A man's shirt from the village
of Dobranychivka, Iahotyn region, Kyiv province is shown
below. On both men's and women's garments, it was important
to decorate the edges to protect the wearer from the evil
eye. The belt serves the same function of protection. It
also had many practical uses. Men could use it to hold knives,
hammers, and other tools. Women could use it as the final
layer in the swaddling of infants.
Embroidery on rushnyky means
things and is distinctive from region to region. The same
is true of embroidery on clothing. The province of Poltava
is known for white-on-white embroidery, often with cut-work.
In this area, similar designs are also done in blue-on-white.
The province of Cherkasy has distinctive cherry clusters
on its shifts.
The favorite designs and colors
in the past were red and black on a natural linen background.
Favorite motifs were those that signaled prosperity and
fertility: the tree of life in various forms, flowers such
as roses and pumpkin blossoms, fruit such as grapes and
cherries. In recent times, people have begun experimenting
with new, synthetic, and brightly colored threads. The motifs
are the same as earlier but colors are now very bright,
such as on the shift embroidered in green and orange and
shown here. This dress was embroidered by the woman modeling
it and she lives in the village of Lytviaky, Luben region,
Poltava province.
