Wedding towel for a loaf? in [2022]

A wedding is an important event in the life of any family. The wedding day is remembered by the couple for a long time, so it is important to prepare every detail in advance. If lovers follow traditions, then they take especially long and carefully in choosing a wedding towel for the loaf. You should also decide in advance which traditions with the wedding loaf will be followed and what new trends the young couple wants to apply in their wedding.

Traditions and their role at the celebration

All nations have their own traditions and rituals filled with symbolism. Over time, traditions changed. But there are basic ones that are the most significant and popular.

Parental blessing. She has many options. The parents of the bride and groom bless the couple to create a new family and give verbal guidance.
Meeting with a loaf of bread. Parents meet with a loaf of bread in their hands, inviting the couple to break off a piece. The one whose piece is larger will take the place of the head of the family. Read more about this here.
Removing the veil. Signifies the acceptance of a new family member (acceptance of the bride). Everything basically happens in a playful way.
Dance of the bride with her father. Here you can get ideas on how to make dancing with your parent even more memorable.

Traditions unite families, allow them to find strength in communication between generations, give a feeling of reliability, and show that a couple belongs to a certain nation or social class.

Interesting!

Download diagrams

Below you can download patterns for embroidering a towel for a wedding. The images are presented in good resolution and can be printed on A4 sheets for convenience:

Additionally : What do the symbols on towels mean? Detailed article at the link .

Meaning, symbolism, origin

The cult of bread and the special attachment of people to grain has created a wedding tradition that involves a loaf of bread. Therefore, this element has long been used at weddings. The loaf symbolizes wealth and fertility. The loaf should be round. In this case, the young family receives a blessing for a life of abundance.

The newlyweds were greeted with a loaf of bread after the wedding (the bread was eaten from the middle, this is symbolic, because it resembles the origin of life). After the couple had tasted the bread, the loaf was offered to relatives and guests, who could also try it. Anyone could taste the loaf and give something in return (make a present for the young people).

All guests receive their own piece of loaf, which they can share with their family at home. Everyone who tries a loaf gets good luck (especially in new business, road or travel). Loaf decorations are distributed among unmarried girls, thereby wishing them happiness in their personal lives and a speedy wedding.

How to make a wedding towel for a loaf - the diagram below shows:

Prices for wedding towels

Ceremonial items for a wedding ceremony are strictly prohibited from being rented. You need to embroider them yourself or purchase finished products. Event supplies are sold in sets and individually.

The price of one copy depends on the quality and length of the fabric, the splendor of the embroidery, and the reputation of the manufacturer. The cheapest products are made of textiles with color printing. The highest cost is for handmade work by professional craftswomen.

A wedding towel is one of the most ancient amulets for a young family. The path of the canvas has a symbolic meaning of fate, protection, the road to a new happy life. Embroidered signs, ornaments, patterns and symbols further increase the significance and power of the relic.

History and use

A towel is a mandatory attribute of a wedding. For a traditional wedding, several types are required: a parental blessing, a wedding towel under a loaf, for tying the hands of the newlyweds, for the bride, for decorating the entrance to the house, for table decoration.

The wedding loaf is served on a hospitable towel. This is the second canvas that is used for newlyweds. The wedding towel for the loaf is chosen to be the brightest one, where ornaments and birds in a pair should be embroidered. Birds mean family happiness, love fidelity. Wishes are embroidered - inscriptions with parting words for a happy life.

The towel has been used since pagan times, so this wedding attribute has a long history. It was believed that this was an intermediary between man and higher powers.

After the wedding, the newlyweds are greeted by their parents. The couple arrives home (or to the place where the event will be celebrated) and the parents present the children with a loaf of bread. A wedding towel for a loaf is decorated with a pair of birds, flowers, wishes for the newlyweds (“For happiness”, “Love and prosperity”, etc.), a tree of life, grapes, viburnum, oak, poppy, lilies (in buds), roses, flower wreaths, swallow, firebird, peacock, crown.

The tree depicts female and male figures (triangles, squares). Branches leading upward mean living relatives. Branches lowered down represent relatives who have passed on to another world.

From the inside out, the threads should not be allowed to cross. This side is neat because... protects the family from outside interference.

