Embroidery in Sound is a creative research project that transforms Ukrainian embroidered heritage into an immersive sonic experience. Drawing on a collection of embroidered pillows curated by artist-scholar Larisa Sembaliuk Cheladyn, each piece in this archive was created in Canada using traditional Ukrainian techniques. Every pillow carries a story—rooted in migration, memory, continuity, and identity. On this platform, selected works are presented alongside the excerpts from individual histories and sonic interpretations. The project explores how visual patterns can be translated into new auditory forms. Through a process of sonification, colors, stitches, and motifs are transformed into notes, rhythms, and textures.
Methodology: From Stitches to Sound: Pitch, Melody, and Harmony Generation
Each embroidery image is analyzed using the Manifest Audio Data MIDI device in polyphonic mode, where pixel information is mapped to MIDI note events. Pixel density, brightness, and color variations influence pitch, velocity, and harmonic intervals, producing melodic and harmonic contours directly tied to the embroidery’s structure. To preserve a connection to the music ecologies of the regions where the members of the diaspora came from, the generated material is constrained to specific modal and tonal frameworks (Dorian, Ukrainian Dorian, Harmonic Minor, and Natural Minor in the keys of D, E, and C).
Sound Generation
The MIDI stream generated in Step 1 was then routed into the Manifest Audio Data Synth—a Max for Live instrument designed to sonify data. When receiving MIDI input, Data Synth uses its internal synthesis engine to convert each note into sound, shaping timbre, envelope, and harmonic content based on user-defined parameters. Separately, the same embroidery image was also loaded directly into Data Synth to generate the initial timbral layer. In this case, Data Synth interprets the image’s pixel data as raw audio information: brightness, position, and—in some modes—color values are mathematically mapped to points in an audio waveform. The device “scans” the image sequentially, producing a continuous waveform whose shape directly reflects the embroidery’s structure. Dense stitch areas yield more complex waveform fluctuations; uniform or open areas result in smoother textures. Thus, the sound of every embroidered pillow is unique as it is generated out of its individual pattern. When these two layers combine, the static timbral image rendering from Data Synth is dynamically shaped by the pitch, rhythm, and harmony data from Data MIDI. This two-stage process ensures that both the sound’s texture and its musical structure remain intrinsically tied to the original embroidery design.
Concept and Contribution
By uniting textile heritage and sound, Embroidery in Sound highlights embroidery as a living cultural archive and demonstrates how artistic research can generate new modes of experiencing tradition. Each piece allows the listener to perceive rhythmic pulses, melodic movements, and harmonic transformations that emerge organically from the fabric’s design, opening a dialogue between visual and sonic memory. The sonification project was developed and conducted by Olga Zaitseva-Herz as part of her postdoctoral research at the University of Alberta. Pictures credit: Larisa Sembaliuk Cheladyn.
The following video shows how the process of reading the sound from the embroidered pillow happens live and how it can change and be adjusted based on the nuances of the embroidered pattern and the level of detail one wants to focus on.
Rosalia (Panijko) Lewytckyj was born in Ukraine and immigrated to Canada after WWII. She married and settled in rural Ontario near Toronto. Embroidery was her creative means of expressing her Ukrainian heritage. This bold, geometric zigzag pattern and predominantly orange colour scheme, is typical from the region near the city of Yavoriv in Western Ukraine. The stitch is unique to the area and is called Yavorivka.
Alice (Mochoruk) Prociuk was born in 1919 on a homestead in Central Saskatchewan. Her parents immigrated to Canada a few years earlier from Western Ukraine. Alice loved to make things beautiful and taught herself how to embroider. As a teen-ager she lived at Mohyla Institute in Saskatoon, SK and was taught how to refine her needlework by the head mistress, Savella Stechishin. Alice resolved to “always add yellow” to her patterns whether it was called for it or not. Yellow represented the sun and her positive outlook on life. This cross-stitch pattern was embroidered by Alice from a pattern provided by her friend Ann Human.
This pattern represents the rich earth below and the stars above. It was embroidered by Ludmilla Onufrijchuk in the 1960’s. This cross-stitch pattern pattern originally appeared in the Ukrainian women’s magazine Nova Khata (c.1929) and was circulated in Canada by Savella Stechishin in her embroidery book Mystetskyi skarby ukrains’kyh vyshyvok (1950).
Alice (Mochoruk) Prociuk was born in 1919 on a homestead in Central Saskatchewan. Her motto was, “If you want something pretty, you have to create it yourself”. Alice embroidered with whatever fabric and threads she could find, and copied patterns from blouses worn by the older generation of women who immigrated to Canada at the turn of the century. Alice embroidered this cross-stitch pattern using left over black and red threads from previous projects. She interpreted the pattern as representing rows of vegetables in a garden that are protected on either side by stars in God’s heaven.
In the 1920’s, in an attempt to find a better life, Anna Zuzak travelled alone to Canada as a young teenager. She met and married an older man who chose to reject his Ukrainian heritage. Anna missed her homeland, and secretly embroidered this pillow with a cross stitch pattern she recreated from memory. It represented the dowry she would have had, if she had stayed with her friends and family in Ukraine. After her husband passed away, Anna pulled out the pillow from storage and proudly displayed it on her bed, and was buried with it when she died.
