Needlework, Mrs. Anna Bilynsky, embroideress, Chicago, Illinois
St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois; Mrs. Anna Bilynsky, Chicago, Illinois

 

The work of Mrs. Anna Bilynsky of Chicago, Illinois. The color slide was taken in her home and the black and white slide at her parish, St. Nicholas Ukrainian Church. Click on the photo; then click on the File image for a good view. As you study the work of Mrs. Bilynsky and the other embroiders on this page, see if you can identify some of the traditional motifs in their needlework. 

 

Image 2 of Ukrainian American community post-fieldwork workshop, Chicago, Illinois
Image 1 of Ukrainian American community post-fieldwork workshop, Chicago, Illinois

 

Like Mrs. Bilynski, Mary Hrymewych was an immigrant from Ukraine who made her home in Chicago. She made typical clothing for dolls and embroidery is a key part of that design. In these images, she is being interviewed for a series by the American Folkways Center of the Library of Congress. Notice the portion of an embroidered cloth that decorates a crucifix on the wall above the interviewer.




Image 10 of Taissa Decyk and Ukrainian Embroidery, Rhode Island
Image 6 of Taissa Decyk and Ukrainina Embroidery, Rhode Island
Image 14 of Taissa Decyk and Ukrainian Embroidery, Rhode Island

 

Taissa Decyk was a Ukrainian American embroiderer living and working in Rhode Island. In her interview, she shared a pillow embroidered with the national colors of Ukraine, a work in progress, and a fabric swatch showing how a stitcher builds a complex design in stages.