Tetyana and Natalka Katrychenko

Sisters by birth, Tetyana and Natalka together create ancient traditional oberehs of Ukrainian families: motanka-dolls. Tetyana combines colors and makes faces; Natalya invents magnificent ornaments and embroiders them using counted satin-stitch.

Creative work

The girls take the best fabrics for their dolls. Most of them are home-woven, made manually. The sisters make motankas not only bright but of high quality. Each component for them – be it a thread or a flower – has its special meaning. Above all – they are original works. Each doll has her name. Yasna – light; Rada – joyful, Ivanka – cheerful, Dzvinka – sonorous, Zoryana – clear as a morning star, Zvitna – blooming, Gannochka – blessed, Svitana – of a dawn…