Catherine is already over 80 years old. However, she is still full of vivacity and optimism, making grand plans for the future. She wants to embroider a giant carpet for her great-grandchildren. Such work is not new for the woman. For 25 years she created a panel, which was recognized as the largest embroidered canvas in the world! Its length — more than 9 m, and width — 2,5 m. At her work, the woman spent 25 years of his life.
Now a unique embroidered picture adorns the walls of a room in the house of Catherine.
Catherine was prompted to create a grandiose canvas back in 1987 by an illustration from a magazine.
«I saw such a nice picture in the magazine: birches standing, dandelions blooming. I thought about it, measured it, marked it on canvas, and I’ve been sewing ever since!» smiles the creator of the painting.
The materials used in the painting are a separate story. The fabric for the canvas was taken from her husband — originally it was intended for sewing a cover for the car.
«Ivan brought the roll and said: sew me a cape to cover my car. I took a look — the fabric is so good, and it is convenient to count the crosses on it. I confiscated it!» says Catherine.
«I often had to go on business trips,» joins Ivan.
«Wherever I went, I brought my wife colorful balls.»
And these days, when business trips are over, but secondhand stores appear, a woman has a new idea of where to get material.
«I buy sweaters and other things, unravel them… they come out much cheaper than yarn!» boasts Catherine.
But even these things were not always enough to realize what she had in mind: she had to make sacrifices.
«Needed a protective color yarn. And nowhere is it on sale! And I had a new blouse in my closet, a present from my husband, which I had never worn. Just the right color was! «I had to dissolve it, too,» says Catherine.
«Ivan was not offended, he already understood what a strong passion I have!»
Now the largest Bulgarian cross embroidery in Ukraine, measuring 2.5 by 9 meters, decorates the house of Ivan and Catherine, completely occupying two walls of the living room. Officially the record is not fixed, but it seems there is no competitors. But there are admirers of the talent — the great-grandchildren. And although pleasing them is a sacred thing, great-grandmother Katya is not going to repeat the record — her eyesight is no longer the same.
