Embroidery is an integral part of Ukrainian culture and one of the most important ways of national self-expression. Embroidered patterns and ornaments accompanied Ukrainians from birth to their last breath.
According to scientists, the first mention of embroidery in the territory of modern Ukraine dates back to long before our era, and the first written mentions are found in the works of Herodotus and many other travelers of that time. Over the centuries, embroidery techniques and ornaments were constantly improved and supplemented. Each girl or woman created her own unique and inimitable embroidery, which, in addition to the decorative function, also carried a deep amulet and sacred meaning. Each pattern, ornament, and technique had its own special place and meaning.
Each family member had several sets of clothes in their wardrobe, some were everyday and decorated with simple and concise ornaments, and some were festive, luxuriously decorated with embroidery. By embroidery, one could accurately tell the social status, family situation and origin of the owner. Each region of Ukraine has its own unique patterns and color solutions. Over time, some features are erased and forgotten, but most of the features have survived to this day.
So, below we will give a brief description of the embroidery of each region of Ukraine, and who knows, maybe this information will help you choose the right embroidery for you.
So let's start with Vinnytsia region
Vinnytsia embroidery is characterized by the use of a wide variety of thread colors, but each embroidered shirt must have a primary color. As for techniques, there is no advantage of any one. In Vinnytsia, almost all the most common stitches are used for embroidery of shirts; here you can find various hemstitches, cross-stitch, pricking, basting, laying, cutting, and many others. Perhaps the main feature of Vinnytsia embroidery is the use of framing stitches that combine various elements of the pattern into a single and harmonious composition.
Volyn
Shirts from the Volyn region are characterized by clear and simple geometric patterns and ornaments. As a rule, the ornaments on these shirts are embroidered mainly with red threads. Plant ornaments prevail in the southern part of the region.
Dnipropetrovsk region
The red-black color scheme is typical for embroidered clothes from the Dnipropetrovsk region. Women's shirts often feature a wider range of colors, but the black outline remains unchanged.
Donetsk region
For Donetsk embroidered shirts, the most common combination is black and red. The embroidery is decorated with cutouts and lace.
Zhytomyr region
Zhytomyr embroiderers preferred the techniques of underlining and cross-stitch. The most popular color combinations were red with black or blue. Among the variety of motifs, rhythmically repeating elements such as an eight-pointed star, broken lines of rhombuses, and others were most often used.
Transcarpathia
Transcarpathian craftsmen did not limit themselves in the choice of colors, but red and black were used most often. As for patterns, they preferred various curves, zigzags and so-called "scribbles". Interestingly, among the shirts of this region you can find both bright and multi-colored embroidery, and delicate embroidered white on white.
Zaporizhzhia
Zaporizhzhia region is characterized by large floral and geometric ornaments in red and black. The dominant color in the embroidery of this region was still red. The most common floral elements are viburnum, roses and others.
Ivano-Frankivsk region
The embroidery of this region is the most colorful and bright, it is almost impossible to single out any one characteristic feature. Almost all possible colors and patterns were used here.
Kyiv region
The craftsmen of Kyiv region most often decorated their clothes with geometrically stylized floral ornaments. The canvases of Kyiv embroidery were adorned with luxurious bunches of grapes and curly hops. As for the color, preference was given to white with splashes of red and green. For some time, blue woolen plasters were used for embroidery, but the water quickly lost its color and over time, the place of blue was taken by black.
Kirovohrad region
In the Kirovohrad region, red and black were also popular, but the ornaments of this region were distinguished by their realism. For example, if an embroiderer depicted bunches of grapes, she would convey both the reflection of light and the grape tendrils and shoots.
Luhansk region
Shirts in Luhansk region were decorated with braided lace along the bottom edge. The peculiarity and originality of the embroidery of this region lies in the use of multi-colored ornaments made in the technique of half-cross or cross. These seams were sometimes made with coarse threads. As for ornaments, for Luhansk region, floral-geometric and geometric ornaments made in red and blue colors are characteristic.
