![]() Padding also increases the friction behind the satin stitches so they don’t shift over time. Padding the area you’ll be filling also helps the satin stitches lie smoothly, and exactly parallel to each other. To get a really smooth edge, it helps to outline underneath the satin stitch first, by working a split stitch over the design line and then working the satin stitch over the split stitch. Choose satin stitch for spaces that are less than an inch at their longest span. When working plain satin stitch by itself, be sure that the space covered isn’t too big, because the stitches can loosen over time. The satin stitch is used to cover small spans of space that require a solid filling. The two solid filling stitches you’ll see most often in crewel embroidery are satin stitch and long and short stitch. When filling with line stitches in your crewel embroidery, you’ll start to see the importance of having a variety of shades available within a color family. Even knotted line stitches like coral stitch and Palestrina stitch work well. Line stitches like stem stitch, outline stitch, chain stitch and split stitch are popular in crewel embroidery, and ideal for the stems and tendrils you find in crewel pieces. Within every family of stitches, you’ll find lots of variations that are perfectly adaptable to crewel work. These families of stitches have been showing up in crewel embroidery for centuries, but there’s no need to feel limited by them. ![]() If you’re trying to be historically accurate in your crewel work, though, there’s only one real choice: Go with linen twill. In modern crewel work, fabrics like wool, jute, silk, cotton and blends (and sometimes even synthetics) are all fair game. That will help you achieve good blending within color families and a full, richly shaded finish.Īppleton wools are a popular choice for traditional crewel work, not just because they’ve been around for almost 200 years their wools are available in more than 420 shades.Īs for the fabric: Classic crewel embroidery is worked on linen, either in a twill weave or in a regular weave. Keep in mind that when you’re picking out wool threads for crewel embroidery, it pays to choose one that comes in a wide range of shades. You also can find it in tons of colors that correspond with Au Ver a Soie’s silk lines, so it’s a nice option for mixing wool and silk in the same piece. It’s a delight to stitch with and it’s smoother than other similar crewel wools. One kind worth trying is Fine d’Aubusson, a wool thread produced by Au Ver a Soie in France. There’s traditional Appleton wool, exceptionally smooth Merino wools, hand-spun wools dyed with natural vegetable dyes, wool blends mixed with other fibers such as silk, alpaca and mohair - and on and on. Those 17th-century crewel embroiderers would’ve had serious FOMO if they knew about all the different kinds of wool and wool-blend threads we can choose from these days. Choosing Threads and Fabric for Crewel Work: But as long as you’re using wool thread, it’s legit crewel embroidery. True, you’ll typically see certain families of stitches in crewel work (although the variety of stitches you can work with is pretty much endless). You can use any design you want when you’re doing crewel embroidery. Sure, it might have similar stitch work, but it’s not the same thing. ![]() When you see a modern take on crewel embroidery that involves other fibers besides wool, it’s not technically crewel embroidery. ![]() Crewel work requires crewel thread, a strong, long-staple thread spun from wool. Crewel work isn’t about any specific kind of design it’s all about the thread. ![]() Lately, people are using the term “crewel” to talk about a certain style, but that’s not quite right. What Makes Crewel Embroidery Crewel Embroidery? But since there’s some confusion about what crewel embroidery is exactly, let’s get a few things straight first. If you’re thinking of embroidering your upholstered items - say, your chair cushions, decorative pillows or ottomans - the sturdy wool thread used in crewel work would be perfect. Meanwhile, crewel embroidery keeps finding new fans. Those designs still show up in all kinds of modern interpretations. The technique worked nicely with the Jacobean-style designs of the era. In 17th-century England, crewel embroidery was used to embellish household items like bed curtains and covers. The crewel style has a distinct look thanks to its signature wool thread and massive variety of stitches. Know what it is and ready to dive into crewel embroidery? Check out our class! But it’s actually the name of a beautiful, ever-popular type of surface embroidery that’s been around for centuries. Crewel embroidery: It sounds like a Gothic horror movie. ![]()
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