In this article: #1 Animal ornaments #2 Unearthly ornaments #3 Elemental ornaments #4 Floral ornaments #5 Rule for embroidering a wedding towel #6 Example of a Family Tree #7 Requirements for a towel embroiderer You
should like the wedding towel and its design. Take and embroider the pattern you like. Be sure to learn the embroidery symbols before you start embroidering. Ornament should come from the heart and soul. But the best thing, of course, is to come up with your own design for a towel or duplicate your grandmother’s, if there is one in the family.
Animal ornaments
The rooster is a symbol of men's health, happiness and wealth.
Dove – represents family, love and loyalty.
Roosters, falcons and doves in pairs symbolize the bride and groom. The birds are always positioned with their heads facing each other and their wings down, thereby symbolizing their readiness to start a family. But under no circumstances should you embroider nightingales and cuckoos on wedding towels, as they are symbols of a widow and a single guy.
Peacocks are birds of family happiness and are depicted with a wreath on wedding towels. Sometimes peacock feathers were woven into the bride's wedding wreath.
The swallow is a symbol of good.
Slide captions:
Earth The Earth, in the minds of Russian peasants, was endowed with human traits. She was called “Nurse - Mother of Cheese Earth.”
Makosh She was revered in inextricable connection with water and vegetation. She was depicted as a female figure with birds in her raised hands, inside of which a tree grew, and at her feet or along the edge of her clothing there was a jagged line depicting water.
Horse The guardian of the hearth was the horse, perceived as the strongest domestic animal. According to ancient legend, the horse was given the honorable role of participating in the movement of the sun across the sky, which during the day races in a chariot drawn by golden-haired horses, and at night sails across the blue sea in a boat. Figures of knights and rooks were depicted on valances and towels.
Tree Tree is one of the most ancient symbols, the Tree of Life, this is how the ancestors represented the universe. They thought that there were Gardens of Eden in the sky, and a miracle tree with magical fruits grew there. The tree of life, a tree that gives birth to new life, was a symbol of life, the unity of the family, its continuation and well-being.
Water The life-giving power of water that nourishes the Earth was depicted in the form of floating forces, and the waters themselves were depicted in the form of zigzag stripes.
The name and purpose of the towel The ancient Slavs believed that a person’s life has a beginning and an end, and the towel accompanies him throughout his life from birth to death.
Maternity towel A little man is born, the midwife receives him on a towel that his mother lovingly embroidered. While still a girl, she took care of her baby, providing a towel with rich protective symbolism. This towel is called a maternity towel.
Swaddle A newborn baby was swaddled in a swaddle - a narrow long strip of fabric, this is also a towel.
Wedding towel At the wedding, the parents greeted and blessed the bride and groom with a towel in their hands, on which there was bread and salt. They embroidered a peahen bird on them as a sign of love, and complemented the embroidery with plant elements and small birds. This is a wish to the young people for good and happiness.
Funeral towel And on the last journey, to the cemetery, they see off the person, carrying him on towels, and lower him into the grave on them. These are funeral towels. The funeral towel depicted symbols of the soul and the funeral (sacrificial) pyre. After the ceremony, funeral towels were given to the temple for the commemoration of the soul. The sign echoes the symbol of the earth, but the rhombus, consisting of three pairs of intersecting lines, remained empty inside.
Modern towels Folk art preserves centuries-old traditions passed down from generation to generation and now they have not been lost
Unearthly ornaments
Flowerpot and Bereginya - the protective ethnic ornament is a flowerpot (huge branches with birds and flowers) and Bereginya (an image of a female figure or a mysterious flower). They were usually embroidered with red threads and symbolized cleansing fire and the sun. This pattern was also associated with amulet, healing, cleansing and protective magic.
Crown - represents a request for God's Blessing of marriage. There should not be any inscriptions or patterns above it.
