The Verbivka Shirt (Types of Stitches)

Greetings to all embroidery enthusiasts! This is the second post in my series on recreating a traditional embroidered shirt from the village of Verbivka, dated to the 1930s. Today, I’d like to share a bit about the stitches used in this unique shirt.

But first, let’s take a brief dive into history.

We all love cross-stitching, but... Traditional Ukrainian embroidery relied on much older techniques long before cross-stitch became common. These included nyz (drawn thread), lystva (satin stitch), shtapivka (running stitch), flat stitch, stem stitch, padding (raised embroidery), openwork stitches and more. All of these were done by hand on homespun linen and served both decorative and ritual purposes. Motifs were regionally specific, often geometric, and held deep symbolic meaning. In many areas, cross-stitch wasn’t used at all until the late 19th century — instead, embroidery tended to be monochrome, such as white-on-white or red-on-grey linen.

Cross-stitch embroidery only began spreading across Ukraine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The technique arrived from Europe along with printed patterns, factory-made threads, and changing fashion trends. Its popularity grew thanks to how easy it was to execute and the ability to imitate colorful illustrations. During the Soviet period, cross-stitch became dominant in mainstream embroidery culture — although traditional techniques didn’t disappear and are experiencing a revival today.

So, what about our shirt? Although this shirt dates to the 1930s, there’s almost no cross-stitch in it.

Let’s take a closer look

Here’s a list of stitch techniques used in this part of the shoulder insert (ustavka):

• Bytym (a type of counted satin stitch)
• Stem stitch 4/2
• Verkhoplut (a couched thread stitch)
• Combined motifs — bytym, kolodky (bars), slanted cross-stitch

The simplest among them is the stem stitch, which on the front side appears as a row of short slanted stitches overlapping each other slightly.

🎥 Below is a short video of me stitching a stem stitch

Another element from the insert I’d like to highlight today is a floral-like row stitched using a combination of bytym, kolodky, and slanted cross-stitch.

🎥 Below is a short video of me stitching a motif using a combination of techniques.

We’ll explore the rest of the stitches in the upcoming posts.
Thanks so much to everyone who read this far!
I hope this inspires someone to begin stitching their own shirt — with meaning, soul, and love!