A day of good news

Today I got pictures of stitching progress of 2 different projects!
The first is the sitiching report of an icon of Russian Saints Peter and Fevroinia of Murom who are considered to be patrons of marriage, life long love and fidelity.

The story of love and fidelity of these two persons dates back to the 13 century.
The Duke Peter defeated a guileful snake who was causing much trouble to the people of his lands, ruled by Peter's brother Paul. But while fighting the snake Peter had got several drops of the snake's blood on him and his body covered with awful scabs. No doctor could help him then. But one day a wise man told him about a devout young peasant maiden, who lived in the most remote part of his lands and healed the incurables and who agreed to heal him. As a reward Peter promised to marry Fevronia when she succeded in healing him, but once healed, he didn't keep his promise and instead sent rich gifts to the maiden. However, soon Peter's body started to get covered with scabs again. Fevronia healed him again and this time they get married.
Peter's brother Paul soon died and Peter was to become to ruler of Murom. But the nobles - the boyars - were huffish and unwilling to have a peasant woman for princess, and they asked Fevronia to leave the city taking with her whatever riches she wants. Wise Fevronia agreed, asking them to let her choose but one most precious fro her item. The boyars readily let her do that, but soon found out that this most precios item was her husband, and Peter together with Fevronia left Murom. The city remained without a prince, and after a short while the boyars started to struggle for the power over the city, and the city of Murom plunged into chaos. So finally Peter and Fevronia were asked to get back and rule the city.
They reigned wisely and happily until their last days,and spent the end of their life in monasteries. They knew they would die on the same day and asked to be buried in the same grave. Though the Russian Orthodox tradition does not allow for a monk and a nun to be buried together, their bodies were twice found to disappear from the original coffins and finally remained in the common grave forever.
Thus Peter and Feveronia became the Russian Orthodox patrons of marriage, love and marital fidelity.
This icon is one from a quaint collection "The Russian Orthodox Icons"

Our icons are based on the canonical images of well known and honored persons of the Russian Orthodox religion and performed in the Blackwork technique.

We plan to finish stitching the modles of this collection be the end of this year, so the release of the whole collection will take place in 2013.


And one more progress report is my humble Napping cat. 
A friend of mine picked it up for a speedy stitching as she adores cats. Now the most of the job is done and it is only the matter of stitching golden thread and attaching beads, sequins and tassels in place!

 How I love these days when I get such good news! It is so thrilling to see the projects that were designed by myself to become the real pieces of embroidery!

Napping cat 2

I finished my pattern Napping cat. 
And I'll stitch it in 2 colorways - in brown with gold and in polychrome.

Hope to start it in the end of March as soon as I finish my Wedding sampler.
Here is Weddind Day present condition:

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When I'm bored or Napping cat

When I'm tired of routine (correcting existing patterns, designing kits' cover, writing instruction and endless stitching of model works), I entertain myself by the drawing patterns, that were in my mind for a long time.
Since long ago I've dreamed of a Pet series - dogs, cats, fish, parrots, may be, in Blackwork. And finally as I got tired of stitching Wedding sampler and Easter routine I've started a project I called "Napping cat".
The inspiration for this projest I found in the endless pictures of sleeping cats and incredible postures they choose for that important part of their life :)))

So, here is my latest draft. Still lots to do, but anyway it already gives some idea of the future result.

It will definetly be in colors, with a bit of beads and may be sequins.
I hope to finish it by the end of March, and in April I'll may be stitch the model.

Easter Bunny

I did it!
I've finished my Easter Bunny!
Here he comes!

In couple of days it will be available as an embroidery kit at my Etsy web-store.

And here you can see the process of designing this pattern How we create our designs.
Happy stitching!

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Discover the world of contemporary Black embroidery together with Russian Blackwork!

Visit my Etsy web-store or E-bay listings and join my Facebook page for news and other interesting information about us, our projects and plans.

Wildlife spirits in cross-stitch!

And we have finally released a new collection - "Wildlife spirits" that was for a long time keept in reserves!

This collection is a set of peculiar animalisctic designs performed in a traditional tribal style. In these designs we tried to preserve the athmosphere of cave drawing and pass the sense of admiration and respect that our ancestors experiensed towards wild animals on whom they were greatly depended in those ancient times.

