Ukrainian craftswoman creates embroidered shirts for soldiers reviving age-old techniques

Myroslava Horobets, a native of Rivne, a Ukrainian city in the northwest, makes embroidered shirts for the armed forces soldiers from strong olive-colored hemp cloth.

The craftswoman's story was published on the Facebook page of the Rivne Regional Military Administration.

Embroidered shirts do not contradict the military uniform but reinforce soldiers' fight against the enemy, symbolizing Ukraine's culture and traditions.

Ms. Myroslava is one of 114 craftspeople from all over Ukraine who have joined the project "Embroidered Shirt For Defender" initiated by

Cherkasy embroiderer Oksana Postupak and joined by craftspeople who wanted to support the soldiers defending their homeland.

Myroslava Horobets works as a music teacher and likes to embroider in her free time. Now Ms. Myroslava is embroidering a shirt for a combat medic from Rivne. She has already created such amulets for a tank driver and a nurse.

The craftswoman uses hemp cloth. It is pretty strong, dense, and pleasant to the body. Myroslava Horobets recalls when she handed over a ready-made shirt to a soldier. He was pleased and said it was beautiful and strong. He was also worried about how he would wear such an incredible thing under the "armor."

In this project, embroiderers use only techniques that do not destroy the main fabric. The product must be strong and made with good thoughts because it is a charm, as the volunteer craftspeople believe.

The project participants created and handed over 150 shirts to the military. Myroslava Horobets recalls that she made the first combat embroidery in two weeks. Before work, she asked the priest for a blessing. Always when she takes on embroidery, she begins with a prayer.