![crewel embroidery crewel embroidery](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/590a36fabe6594e6a30c184b/1627073150634-7SY3QJBJMDDY8LZTPTDL/Crewel+4.jpg)
Wealthy ladies used crewel embroidery to create elaborate and expensive bed hangings, cushions, and curtains for their upper-class homes. During this time, large and grand houses were built. In the early seventeenth century, the word “crewel” meant “worsted” which was a wool yarn with a twist.īecause of this, at the time, crewel embroidery was not identified with particular styles of designs, but rather was embroidery with the use of this wool thread.Ĭrewel embroidery is often associated with the late sixteenth and the first quarter of the seventeenth centuries during the reign of King James I in England. Crewel has a long staple it is fine and can be strongly twisted. The origin of the word “crewel” is unknown, but many believe it comes from an ancient word describing the curl in the staple, which is the single hair of the wool. Seed stitches applied to give an area of the design a lightly shaded effect.Outlining stitches such as the stem stitch, the chain stitch, and the split stitch.Couched stitches, used to create a trellis effect within an area of the design.Satin stitches, used to create flat and filled areas within the design.Some of the techniques and stitches used are listed below: For example, filling stitches with lattice patterns are very common in crewelwork since many patterns have large surfaces to fill.
![crewel embroidery crewel embroidery](https://i.etsystatic.com/13379886/r/il/1c26bb/1965630145/il_fullxfull.1965630145_8hhh.jpg)
Some of the traditional embroidery stitches are used more often in crewel. There is no difference between stitches used in other types of embroidery and those used for crewel embroidery. The stitches used in traditional embroidery are also used in crewel work. Tightly woven fabrics can be used, but this makes the process more difficult and the yarns will wear much more quickly. The looser woven fabric is best able to accommodate the thick crewel yarn, and a firm fabric is required to support the weight of the stitching. Using these hoops or frames to stretch the surface material tightly before stitching ensures that there is an even amount of tension in the stitches and that the pattern is not distorted.Ĭrewel embroidery is traditionally done on woven linen twill which has a looser weave than most other fabrics.
#Crewel embroidery portable#
Depending on the size of the piece, small portable embroidery hoops up to some larger, free-standing embroidery frames, which are also known as slates, may be used. Like most embroidery, crewel work involves the use of an embroidery hoop. Crewel Embroidery - Dry Goods Store by C. Unlike cotton embroidery threads, crewel wool is thicker and creates a raised, dimensional feel to the work.
![crewel embroidery crewel embroidery](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2G4GDKY/crewel-embroidery-c-1936-2G4GDKY.jpg)
The rich, textured effect is due to the wool yarn. Because the threads are much heavier than embroidery flosses, the finished designs are much thicker and heavier than that of traditional embroidery.
![crewel embroidery crewel embroidery](https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/crewel-embroidery-floral-lace-needlework-vector-seamless-pattern-hand-drawn-traditional-jacobean-exotic-flower-print-indian-181369422.jpg)
Crewel WorkĪs we said, crewel work is embroidery that is done using wool threads. Traditional crewel work is both about a certain design of embroidery and about the threads that are used.Ĭrewel thread is a strong thread spun from wool it is the fiber that technically makes an embroidered item crewelwork.Ĭrewel work has become increasingly popular, and on this page you will find links to various patterns of crewelwork, stitches used in crewel embroidery, crewel embroidery yarns, and the difference between crewel work and Jacobean crewel embroidery. Often today, crewel work designers will incorporate silk threads, cottons, and blends in their crewel designs.Crewel embroidery is a beautiful type of surface embroidery that’s been around for over a thousand years. In crewel work today, we see a variation from traditional crewel in the addition of other types of threads being integrated (or even replacing altogether) the traditionally used wool. Today, crewel work is enjoying another revival in popularity, as the plethora of new books devoted to crewel work attests. In the 1970’s, it enjoyed great popularity. Off and on, crewel work has resurfaced in popularity. Crewel work, however, should not be confused with “Jacobean embroidery.” Jacobean is a style of design and can be worked in any medium, while crewel work is specifically embroidery worked in wool. Crewel work has a rich history, stretching at least as far back as the early Medieval period, with one of the most extant historical examples being the Bayeux Tapestry.Ĭrewel work enjoyed popularity in the Jacobean area, with elaborate designs of stylized flowers, birds, and beasts being worked in wool on household goods and even clothing. In the historical sense, crewel embroidery is simply embroidery done with wool threads. Types of Hand Embroidery on Needle ‘n Thread Crewel Embroidery