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20 “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, БЕРЕЗЕНЬ 2010 the da nce hall to the music with their teachers and the olde r students to guide them and show them off . Thei r faces bright and shining, they paraded around for a ll to see the intricate designs in many hues: red and bl ack, orange, green and yellow, assor ted shade s of blue on white background, bordeaux and black , even blue and gold threads stitched in a fant astic profusion of authentic designs on the bottom of dresses, sleeves, down the front of the litt le costumes, on collars, and on tiny pockets. Vari ous regio ns of Ukraine were represented at these events: Hutzul, Kyiv, Poltava, Lviv, and many other s. Each design was distinctive — in the choice of col ors and in its a daptation to modern dress. As I f urther perused through my album, I reme mbered even more . . . sum mer . . . a lovely time to sit under a tree at Round Lake (Chicago’s “Ukr ainian Riviera”) and embroider doilies or pillow — it wa s only at home that the long gowns, dres ses, and blouses were embroidered for the fall extra vaganza, the adult embroidery ball. Sponsored firs t by Branch 22 and later by Branch 101 of the UNWL A, it was just as eagerly looked forward to as the chi ldren’s spring ball. And if there was an elem ent of surprise at the children’s dance, the elem ent of surprise was even more importan t for the adult s. It was at this event that all women, mothers or not , had the opportunity to show off the handiw ork on their own clothes. The s titching was even more abundant, the color s bright with intricate designs. The creations were presented before a jury of knowledgeable ladie s who studied closely and carefully whether the Ukra inian tradition of embroidering was well carr ied out. Was t he embroidery design well placed? Were the colors and designs authentic and well suite d to the fabric chosen for the style of dress or blouse ? What region was represented and was the design too cumbersome or too rich? Thes e and other questions were discussed by the j urors who were selected to award prizes and confe r honorable mention on the competitors who were busily danc ing, chatting with friends, or ta sting the te mpting tortes. And the jurors observed even the me n, many sporting colorful embroidered shirt fron ts worn with black tuxedos or suits. Points were given, a final vote taken, prizes and honors awarded. But th e res ults were not always met with approval, and t he jurors were criticized for not being as knowledge able as they claimed to be: “Nat alka should have received first prize, not Ta mara, don’t you agree?” “If i t were up to me, I would have chosen Oksa na fo r at l east a second prize, and here she was not eve n mentioned. What a shame; such a beautiful black gown with Hutzul design.” “Don’ t be silly, Oksana’s dress is entirely too fr illy for this year’s style, although I must admit, the des ign of embroidery is exce llent. And look at all t hose roses on Maria’s dress! Entirely overdone.” But the orchestra would soon strike up a tune and most ruffled feathers and disgruntled feel ings were put aside and the spirit of good fun took ove r. Fingers bruised by months of embroi dering no longer hurt; instead, there was a sens e of satisfaction that the decisions about short skir t or long dress had been made correctly. Swir ling around the dance floor, every embroiderer was h appy she had come and confident that “My embroi dered blous e (or dress) is as beautiful as anyone’ s! And next year, God willing, it will be prett ier yet, the design more unusual, the dress even more stylish!” I smi led and closed the album. Such wonderf ul memories! Such a beautiful tradition carr ied on for m any yea rs. And then young mothers went to work professionally, grandmothers died, and there was no one left to embroider. And perhaps no need t o as old, intricate, and beautiful embroidered blouse s have recently become available from Ukra ine. “Are these th e rea sons this tradition no longer is practiced here?” I wonder ed. “Too bad. It was s o relevant, so vibrant, so beautiful.” And the n I pause. “Wai t a minute. Didn’ t I see i n T he Ukr ainian Weekly a whil e back that a Flor ida community had held a Vyshyvana Zabav a? I think I saw something else about this . . . something for c hildren in Detroit. Was it the UNWLA? I need to lo ok it up. Perhaps there is hope that this tradition will be revived elsewhere, even here in Chicago. The aut hor is a m ember of Chicago Regi onal Council’s Branch 29. Time present and times past are both perhaps present in time future. – T.S. E liot Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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