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Promotion #StitchForHero
Dear friends!
We are happy to present our brand-new product, the cross stitch kit “Cossack Mamay: #StitchForHero”. We have spent a lot of time and effort embroidering, remaking and fine-tuning it. We hope you like the result.
Designing a quality pattern is a matter of having a quality image at hand. This is what our long-time friend Mykhailo Dombrovskyi helped us with. We have been cooperating with this artist from Uzhgorod for quite a while now. You can learn more about Mykhailo by visiting “Our team” page. He is the author of the painting that became the prototype of our embroidery kit.
Cossack Mamay is one of the most captivating characters in Ukrainian art. He is a symbol of courage, strength, love of freedom, and the embodiment of Ukraine’s defender. Portraits of him used to often hang in the red corner (worship space) of Ukrainian homes alongside religious icons.
Artists have always depicted a certain set of objects on paintings featuring Cossack Mamay, namely an oak tree, a horse, a spear, a pipe and pandora (or the kobza), a cup and a hat, and a firearm or other weapon. As a rule, the character is sitting in Buddhist meditation posture, which is pacific and contemplative.
Now, a few words about the symbols depicted on this piece. The oak designates ancestry and takes on a role of the tree of life and vitality.
The horse is the Cossack’s best friend, his faithful companion in periods of both peace and war. It embodies the love of freedom, fidelity and self-sacrifice.
The spear, just like the cup or damask, reminds of the transience of life and everyday threats that the Cossack faces. They used to put spears in burial places and take the cup and plate “from the afterlife world”. This was a symbol of fate to a certain extent.
The pandora or the kobza was like the spouse. It was pretty much the only consolation for the Cossack in his lonely wandering life. He would dream and take rest with it by his side. The pipe had a similar implication. Smoking was considered a sinful pastime. However, Cossacks were allowed to indulge in this little temptation that was their youthful fun and a way of relaxation in steppe life.
The hat is the Cossack’s first priority thing. You’re a Cossack as long as you wear a hat.
Last but not least, the weapon – it was cherished above all. The saber is a symbol of victory. The Cossack may not be holding the weapon in his hands, but he always keeps it nearby. This way, he can protect himself at all times if necessary.
So, those are the main symbols encountered on all pictures of Mamay.
Speaking of our embroidery kit, it has shaped up to be fairly big and complex. That’s because we have used various stems and stitches, with the appropriate instructions being extensively covered in the manual that goes with the kit. In order to achieve the perspective effect, we have used half cross and full cross stitches in one strand. The backstitch technique, in its turn, is intended to emphasize the details.
The kit’s pattern proper is presented in colors and includes user-friendly notations. The four A3 sheets of the pattern are additionally complemented with a large pattern of decorative stitches on the Cossack’s face. The threads in this kit are fastened to a cardboard organizer. In addition, we have put extra coils of the color threads that are used the most.
The pattern is elaborately designed and doesn’t include any redundant colors or isolated cross stitches. You will definitely find it easy to interpret and work with. So, go ahead and buy our cross stitch kit “Cossack Mamay: #StitchForHero” and thereby support the glorious Ukrainian army!