Maternal symbol. The Mother symbol is the main one on the wedding towel. It is based on an eight-pointed star, which is framed by a stylized garland of flowers, symbolizing the greatness of the mother, her important role in the continuation of life.
Patterns and patterns of cross stitch for wedding towels
When embroidering a towel, traditional symbols are usually selected, each of them has its own meaning. That is why the pattern must be carefully thought out, because the towel will be a talisman in the family.
Main patterns and symbols of the product:
- Water and sun are a symbol of mother and father, the elements that create all living things;
- Hop leaves are a symbol of love, passion and development;
- Viburnum clusters are a symbol of the longevity of the clan and family;
- Diamonds are a special amulet symbol, very often used when embroidering towels;
- Roses have long been considered a harbinger of love, mercy and respect;
- Grape branches are a symbol of procreation and prosperity;
- Oak is a sign of masculine strength and energy;
- Lily flowers are a sign of female innocence and purity, love;
- Two birds (pigeons) sitting next to each other are a sign of a couple.
Various patterns and symbols are embroidered on wedding towels.
Since ancient times, when embroidering towels, people have followed rules that will contribute to a good and happy family life.
Several rules when embroidering a towel pattern. Before you start work, you need to throw all bad thoughts out of your head, think about a happy future, and wash off the dirt from your hands. The towel must consist of a single piece of fabric.
Under no circumstances should the two halves be sewn together: family life will not work out, it will be “torn”.
The empty white part between the towel patterns should be long enough. It is believed that this way the life path of the newlyweds will be easy and happy. When choosing a pattern, you need to adhere to personal preferences. It is very important that you like the ornament. The wrong side of the towel must be done very carefully.
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Elemental ornaments
Water and Sun. All embroidery is marked with the signs of the Sun and Water. These two elements created earthly life, so they must be understood as solar paternal energy and water maternal energy. An octagonal flower or rosette represents the Sun, and a curled one symbolizes Water.
Earth is a powerful symbol of fertility. Embroidered in the shape of a rhombus.
Floral ornaments
Oak - a sacred tree - oak, embodied the god Perun, the god of life, development, solar male energy.
Acorns - usually intertwined with viburnum on a wedding towel, symbolizing the fidelity of the spouses.
Hop leaves. The hop pattern is youth and wedding symbolism. Hops carry a sign of youthful exuberance, development and love.
Mallow is a symbol of girlhood, chastity and youth. Depicted with large red open flowers.
Rose - Patterns with roses represent the endless movement of the sun with eternal rebirth. These are star flowers that embody the people’s idea of the Universe as a system.
Viburnum - in ancient times, viburnum was associated with the birth of the fiery trinity: the Sun, Star and Moon. Viburnum berries have become a symbol of blood and immortality. That is why all towels for weddings, girls’ and men’s shirts are heavy with mighty bunches of viburnum.
Lilies - The lily flower is a symbol of innocence, purity and girlish charm. If you look closely at the outline of the pattern, you will see the silhouette of a pair of birds, and this is a sign of love. The inseparable composition of the triplicity is made up of a bud and a leaf. This flower contains the birth, development and infinity of life. When dew drops are embroidered over the lily, it signifies fertilization. Lily is an incredibly feminine symbol.
Grapes - personifies the beauty and joy of creating a family. Grapes symbolize wealth, fertility, and the desire to have many children. The vineyard is the field of life, in which the husband is the sower, and the wife’s responsibility is to grow and care for the family tree. Very often it appears on wedding towels.
Rules for embroidering a wedding towel
Previously, a wedding towel was embroidered only by hand on a double-sided towel: one side for the bride, the other for the groom with the corresponding symbols. The drawings could be different, but they were arranged symmetrically with the same number of characters and sizes. The embroidery was on three floors: the first was the family tree, on which birds were depicted; the second - wishes to the newlyweds; the third - bereginii, female and male symbols, the initials of the young.