Wildlife spirits collection consists of 5 designs:

Pattern size: 220x267 st.

Pattern size: 208x238 st. 

Pattern size: 212x261 st.

Pattern size: 212x258 st.  

Pattern size: 216x276 st.

The designs are to be stitched in halfcross-stitch, and it is recommended to stitch them on white Aida 16.
We offer 2 colorways for this collection - Silver line and Amber line - at your choice.

Designs from this collection will be stylish and extraordinary home decor when finished and framed or can be an exclusive present for a special event!
Find them at my Etsy web-store.
Happy stitching!

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Discover the world of contemporary Black embroidery together with Russian Blackwork!

Visit my Etsy web-store or E-bay listings and join my Facebook page news and other interesting information about us, our projects and plans.

Shall we dance?

I'm proud to announce that we've started to work at our new collection dedicated to the Dancing art!

The whole collection will consist of 4-5 designs and will feature such types of ballroom dancing as Quickstep, Waltz, Tango, Rumba, etc.

The first design of this series is Quickstep

This design will be handeled to the model stitching in April and will be available as an embroidery kit in Autumn 2012.

Besides we have plans to work out a passionate Belly dancer in Blackwork.

The first draft is almost ready and soon will be completed with Blackwork fill-ins.

It will as well be available no sooner that Autumn 2012.

Folk needlecraft in ancient Russia

Part 1. General information

Needlework has always been one of the favorite and widely spread woman’s crafts in Russia. It required no special tools while every peasants' household had tissues, threads, needles and needlecraft frames.

Rural needlewomen

Girls began to embroider at the age of 8-10. And they had a long list of thing to be done before the day they get married as traditionally the bride has to stuff not only her own wardrobe, but also to do with her own hands a huge lot of household linens, sheets, towels, table clothes and so on and to give presents to the numerous groom's relatives as well.

Girls were stitching every spare minute as they had a long list
of items to be conpmleted before their wedding day.

Hope chest (their size and number depended on the well-being of
the girl's family and the girl's hard working)  

So girls were embroidering 10 hours a day, mainly in winter and spring – at the low season of fieldwork.

Peasant needlework had a traditional set of items to be decorated with embroidery. As I've already mentioned it was clothes, headwear and household objects: linens (bedding), towels, curtains, etc. Such items as chemises and towels had a great ritual meaning and played essential roles in such rituals as wedding, birth giving, praying and funerals.

Everyday peasants' garment 

Embroidered peasant costume and towels
(North-West of Russia) 

Bed cover embroidered with scarletwork

For example, a large - up to 2 meters long - luxuriously embroidered ceremonial towel was specially worked out for the wedding day. The wedding towel was a complex construcion of red and white stripes with exquisite embroidered ornaments full of sacral meaning, and it took up to a half-year to finish such a thing. Before the day of its' direct use it was stored neatly in a special coffer together with other trousseaux items, was taken out for the wedding day and used to frame the main icon at the bride's house, and during the wedding ceremonials it was used to connect (tie the arms) the bride and the bridegroom as bare hands were considered to be promising poverty and lack for a new household. Thus, the wedding towel embroidered with the symbols of prosperity, well-being and fertility was regarded as a guaranty and a new family successful life.

The bride's home decoration for the wedding day

Ceremonial wedding towels, surviving items, North-West of Russia,
second half and the end of the XIX c.
(letf to right: Olonets region, Tver region, Karelia) 

Echoes of ancient atrditions in modern wedding rits

The color solutions for folk embroidery varied from region to region. But in the North-West of Russia traditional colors were strictly red and white – either white ornament on the red calico or scarlet embroidery on the white or natural linen. The red was a symbol of the Sun and heavenly fire and was a crucial element of Slavonic and later Russian peasants' beliefs, the remnants of which (especially concerning agricultural needs) rested among peasants even after the establishments of the Christianity in the late X century.

Slavic pantheon 

Next time I'll tell about embroidery tips and techniques (stitches) and the symbols that were widely in use in the traditional Russian folk embroidery.