Maria (Barynovych) Poshar was born in Ukraine in 1906 and immigrated to Canada in 1948, after WWII. She was an accomplished needleworker who delighted in trying new stitches and creating her own patterns. The floral motifs in this pattern represent peonies and pansies typically found in European gardens. Maria embroidered this podushka while enroute to Canada from England.
Ann Gimbarsky was born in Ukraine and immigrated to Canada after WWII. While enroute, she embroidered this pillow cover on a piece of canvas she acquired while living in a displaced person’s camp in Germany. The cross-stitch pattern was from memory and she used whatever threads, and colours she could find. Ann embroidered this piece onboard the ship while she travelled from Germany to Canada and displayed it in her home on that back of a sofa.
Daria (Lewytckyj) Twedochlib was born in Canada and taught embroidery by her mother, Rosalia Lewytckyj. Daria delights in learning as many different stitches and techniques as possible, often creating small pieces like this pincushion as practice samplers for new stitches and motifs. Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Daria has been teaching young students cross-stitch - their small samplers have become uniform patches sent to the Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Eastern Ukraine.The floral motif on this mini-podushka is that of a poppy in full bloom.
As a young girl, Anne Mykytyn loved to embroider. Her goal was to learn every embroidery stitch from the different regions of Ukraine. At the age of 16 she embroidered a grape vine pattern, replicated from her best friend's blouse sleeve using a stitch called “Poltavski Hlad”. It was her most beloved piece. Anne kept it close to her when she immigrated to Toronto, Canada after WWII..
Maria (Makalo) Luciuk loved to embroider and shared her knowledge with anyone who took interest in Ukrainian stitchery and textile heritage. She was born in Kurnyky,Ukraine in 1927 and immigrated to Canada following WWII. Maria and her husband settled in Kingston, Ontario where they raised their son Lubomyr and daughter Nadia. The family was instrumental in the preservation of Ukrainian heritage and history in Canada. This cross-stitch pattern of poppies was replicated from a blouse pattern in the women’s magazine “Nova Khata” published in Lviv between 1925 and 1939. In the 1970s, Maria adapted the pattern for this podushka which was displayed proudly on her sofa.
Maria (Makalo) Luciuk was born in Kurnyky, Ukraine in 1927. As a young girl, she was taken to Germany as a slave labourer and separated from her family. Maria became a supporter of the Ukrainian national liberation movement who found herself in the Freiman Kasserne Displaced Persons Camp near Munich after the war. There she met her future husband and together they found asylum as political refugees in Canada. An active member of the Ukrainian Canadian Club of Kingston and of the Kingston Branch of the League of Ukrainian Canadians, she was a founding member of 'Folklore,' and became the life and heart of the 'Lviv, Ukraine' pavilion for more than 4 decades. Maria was a skilled needleworker; her Ukrainian embroidery adorned all the costumes for the Ukrainian Maky Dance Ensemble. This intricate cross-stitch pattern is predominantly orange and features rows of flowers. It is an adaptation of a pattern and colour scheme typically found in the mountainous regions of Western Ukraine.
Maria (Tomaszczyk) Kostiuk was born in Ukraine in 1926. She immigrated to Canada after WWII and settled in Montreal. Like many of the women of this era, Maria was active in Ukrainian cultural activities at the church, particularly the embroidery classes. The needlework on this piece is called Yavorivka, a stitch from the village of Yavoriv in Western Ukraine. The bright orange colours and jagged zigzag motif are typical from the mountainous regions of this area. The middle diamond is a graphic representation of a Berehynia - a symbol rooted in Slavic and Ukrainian folklore, representing a protective female spirit or goddess associated with the home, family, and well-being.
This podushka is from the collection of Frank Cedar in Ottawa, ON. He grew up never knowing of his Ukrainian heritage until he was much older. Intrigued by the intricacy and richness of Ukrainian textiles he began to collect “orphaned” pieces found in the markets of Ukraine and thrift stores of North America. Although the creator of this piece is unknown, the bold and predominantly orange pattern and stitch is unique to the region near the city of Yavoriv in Western Ukraine.
Vera (Cechmistro) Wustay was born in 1932 in Ukraine. She immigrated to Canada after WWII and settled in Montreal, PQ. She took great delight in learning the various embroidery stitches unique to her homeland, mastering nyzanka, a stitch unique to Western Ukraine. This piece was embroidered in 1965. It is a close-up of a common geometric motif depicting the Beryhenia - mother figure in the middle, surrounded by the four corners of the earth.
Olga Dusanowsky was born in Ukraine in 1927 and immigrated to Canada after WWII. This podushka was embroidered by Olga c. 1990.The embroidery pattern she chose was published in Zhinocha Dolia, a women’s magazine circulated to members of the Ukrainian Catholic Faith. Olga enjoyed needle work and taught her son Fr. Roman Dusanowsky how to embroider. Later, Fr. Roman embroidered his own ordination vestments. This podushka sits on his couch in honour of his mother.
