icon scarfs

[Tikhon.of.Colorado]

I was looking at a catologue at Church of Ukrainian and Russian icons, crosses, candels, etc.  and there was a picture of icons with scarfs.  I asked Matushka, and she said they were...some Russian word I can't remember.

They were just beautiful, and I would love to get/make one for the icon of the Mother of God above my bed. 

-where can I get one?

-Can I use any piece of fabric?

-how exactly do you "wrap" it on/around the icon?

[Alpo]

Do you mean these or something else:

[Irish Melkite]

I was looking at a catologue at Church of Ukrainian and Russian icons, crosses, candels, etc.  and there was a picture of icons with scarfs.  I asked Matushka, and she said they were...some Russian word I can't remember.

They were just beautiful, and I would love to get/make one for the icon of the Mother of God above my bed.  

-where can I get one?

-Can I use any piece of fabric?

-how exactly do you "wrap" it on/around the icon?

Trevor,

If memory serves, they are rooshniki (? Ukrainian) or stergar (? I forget who). The Romanians also use them. They are called scarves and sometimes towels. In addition to being decorative and intended to honor the icon (similarly to how westerners might decorate a statue with a wreath of flowers), they are also used to drape ones hands when carrying an icon, as in procession, because it (the icon) is holy and one's hands are profane.

They vary from highly decorative (embroidered) to those which merely display bands of color. There are no rules as to fabric or how it is draped, as far as I know, since they themselves aren't liturgical items. However, the cloth obviously should be appropriate for the purpose - clean and of a nice fabric. You could certainly make one.

As to the draping, it's most commonly seen centered - hooked over the two top corners and hanging down the sides - with the center span (between the two corners) either behind of just slightly draping across the top front. Think of a typical drapery style - sort of M shaped, but with soft edges to the shoulders and a shortened concave rounding where the v is (sorry, best I can describe and I'm too tired - or lazy - to go find a pic to illustrate  )    

If you do a google search for icon scarves or scarfs, I suspect that you'll find a number of the smaller Eastern supply houses offer them - but a lot are going to be from overseas and are going to be $25 and up. You could probably do as well (and more in line with your budget) with a nicely colored piece of silk, woolen, cotton, or lace fabric from a fabric house or a department store that sells homegoods - or even a very nice winter scarf or shawl. If you hit a few yard sales in older neighborhoods, you might find a dresser scarf/table runner - some of those are lovely and would be sized about right for the purpose. Check ebay for those as well - some very reasonable.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BEAUTIFUL-BROCADE-TABLE-RUNNER-DRESSER-SCARF-/120758409068?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1dc3176c

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Linen-Ecru-Crochet-4-Edge-Dresser-Scarf-/120758236219?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1dc0743b

http://cgi.ebay.com/WHITE-LACE-FLORAL-TABLE-RUNNER-DRESSER-SCARF-13-X45-/310336287212?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item48417bf1ec

Even ...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Icon-Orthodox-Cross-Wedding-Runner-Lace-Scarf-Altar-New-/160634215025?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item25668b9a71

http://cgi.ebay.com/Russian-Orthodox-Icon-Dresser-Scarf-Tablecloth-Runner-/230656524627?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b4334153

Many years,

Neil

[J.M.C]

It is called a Rushnyk (рушник); searching this term will bring up websites which sell them. They are not only used for draping over Orthodox icons, as they existed before Orthodoxy came to the Ukraine, so there are plenty of designs available.

[Michał Kalina]

-Can I use any piece of fabric?

Linum is most preferable.

[Orest]

In the English language the plural of scarf is scarves.  Rushnyky can be made from either linen or cotton fabric.  I am seen cotton rushynyky with machine embroidery that are much cheaper than the traditional hand embroidered linen rushnyky.

[augustin717]

I still have plenty home-made in the house, at the loom- by grand mothers and their mothers, since everybody there made large numbers of these "sterguri/felegi etc" so that they would be enough to hand out to people at burials.

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