Rushnyk- Ritual Cloth Embroidery

RITUAL EMBROIDERED CLOTH- RUSHNYK (Ukrainian)

Introduction to Hand Embroidery 

& the Ukrainian tradition of ritual cloth “rushnyk” (рушник)

Introduction into the world of hand embroidery, learning the basics of counted embroidery and freeform “rushnyky stitches”. The workshop is designed for beginners and will focus on learning best practices and gaining general familiarity with various materials and techniques used in embroidery, and specifically stitches used for rushnyky made with drawn forms.  You’ll be introduced to some freeform techniques such as stem stitch, split stitch and chain stitch, as well as satin stitch, which can be used to beautifully depict any drawn form, and are used to “draw” organic forms (forms from nature- namely flowers, birds, vines) onto the cloth. We’ll look at the traditional motifs of natural forms such as the ‘tree of life’ and its variation- ‘the flowers in a vase’ which are found on rushnyky from the central and eastern (Leftbank) parts of Ukraine. 

The workshop will be focused on the making of a ritual cloth- not quite a full rushnyk, but a sampler of one, a small altar cloth. 

(Your piece can serve as a little altar cloth, or form the basis of a little pouch, pillow or book cover or be incorporated into a larger piece or garment at a later time.)