The loaf has been revered for many centuries, so it is the most important attribute of a wedding and is always rich in ornaments. A single piece of fabric is selected for it, without cuts, with processed edges. Since the middle of the last century, wedding rings have been embroidered on towels.

Expert advice! If the towel is embroidered in a good mood, then the couple will have a joyful and prosperous family life. Therefore, it is important to decide in advance who will manufacture it.

There are several options:

created by the bride;
a linen is used that is passed down from generation to generation;
custom embroidered;
ready-made store product.

Every detail is important: from the emotions with which the drawing was made to the thoughts of the needlewoman. If the product is bought ready-made, then its appearance will tell about the quality of the product. Whether to buy a store towel is up to the couple to decide. Does the bride and groom like him in all respects? Or are there any doubts? It should evoke only positive emotions and a pleasant reaction, then it will fulfill its function.

Interesting!

Types of towels for weddings

To hold a traditional wedding in the old days, about forty types of towels were used. For each ritual there was a special pattern:

for blessing on the icon;
for a loaf;
to tie the hands of the young;
for the groom's house;
wedding train decorations;
for tying up friends.

There were many more actions in which the towel was used, because the wedding began on Thursday and ended on Tuesday. Each day of the celebration had its own name and a certain ritual was applied to it.

Previously, the girl embroidered towels with her own hands, preparing in advance to meet the matchmakers. In modern times, the number of towels used has greatly decreased. Few people embroider a towel themselves, but try to buy several handmade towels, and for less important needs they buy ready-made machine embroidered towels. Today I use only four types of wedding towels:

wedding - on which the newlyweds stand during the wedding ceremony;
allied - their hands are tied;
hospitable - it is clear from the name that it is used for loaf;
god - for icons.

Interesting video: how to embroider fabric yourself

If the bride decides to embroider a towel on her own, it is important to learn in advance about the features of embroidery, the intricacies of creating the product, and popular mistakes made by needlewomen. This will allow you to choose the right pattern, fabric, threads, embroidery technique, and product size.

It is also important to know how to embroider patterns, what the back of a towel should be like so that it looks perfect. You can learn from your experiences and make mistakes. Or you can watch a video several times about how experienced needlewomen embroider products. And create a towel for a loaf of bread with your own hands.

Without errors and with a perfect backside:

Chic wedding towels for a loaf can be made using the diagram below:

How to decorate with your own hands?

A wedding towel, decorated with your own hands, always looks beautiful, because it takes on a special meaning for a young couple: the bride puts warmth and love into it. Quite often they are personalized, since the embroidered names on the product make it original. You can decorate wedding towels with beads. They look very solemn and elegant, while less time and effort is spent.

But many still adhere to the tradition of embroidering it with a cross, because this stitch has been used since ancient times. Today on the Internet you can find a huge number of schemes that make it easy to turn the most creative ornament or pattern into reality. You can also purchase ready-made diagrams in specialized stores. The choice remains with the craftswoman.

Tools and materials

For beginning needlewomen, it is necessary to decide in advance on the embroidery technique. These can be counted stitches - cross stitch, half cross stitch, counted stitch stitch or satin stitch embroidery technique .

According to the chosen option, the following is selected:

fabric - usually plain, natural (linen, cotton) or mixed;
threads - floss, special acrylic, cotton, silk threads for embroidery, less often fine wool;
needle - (blunt-pointed needles for working with canvas and sharp for regular, densely textured fabrics);
scissors for cutting threads;
hoop . They are necessary when working with soft textiles. Dense, impregnated canvas allows you to work without a hoop.

Textile

In Slavic cultures, traditional handicrafts of ritual significance (rushnyks) used combinations of counted stitches and “plain” weave fabric . In such a fabric, the number of threads vertically (warp) and horizontally (weft) is the same .

If you lack skills , it is better to choose a special canvas or blank for a towel , where the main part of the canvas is smooth, and at the ends for embroidery the threads are sparse, forming a clear canvas pattern.

Important : any fabric, except special impregnated canvas, must be washed and steamed (ironed with steam) before starting work. This procedure is called decating; it ensures uniform shrinkage of textiles BEFORE embroidering.