Mary (Yaroslawska) Pronko was born in Ukraine in 1910 and immigrated to Canada during the first wave prior to WWI. Unlike so many early pioneers who landed in Halifax and then travelled to Western Canada, Mary’s family chose to stay in Nova Scotia. This geometric pattern of interlinked diamonds is typical of the Western Region of Ukraine and would have been created using the nyzanka stitch. However, not having learned nyzanka, Mary chose to interpret it using cross-stitch.
Ludmilla (Pavliuk) Onufrijchuk was born in 1926 in Western Ukraine and at the age of 16 married Fedir Onufrijchuk. Immediately after the wedding, they immigrated to Canada together with Ludmilla’s mother Olga (Kaminski) Pavliuk. Olga was proud of her Ukrainian heritage and taught her daughter how to embroidered and apply embroidery to contemporary fashions and home decor. Ludmilla embroidered this podushka while living in Yorkton, SK during the 1960s. The pattern represents a bountiful garden of flowers and vegetables growing in a row. It would have originally been inspired by a pattern on a woman’s blouse.
During the mid 1960s there was a revival of Ukrainian embroidery on the Canadian Prairies. Anna Chaba was of Ukrainian heritage and was living in Radway Alberta when she embroidered this Podushka. The geometric cross-stitch pattern with the addition of orange and green details is typical of those found on the sleeves of blouses from Western Ukraine.
Anastasia Kozniuk was born in 1888 in the region of Bukovyna, Ukraine. As a young girl, she eloped and together with her husband ran away to Canada. They settled in Prut, AB. This pillow was embroidered in approximately 1935 after all 9 of her children were born. The repetitive pattern of flowers and stars represents the abundant beauty of nature. It was embroidered on linen spun and woven in Canada by Anastasia’s eldest daughter Anne. This pattern was adapted by Anastasia’s great grand daughter, Larisa Sembaliuk Cheladyn, for the official graphic design of the Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre at MacEwan University in Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Elizabeth (Kozniuk) Sembaliuk was born in 1908, on a homestead near Prut, AB. As a young girl, she learned to embroider from her mother, Anastasia Kozniuk who immigrated to Canada from Western Ukraine. Elizabeth created her own patterns inspired by the beauty that surrounded her. This cross-stitch pattern was embroidered on bleached cotton. The motifs represent poppies, marigolds, and kernels of wheat typically found in the gardens of the early Ukrainian settlers in Western Canada.
Maria (Makalo) Luciuk loved to embroider. Her needle work can be found on all the costuming for the Mavka Dancers in Kingston, ON as well as over 100 embroidered podushky that she stitched for local fundraisers and gifts. This pattern features a bold repetitive graphic depiction of the Berehenia - Mother motif, stitched in orange and outlined with black threads. Symbolically a protective pattern, the inspiration for this pattern would have come from the sleeve of a woman’s embroidered blouse.
Jennie (Genia) Malanchuk was born in Western Ukraine and came to Canada during the first wave of immigration prior to WWI. She raised her family in Edmonton, AB and was a dedicated member of the Ukrainian Women’s Association of Canada. Jennie was proud of her Ukrainian heritage and decorated her home with embroidered textiles that reminded her of her homeland. This pattern was embroidered in the 1930s on hand woven hemp fabric that she brought with her from Ukraine. The pattern was originally published in Nova Khata, a women’s magazine from Western Ukraine (1925 -1939). The geometric floral motifs represent the peonies and roses that grew in her garden.
Marika Banias was born in Winnipeg, MB not long after her parents arrived following WWII. She was a very gifted and creative artisan, dedicated to preserving and sharing the richness of her Ukrainian cultural heritage. Marika was a long-time member-turned-Podruha at CYM - Ukrainian Youth Association, where she taught members how to write pysanky and embroidery. Using leftover threads from various other projects, this pattern is her own contemporary interpretation of the Berehynia motif, a symbol rooted in Slavic and Ukrainian folklore, representing a protective female spirit or goddess associated with the home, family, and well-being.
Alexandra (Loban) Chomiak immigrated to Canada after WWII and continued the rich Ukrainian tradition of embroidery on textiles for fashion and home decor. Through the medium of embroidery, she taught her daughters and granddaughters to respect the environment, embrace their Canadian, multicultural community, and express their cultural heritage with pride. Her granddaughter, Chrystia Freeland, went on to become a respected Journalist, and later, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. This cross-stitch pattern was flawlessly embroidered by Alexandra in her new home in Edmonton, AB, in the early 1960s. The colourful geometric motifs are a representation of a patch of pansies (bratky) in the garden of her home.
Daria Twerdochlib visited her mother Rosalia everyday while she was in palliative care. Together they chose the pattern for the Rushnyky (wedding towels) that the grandchildren would stand on in a future, a future that Baba would not see, but could still be a part of. Although each rushnyk is in a different colour, they all have the same geometric cross-stitch pattern of intertwined circles and diamonds representing neverending love and the many complex layers to a marriage. The crosses in the middle of each diamond were a symbol of their faith. Daria made a promise to her mother that she would finish each of the 3 rushnyky, and eventually completed the last one, ten years later.