Lace-making

Lace-making here refers to drawn-thread work (merezhka) — a technique of openwork decoration in which some of the cross or lengthwise threads are drawn out of the cloth, and those that remain are gathered and bound into a transparent pattern. It is a form of 'whitework' widespread in Ukrainian folk dress: merezhka adorned the collars, cuffs, hems of shirts and ritual towels, creating light latticed bands. Merezhka demands a sharp eye and precision, since one works literally with the individual threads of the cloth. The result is a refined, almost weightless transparent lace built into the fabric itself. Today the technique is prized for an authentic delicacy that cannot be faked by machine.