Threads

It is not advisable to use synthetic threads for ritual embroidery . Depending on the chosen style and working technique, choose bright colors or neutral ones, close in color to the canvas. Traditional colors for a wedding towel are red and black . They symbolize love, life, joy, fertility and the earth as the basis of life.

Step-by-step instruction

For beginner craftswomen, it is better to try your hand at cross stitch.

To make the embroidery symmetrical and neat, you need to mark it . For a towel, it is better to start work from the middle. To do this, fold the selected piece of fabric (blank) in half lengthwise and smooth the fold . You can mark the middle with a simple pencil or a washable marker.

DIY embroidery. Main stages of work:

Select a pattern. The edges (border) and part of the fabric above are embroidered on towels. Approximate sizes and possible locations of motifs are shown in the diagram. You can download the diagrams in the section below.
Calculation of the number of repeating sections (rapports) according to the diagram. Fragments can be marked on the canvas by counting out the required number of cells. It is also convenient to draw the outline into squares of 10 cells.
Installing the hoop
Securing the first thread.
Sequential creation of patterns . For a long row, stitches are first laid in one direction, and in reverse in the other direction. Single crosses are embroidered immediately.

Important : knots are not allowed in ritual embroidery! The thread at the beginning and end is secured by pulling, entwining other threads, but not with a knot.

After creating the main pattern, you need to process the edge . To do this, the fabric is folded in half and hemmed with hidden stitches. It is convenient to combine the hem with an additional decor - hemstitching.

You can use hemstitch to decorate the cross-stitched pattern on top and to separate the stripes of the ornament. Instead of decorative hemming, lace is often used at the edges .

The finished work is washed in water acidified with vinegar (this makes the color of the dyed threads more stable) and steamed.

Tips and tricks for use

And a few more rules for embroidering a wedding towel.

You should not throw away a towel from a loaf, nor should you give it as a gift. This can destroy family relationships and there will be no happiness in the family. The towel must be stored carefully (just as a couple treats their family).
The towel should not consist of several pieces (only a single piece).
It is forbidden to embroider horizontal lines above the top of the pattern - this provokes divorce and childlessness.
Always be hands-on before embroidering the fabric (needlewomen note that this eliminates negative thoughts).
Threads made of silk and wool are suitable for towels (only natural ones, it is better to avoid artificial ones).
Thursday is an ideal day for embroidery; it is better to do needlework in the morning. The front side and back should be the same, or the back should be neat. This will allow you to find harmony between the material and spiritual world.
There should be no patterns in the center (middle) of the towel: the priority is the space and emptiness of the “white sheet”.
You should embroider only those designs that the bride likes. If a particular pattern does not bring positive emotions, you should replace it with another.
A wedding towel is kept by a married couple all their lives and then passed on to their children, who use it at their wedding. This tradition inspires many brides to create towels with original hand embroidery.

The loaf on a beautiful towel becomes even tastier, and the impressions of the event remain only positive. And photographs from the scene of the event will give a sea of pleasant memories that the couple will keep in their memory for a long time.

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Picturesque and romantic: wedding in September 2021

How to choose a wedding towel

The ideal fabric is one that the girl embroidered herself. This procedure contains magical power - the future wife embroiders a canvas with positive emotions, giving it energy for the happiness of her husband and children.

Nowadays, purchased items are often used in celebrations. Let's note some useful tips when choosing a holiday accessory:

The product contains floral and geometric motifs, birds, rings.
The pattern of silk and wool threads is considered the most powerful and favorable.
The middle should be clear to avoid interference and obstacles for the spouses.
It is necessary to abandon options with hemlines or lace - the towel should only be one piece.
The length as well as the width must be divisible by 7.
Items must not have torn or cut edges.
There is definitely no embroidery in the center.
The ornament starts from one edge and ends on the other, without interruption.
It is ideal when both sides are identical: the reverse side is for God, the face is for people.
Scars cannot be found on a towel - they symbolize poor health and quarrels between spouses.

For many centuries, it has been believed that an antique item that is passed down from generation to generation is especially valuable. In this case, the cloth preserved through the female line has the greatest power, provided that all family unions of previous generations are happy.

You can watch a master class on embroidering a towel with your own hands in the video.