Dnieper embroidery

Our Ukraine is diverse and unique, each of its corners has its own unique characteristics, its own ethnic features. Therefore, the embroidery of each region of Ukraine differs in traditions, manner, colors, and patterns.

The Dnieper Ukraine, which included the modern Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv regions and parts of Kirovohrad and Cherkasy regions, which are connected by the Dnieper, in the middle part of which they spread out on the right and left sides, is also known for its wealth of embroidery. This region has always been the center of political life, which, of course, influenced the development of trade and culture, which were very developed here.

Differences in the embroidery of the left-bank and right-bank parts of the Dnieper region

For shirts, the people of the Dnieper region used homespun linen fabrics for holidays and hemp canvases for every day, and the threads were made from wool or linen, as well as floss.

Although the embroideries of the left-bank and right-bank Dnieper regions were quite similar, they still had some differences.

Thus, in the embroideries that were produced on the left bank of the Dnieper, almost no color shades were used. The embroidery was done white on white, gray or slightly blue threads were also used. Most often, they were embroidered by laying, to which openwork carving was added, which made the works more interesting, and the white color more expressive. As an ornament, they chose floral, geometric, sometimes zoomorphic motifs, embroidery of grapes and hops was very popular.

The embroideries of the Right Bank were historically made in a combination of blue and black. The multicolor appeared in the embroideries here only at the beginning of the 20th century. There was also more variety in the embroidery technique - the techniques of netting, gathering and cutting were used. At the end of the 19th century, craftsmen began to embroider with a cross, and roses appeared in the ornament, embroidered with cotton red and black threads.

Features of embroidery in certain regions of the Dnieper region

The Kyiv region is distinguished by the combination of different types of ornaments in embroidery. The most common were geometric (rhombuses, squares) and plant (grapes, hops, marigolds, oak leaves, cones) patterns. White, coral-red threads were used to perform the work, and in order to emphasize the pattern, it was often outlined in blue. Later, due to the fact that the blue threads faded a lot, they were replaced with black ones.

The work used threads made of twisted cotton, the so-called zapoloch, which were imported here from eastern countries along trade routes that passed through Crimea.

They were made by craftsmen using the techniques most characteristic of this area – cross-stitch or embroidery. Women's and men's shirts differed in their cut, techniques, and ornaments.

The sleeves and collars of young women's shirts were decorated with embroidery. Older women's shirts had embroidered sleeves, but the collar and bosom were not embroidered.

Men's shirts differed from women's in their cut - the collar was stand-up, which had a clasp in the form of two loops, through which a red or black silk cord was threaded, the sleeves were sewn wide and straight, sometimes with cuffs. They were embroidered a little more modestly than women's - they were decorated along the bottom of the sleeves and along the collar. Young men wore shirts embroidered with red or blue threads, and those who were older - with gray ones.

The Poltava region is interesting because embroidery here was done mainly with white threads or threads of pastel shades, so shirts and towels turned out very delicate and elegant, and the variety of ornaments made the products especially festive.

For embroidery on towels, napkins, tablecloths, and household items, a symmetrical ornament with birds, flowers, leaves, and flowerpots was chosen, which were placed on the sides and directed toward the center. The edges of the products were trimmed with a lace that had a similar theme.

Shirts for women were sewn without a collar. The neckline was gathered in pleats and trimmed with a ribbon. The sleeves were wide, gathered at the bottom into sleeves. Shirts were embroidered on the sleeves, inserts and hem using various techniques (beading, lace, cutting) and ornaments, geometric or floral, with white threads, sometimes with the addition of red.

For men, shirts were sewn that were similar in cut to women's. The neckline was also gathered with pleats, onto which a high collar was sewn. The sleeves were also made wide, and the bottom was also sewn into covers. But there were other men's shirts in shape - the "chumatskie" type. The collar was made low, and the sleeves were straight. The shirts were embroidered with lace, a strip of stars, bells, dolls, and bugs with the addition of cutouts.

Chernihiv region is characterized by so-called "white embroideries". Geometric or geometric-vegetable patterns were embroidered on them with white threads, which were occasionally combined with black and red, most often "gathering", the stitches were made so small that they resembled bead embroidery. Sometimes beads were actually used in the work, which was very rare in Ukrainian embroideries.

The most interesting towels were embroidered with stitch, cross stitch, cut-out, etc., using floral motifs and images of birds and even people. The craftsmen created real works of art.

Kharkiv embroidery was made with red threads that were very coarse in texture, which made cross-stitched products very bright and expressive.

The craftsmen did not have their own unique style of embroidery - they used techniques and patterns borrowed from other regions, which gave the products a special variety and uniqueness.

Sumy embroidery was very similar to Poltava embroidery – it was embroidered in white, framing the pattern with black threads. It was sewn using smooth, cut-out, hemstitching, and gathering. In addition, it was embroidered with a cross stitch very finely or with coarse thread, which made the work embossed. The patterns, as in the larger territory of the Dnieper region, were geometric and floral, sometimes various birds (ducks, eagles, swans, pigeons) were embroidered.

The embroidery of the Dnieper region was very diverse and interesting. Every detail, every little thing carried a special meaning, and every work created by the golden hands of the craftsmen contained a piece of the soul of the Ukrainian people. Therefore, embroidery is still an inexhaustible source that connects us with our history.