in the early 100s C.E., many of the old pagan customs were adapted and integrated into the new spiritual way of being. Traditional embroidery designs continued to be used, while new meanings were added to them.
The introduction of Christianity into Ukraine opened up a new branch of embroidery to stitchers. Religious clothes and vestments needed to be adorned with bands of designs. The ritals clothes, rushnyk, were used to decorate the frames of icons, cover church altars, used in weddings, and even to cover the face of the dead before burial, were manufactured for the new establishments. Finer stitching techniques as well as silk and gold and silver threads were reserved for these kinds of embroidery. The methods used for religious embroideries evolved along a different path than the folk stitching that continued to be used on the shirts, skirts, aprons, head cloths and towels of the working class.
The shirt worn by both men and women usually have a band of embroidery, called polyk or ustavka, around the upper arm of the sleeve, the design of which is meant to reflect the life that the person who wears it is hoping to lead. Below this, lower down on the sleeve there can be a less dense area of embroidery that is meant to reflect the life the wearer lived as a young child. Bands of stitching are also found around the cuffs, hem, neckline and chest of the shirt, in a design that relates to the pattern on the upper sleeves. These are symbolic protections against evil for the wrists, neck and chest, as they encircle those parts of the body. Similar mentalities are found in the embroidered head covering, with the bands of embroideries framing the face of the women who wear them. Aprons, and long lambskin vests are also heavily decorated with floral motifs that are meant to ward off any harm that may come to the wearer.
Before and after World War I, cooperatives were established to mass produce embroidery for export. The post war Stalin leadership saw great profit in these products, even though they were often labelled “Made in Poland”. As with many folk arts, Ukraine embroidery became mechanised in the early 20th Century. While these machine stitched items made the embroidery styles more accessible for markets around the world, their quality was cheap. The hand stitching tradition in Ukraine remains strong, with one shirt taking up to 3 months to stitch, often with multiple hands helping out with the work. Both the folk and religious branches of this embroidery tradition are still practised by many Ukrainians around the world today.
Technique: There are many different stitches used in Ukrainian embroidery. Running stitch, two-sided satin stitch, leafing stitch, and nyz are only a few. Once cross stitch came to Ukraine its simplicity and ease of use quickly replaced many of the older forms of stitching. Cross stitching especially became popular where geometric patterns were used. Other techniques have continued to be used along with cross stitch, even in the same design, to create textures that cross stitch alone cannot achieve.
Basket / Repurposed Ukrainian embroidery / Designed & stitched by Joyce S-H
Nyz, a counted thread embroidery, is a unique technique, in that it is sewn on the reverse side of the fabric. It is a woven style of embroidery, where one line of stitching goes along the entire length of fabric, then the stitcher turns the piece around to go back up the length of material. This method creates a very dense design where only small strips of the backing fabric can be seen through the stitching.
There is a unique style of white-on-white embroidery, merezhka, stiahuvannia, and vyrizuvannia, which are forms and pulled tread, cut tread and open work embroidery that creates airy openings in a solid piece of fabric. Ukraine has never been producers of lace, but these methods of embroidery create lacy effects. This style of embroidery is used mainly in the Poltava, Polisia, and Pokutia areas of Ukraine.
Innovation: Strips of cross stitch Ukrainian embroidery can be applied to modern clothing, thanks to the use of waste canvas. Even if you are stitching on a closely woven fabric, where the threads cannot easily be counted, with waste canvas, even stitches and designs can be added to the yolk of dresses, pockets of coats, and to any other item that a stitcher may want to adorn with a splash of red and black.
The traditional shirt, skirt and apron are still used and stitched today, by both native Ukrainians and those descendants of immigrants around the world. Worn at traditional events and by dancers who perform at events, the long history of Ukrainian needlework can be seen on many occasions throughout the year.
References and Further Reading:
The Culture Trip: The Meaning Behind Traditional Patterns in Ukrainian Embroidery
Ukrainian Recipes: Mysterious Symbolism of Ukrainian Embroidery
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