Lviv region
Lviv shirts are characterized by a combination of various patterns. Usually, geometric ornaments are depicted on a white canvas, which gives the shirt a light and casual look. In order for the patterns to be clearly visible, they were made voluminous, leaving a clean canvas between the individual elements of the ornament.
Mykolaiv region
This region is characterized by shirts of different cuts and with different neck designs. Here you can find shirts with a wide collar, with a traditional stand-up collar, with a turn-down collar, without a collar with a gathered collar. One of the most characteristic features of shirts from the Mykolaiv region is a triangular neckline and sleeves - loose sleeves without cuffs. As for color solutions, here, as in the greater territory of Ukraine, red and black patterns prevail, but gray or gray-blue variations are quite often used.
Odessa region
The peculiarity of Odessa shirts is the puffs, which were placed on the sleeves below the shoulder, thereby giving the sleeves a lush look. The puffs themselves are a specially sewn fabric. The collar, for harmony and maintaining a single style of the shirt, the stand-up collar was also gathered into small wrinkles, which were finished with a thin hem. The top of the sleeves, as already noted, was gathered, while the lower part was embroidered with floral and geometric ornaments in the cross technique, the edges of the sleeves were decorated with a narrow strip. The predominant colors were red, black, yellow and blue.
Poltava region
Poltava shirts are distinguished by delicate “white on white” embroidery in the smooth technique, sometimes the patterns are framed along the contour with colored or gray stitches. Sometimes on shirts of this region there are gray or red patterns.
Rivne region
Restrained shirts made of white linen with delicate and almost airy white patterns were the most common. Shirts from the Rivne region did not have colored decorations or additions.
Sumy region
Since Sumy region borders Poltava, it has almost the same features: embroidery "white on white" and edging the ornament with black threads.
Ternopil region
The most characteristic feature of the shirts of the Ternopil region is the relief and special expressiveness of the embroidery on the shirts. Usually the shirts were embroidered with thick voluminous black stitches. The main ornament on these shirts is usually edged with colored threads. One of the most famous shirts of this region is the Borshchiv shirts (after the city of Borshchiv of the same name). Borshchiv shirts have completely embroidered sleeves with black voluminous patterns, sometimes with contrasting edging in other colors.
Kharkiv region
Kharkov craftsmen used the entire available color range of thick threads for embroidery. Creating a relief polychrome pattern in the cross or half-cross technique. It is practically impossible to outline a special color range that is characteristic of this region.
Kherson shirts
Kherson embroidery is characterized by floral ornaments in the traditional red and black color scheme.
Khmelnytskyi region
Shirts from Khmelnytskyi region, like those from Ternopil, are distinguished by black embroidery, but they were sometimes combined with red and cherry ornamental elements.
Cherkasy region
Cherkasy embroideries are known for their rich red color with a small addition of black. Among the variety of patterns and ornaments, preference was given to floral and geometric.
Chernivtsi region
Chernivtsi embroidered shirts are distinguished by their richly embroidered sleeves with characteristic diagonal stripes of ornament. Black and burgundy threads were used for embroidery, and embroideries in this range stood out beautifully against the background of the bright and colorful set of clothes as a whole. As for techniques, Chernihiv craftsmen most often used the techniques of small cross stitch, smooth stitch and twisted stitch. Beads, sequins, silk, gold and silver threads and wool were often used to decorate the embroideries. Bright floral shirts were also often embroidered in this region, sometimes using a large number of beads.
Chernihiv region
Craftswomen of the Chernihiv region worked painstakingly to create a beautiful shirt. Chernihiv embroidered shirts are distinguished by extremely small, almost jewelry-like, stitches. The ornament was chosen either floral or abstract, the patterns were embroidered mainly with white threads with the addition of colored elements. Also, bead embroidery is traditional for the Chernihiv region.
We hope that the information provided will help you choose embroidery to your liking and understand the origin of a particular pattern or color combination. And perhaps it will point out native motifs that are specific to your region.
If you want to purchase a modern embroidered shirt that will meet all your wishes, we suggest you browse the "Embroidered Shirts" section of our online store.
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