Silvia Popovych from Vynogradiv has been making unique Fabergé eggs for several years in a row.
Easter is one of the most favorite holidays of Transcarpathians and our countrymen prepare for it especially carefully. Residents of the region also like to make a variety of Easter eggs, Easter eggs and other Easter eggs in all sorts of new techniques.
For several years in a row, Silvia Popovych from Vynogradiv has been making unique Fabergé eggs, though not from gold, but from darts and ropes.
How and why did a woman become interested in such an unusual type of handmade? She told about this to the "Carpathian Lens".
The first work is like the first drawing of a child
For four years in a row, Mrs. Sylvia has been delighting friends and acquaintances with amazing gifts for Easter. When a woman comes to visit, she brings unique products made from scrap materials, but in appearance no worse than the masterpieces of real jewelers.
"I've always liked Fabergé eggs. However, gold is an expensive thing and it takes a lot of money to work with it. In addition, I am not a jeweler and do not know the technology, I do not have the equipment for this. Therefore, I have been thinking for a long time about what materials could be used to make something at least similar. Five years ago, I visited a friend in Budapest and we visited the same museum. There I saw Easter eggs made using the "jute filigree" technique. They looked just gorgeous. I began to wonder what kind of equipment it was, how to work in it. I read a lot of literature on the Internet, bought a lot of different books. I looked at the works of others, was inspired and admired. I hesitated to try myself, I couldn't dare. But since I myself am a dressmaker and my husband is an electrician, there were always materials in the house necessary for work, and one day a few days before Easter, when the other housewives were washing windows, baking irons and cakes, and cleaning, I got to work and began to experiment. That was in 2019," the woman admitted.
The first egg of the Transcarpathian turned out to be a little clumsy, but this work is special for her and she keeps it in a place of honor.
"It was a start. It all started with that egg. I will never throw it away, even though it is crooked, and the patterns on it are quite primitive," she admits. "But it is like the first word written by a child, or the first drawing of a son or daughter for a mother. At that time, I didn't even know that all those symbols meant anything. I just connected my imagination and did what I liked and how I knew how. Over time, the technique improved, the products became better and better, and even friends began to ask me to do something similar for them. Now, on Easter, I go to visit with my own Easter eggs, which, although not made in the traditional technique, are many times larger in size and can have a functional purpose. For example, you can store hair clips or jewelry in them, they can be an element of décor for a room and they can be seen from afar!"
For four years, the craftswoman has more than two hundred Easter eggs. Women in different parts of the world have them, in particular, in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Spain, Italy, the USA, Poland, Romania, and Canada.
It is best to work with natural materials
To make a product using the "jute filigree" technique, first of all, you need materials, but not only.
"First of all, there should be a sense of taste. My main profession is somewhat intertwined with hobbies, because sometimes you need to be able to advise a client something that is best for her. So it is with eggs.... Especially when they need to be made as a gift. Knowing a person, it is easier to choose what he will be most happy about. Sometimes my daughter tells me patterns, she also began to get interested in needlework, sometimes her husband gives me ideas. But I come up with most of everything myself, and I get inspiration from the Internet," says Sylvia Popovych.
Her works are really interesting and original. Each of them has a soul and the warmth of hands.
"I am good at needle, crochet, knitting needles, drawing, embroidery. But most of all, I like to do something to decorate my home. My Stepan also has a lot of talents. He did most of the house on his own. He knows how to work not only with light, but also with wood. Therefore, I am glad that my relatives support me. Sometimes I even dream of egg patterns at night. In my opinion, each product is a whole cosmos, because it is not for nothing that the Easter egg is a symbol of Easter. Its shape symbolizes the sun, rebirth, life, immortality and the universe, because the egg has no beginning and no end. Jute filigree is a modern art with ancient immortal origins. The charm of this technique is added by the fact that natural and environmentally friendly materials are used in the work," the Vynogradiv resident shares her thoughts.
According to her, filigree is an art known in the days of ancient Troy, very common in the ancient world, and the fact that it has survived to our times, improved, only makes it even more interesting.
"Once upon a time, women crafted with the help of gold threads and precious stones. To do this, they took gold or silver wire, with the help of which they fastened the particles of the product together. This art was also widespread in Ukraine, originated in the times of Rus. However, in Transcarpathia, an ordinary Easter egg, or decorated with beads, ribbons and artificial flowers, is considered more traditional. There are many varieties of the technique itself. Some people use elements of exclusively plant origin in their work – tree leaves, dried flowers. I prefer to work with a rope. The tourniquet itself is actually a plant fiber, ropes and burlap are made from it. If it is lubricated with glue, it holds its shape well and can be used to make not only eggs, but also boxes, figurines, napkins, jewelry, panels, and all kinds of interior design elements. It works the same way with darts. They also hold their shape when bent and can be painted if necessary. They make beautiful three-dimensional compositions and it resembles fantastic lace."
In her amazing technique, Transcarpathian creates not only eggs, but also baskets, bizarre butterflies, birds, vases, fruit trays, plates, flowerpots and much more.
"In fact, jute can be used to make such beauty that only your heart desires. And the work is fascinating. It's like weaving from the vine when it's hard to stop. The meaning of the technique is to twist the threads into an openwork pattern. In order for jute to hold, it must be lubricated with glue. Initially, patterns can be created using stencils that can be found on the Internet in the public domain. Later, you won't need them, because you will want to invent something on your own. Everything is simple, even a child can learn," the woman convinces.
According to the Transcarpathian woman, if you want to give someone an unusual gift, then you can't think of a better one.
"It's not expensive, it's interesting, and no one else will have it. One craft can be made in one evening. For the longest time, I worked with a lampshade for a week, but I also did other work. For example, I gave my godfather a hand-painted still life with a frame using the jute filigree technique. So it has been hanging with her since then in the most honorable place. My smallest work is a jute bear, which is 10 centimeters tall and can fit in the palm of my hand. The largest is a decorative vase with a height of 1.5 meters. It is always more difficult to work with small parts, but it is easier to work with large ones, although a lot of material is needed," says Ms. Sylvia.
As for her Fabergé eggs, on average they are about 30 centimeters high. But there are also tiny ones – 12 centimeters and almost a meter.
"In the future, I dream of making a two-meter Easter egg and installing it in the yard... like a Christmas tree. But it should consist of parts that can be disassembled and combined with each other in order to put it in the closet "out of season", like a Christmas tree," the craftswoman shared her plans.
And in general, with so many ideas, Sylvia Popovych can definitely come up with some of her own technique, because she loves to experiment, she has a rich imagination and everything she does turns out beautifully.
Author: Marina Aldon
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