The border can be different, imitating lace or tassels. You can sew hand-knitted lace, or you can make tassels by wiping out the border. An embroidered border has its own design rules. They try to include the “rhombus” element in the embroidery, which symbolizes a sown field, that is, a wish for prosperity and wealth to a young family.
Next comes the family tree, alternating it with a variety of trees, with birds sitting in pairs (nowadays the most popular are peacocks under the tree). Between such trees is embroidered a tree of the genus - the most inconspicuous and most interesting on the entire towel. Family trees for the bride and groom are embroidered in the middle of the first level. Peacocks guard the clan tree, symbolizing the clan of the bride and groom, on the first level. The second contains the symbols or wishes of the bride and groom. For the bride, this could be: roses - a symbol of love and beauty, a lily - a symbol of purity and purity, or viburnum - a symbol of blood, birth and immortality of the family. Grapes are embroidered for the groom - a symbol of fertility, abundance and wealth.
By the way, wedding breads were decorated with wedding wreaths, for which grapevines were used. And so that there were children in the family, the bride was sprinkled with nuts, grains and dried grapes. It used to be that they embroidered oak, binding with viburnum berries. On the third level, between the beregins (these can be women with their hands raised up, trees, crosses, flowerpots) a wreath with a crown is embroidered, personifying God's blessing and crowns, which are held above their heads during a wedding in the church.
For the Family Tree, the following information is needed from both sides: ▪ Are there any brothers and sisters, are they older or younger? ▪ Are grandparents alive or dead? ▪ Are there maternal and paternal uncles and aunts, are they older or younger than the father and mother?
Cross stitch patterns for towels
Previously, several towels were embroidered for a wedding: two for matchmakers, one for a wedding loaf, two more towels for witnesses and one for an icon. Nowadays, only one towel is used for weddings: it is laid under the feet of the future newlyweds during registration. Usually the bride embroiders the towel herself.
Materials for making a towel:
- You can use special fabric for cross stitch. It is sold in handicraft stores. The sizes come in a wide variety - it depends on the future pattern, although they usually adhere to the standard: 2.5 meters in length and 40-50 cm in width.
- If it is not possible to purchase such fabric, then you can use a waffle towel, linen, calico, pre-hemmed.
- Embroidery floss threads. Traditional embroidery colors are red and black. Although it is quite possible to use other colors.
Before you start embroidering, prepare your materials and pattern
A towel for a wedding consists of part of the groom and part of the bride. The groom's part is embroidered before the wedding.
Sequence of work:
- The tree of the family, birds, and flowers around it are embroidered first.
- Congratulations to the bride and groom are the second part of the job. Usually in wishes they write “Advice and love”, “For happiness”, etc.
- The last stage will be the embroidery of beregins and a wreath with the initials of the newlyweds.
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The edge of the towel is embroidered first - it can be all kinds of borders, tassels of ribbons, fringe, lace.
Then we begin to embroider the tree of the family, alternating it with flowers or birds, and last we embroider a ring with coastlines and initials.
When creating a diagram with your own hands, you can use the Paint program, it is convenient to fill the space with crosses.
Example of a Family Tree:
Let's read the drawing: this is the tree of the bride's family, the father and mother are alive; the bride has an older brother, the mother's grandfather and grandmother died (branches from right to bottom), both of the father's parents are alive, the father has no brothers and sisters, the bride has one aunt, because the mother has an older sister. The cloth of a wedding towel must be continuous and whole, because it symbolizes the path of life, so do not insert any ribbons or laces into the middle of the towel, since no matter how hard you try, you cannot sew a cut life back together. After the wedding celebration, the towels are rolled into a tube and kept in the newlyweds’ family as a symbol of a happy family life, so that the evil spirits will walk around in a circle and then realize that they have nothing to do here. All towels, and especially “under the feet,” are used only once. Only the pattern is inherited if the newlyweds live a very happy family life, but a new towel is still embroidered. You don’t rent fate, which means you don’t borrow a towel.
