Shortly after launching my studio in Greenfield in 2019, I learned that an embroidery machine can’t create good results if the design you feed it has been poorly digitized. There is a lot of shlock out there, but amidst the mediocrity there is a handful of brilliant machine embroidery digitizers who work magic. They are the superstars who convert a line drawing or sketch into a complex three-dimensional digital file which embroidery machines can read. The process isn’t simple. It is a slow dot-by-dot, click-by-click ordeal which many attempt but few master. Among the best of the best are the eastern Europeans, especially the Ukrainians.
It’s no wonder, then, that my heart is sick with what is happening in that beautiful country. I have been in contact with the Ukrainian vendors whose work has inspired my website portfolio. And the words of one of them keeps me awake: “Pray for us.”
I have been praying, burning candles, meditating, etc. But I feel helpless. The one thing I can do is purchase more of their beautiful embroidery designs online, because they are in hiding and can’t work at their machines. And I can share their talent and vision and cultural history with others.
From the traditional colors — mostly red, black, and white — to contemporary variations that work in today’s homes, Ukrainian embroidery has a strong graphic style that is timeless. I hope you will consider contacting me to something for your home: napkins, towels, table runners, pillow cases, aprons, tote bags, etc — inspired by vyshyvanka embroidery. Your colors, plus the vision of artisans whose work goes back to 500 B.C.
Pray for them.