Stitching Together for Ukraine
My star stitched on antique grain sack linen.
On March 17, with Tatter, artist Christina Shmigel, and over 600 people, we gathered to learn to stitch an 8-pointed star with embroiderer and instructor Hanna Rohatynska and translator Mariana, the women with whom I studied in Lviv, Ukraine, when I visited in 2017. Christina shared the story of her mother’s family fleeing ethnic persecution in 1944 and a beautiful pillow her mother stitched and mended throughout her life in the US. Hanna and Mariana guided us through the star, a traditional pattern stitched for protection. The star, also interpreted as a flower, is shared by many traditions.
It was an emotional day— hundreds of us together stitching for protection and peace was powerful! In 2022 we still stitch to express our hopes, document our lives, and preserve our culture. For women in Ukraine, embroidering is an act of resistance.
$16,000 in donations were given to two organizations. Hanna chose Wings of Hope, a local organization that supports children with life-threatening illnesses in Lviv. The other half was given to the OWHC Initiative to Preserve Ukrainian Cultural Heritage.
Stitchers were invited to send their stars to Tatter to be sewn into a quilt. Here are some of the contributions and creative works that developed from the event. You are still welcome to donate to receive the recording and stitch a star for the quilt. Find the recording here.
Embroideries by K. Bellach, M. Pattullo, H. W. Fayle, J. Bellach, M. B. Yates, K. Tamai, T. Kleckner, L. Z. Gawlik, K. Crone, C. Jones, A. P. Cannon, and J. Costa.
Thank you to everyone for taking a needle to cloth in this heartfelt gathering
of solidarity and hope.
To continue supporting Hanna, Mariana, and Ukrainian textile culture, I am hosting a new workshop with them on Apr. 24. We’ll stitch the pattern below, a floral motif from Chernihiv, a region that has been heavily bombed during the war, sourced from a traditional skirt. Register for the workshop HERE.
Embroidery on a “plakhta” skirt from Chernihiv, Ukraine, subject of the workshop on Apr. 24.