Each doll by Valentyna Vinnytska is hand-embroidered with intricate details that make them special and unique.
Since ancient times, it was believed that embroidery is created not just with threads, but with heart and soul. Love, patience and warmth are woven into each stitch, whilst the ornaments are deliberate symbols of protection, good fortune and hope.
Such are the works of Valentyna Vinnytska, a records management inspector at Zaporizhstal, and a representative of the renowned Zaporizhstal Vinnytskyi family dynasty. She creates her own motanka dolls, thinking through every detail herself and combining them in her imagination – from clothes to colours and patterns, then bringing them to life.
This passion emerged at the beginning of the full-scale invasion when her sons volunteered to defend Ukraine. The woman could not shake her anxiety about her children, so she sought any way to manage her emotions and found it in art.
"Creating dolls for me is more than just a hobby. It helps me to take my mind off anxieties, calm my thoughts and find inner peace. Each stitch gives me the opportunity to direct my energy towards creating something new, beautiful, meaningful, and filled with positive emotions. This works as a therapy for me," said Valentyna.
In total, she has made around ten dolls, giving them to loved ones. For her colleagues she makes themed soft toys – for example, special decorations for Christmas holidays made from fabrics, threads, and other materials.
"It only seems difficult, but when you start your hands do everything as if they know what to do. Of course, I did not know initially how to approach making dolls because I had no such experience at all. I became interested, searched for educational videos, studied various instructions for making dolls, copied other masters, and gradually learned," shared Valentyna Vinnytska.
The woman says that she often does not imagine what the doll will look like in the final result.
"Sometimes I see beautiful beads somewhere, and sometimes I come across instructions for making individual elements. I save everything, then recreate and combine it all together. In general, it takes me about three to four evenings to make one doll," explained the master.
It is worth noting that every person willing to try making motanka dolls or other Ukrainian arts can do so in the Oplich HUB community centre. Doll therapy is a new activity there, but it already has its followers.
As a reminder, Oplich HUB was created by the UN Global Compact in Ukraine with support from the humanitarian initiative of Metinvest Group "Saving lives."
