| Crewel is a special kind of embroidery done with a | | | | were called "palampores." These were painted or |
| pointed hook and used for drapery and upholstery. | | | | printed by the East India Company and sent to |
| Rows of chain stitch done with a pointed hook form | | | | England. The Tree of Life was the standard design |
| solid patterns usually rotating from the center and | | | | and was a stem rising from mounds or hills called |
| creating an embossed effect to add richness to the | | | | "terra firma." It was exaggerated foliage and flowers |
| textile. Crewel is done on the thick material popularly | | | | with birds and other wildlife done in big and bold |
| used for furnishing and usually carries flowing floral and | | | | designs. Most of the crewelwork done was extremely |
| creeper designs. The thick material includes | | | | heavy as these were used to decorate walls and |
| hand-woven Cotton Dosooti Fabric, Cotton Duck, Linen, | | | | beds that were to keep out the cold winds. There |
| Jute, etc. The Crewel embroidery, done in thick woolen | | | | were no standard stitches that were used in doing the |
| yarn by a pointed crochet, provides a very dazzling | | | | crewel embroidery but the most common stitches of |
| and durable material for drapes and upholstery’s. | | | | the times were chain, stem, long-and-short, straight, |
| All embroidery is done by hand in either single or | | | | satin, french knot, running, feather and herringbone. The |
| double ply wool. Designs are available in assortment of | | | | fabric of choice during those times were very heavy |
| colors ranging from a single color to multicolour | | | | to accommodate the uses. The colors were normally |
| embroidery. The price is related with the amount of | | | | in the green and blue hues and only small amounts of |
| embroidery done on the material. The width of the | | | | yellow and muted shades of red were used. When |
| material is 52”, 54” inches and length is 25 or 28 | | | | crewel was introduced to the colonies it was scaled |
| meters per roll. The craft is also available on | | | | down to suit the needs of the times. The yarns that |
| Bedspreads, Cushion Covers in various sizes. | | | | were used were also more crude than the European |
| Crewel | | | | yarns and the first dye that was used was indigo and |
| Crewel, also known as wool embroidery, has been | | | | thus brought about an offshoot of crewel called |
| around for centuries. The word crewel is derived from | | | | Deerfield. Today crewelwork is done in almost any |
| an old Welsh term meaning “wool.” The word | | | | type of yarn and on any fabric. Only the style is the |
| referred to the wool yarn used for stitching and not | | | | remnants of the original crewel of years gone by. |
| the style of embroidery. Traditionally, heavy wools | | | | The crewel revival of the 1960's and 70's began mildly |
| were used for this type of embroidery, but today there | | | | enough with Mildred Davis and Elsa Williams. Their |
| is a wide variety of yarns and even threads to choose | | | | discoveries and love of crewel focused attention on |
| from, depending on the desired effect. | | | | textiles preserved in museum collections for women |
| Although crewel is considered the most difficult | | | | who were still homebound. Erica Wilson, with her |
| stitchery technique to master, it is ideal for pillows, | | | | design ability and skill, represented a new freedom that |
| curtains, clothing, and wall hangings. The use of | | | | was arriving quickly. When Susan Swan's book, Plain |
| tightly-woven fabrics enables stitchers to create an | | | | and Fancy, reached this market in 1976, a passion was |
| infinite variety of shapes. There are a great number of | | | | flamed for textile research and study that continues |
| stitches that can be employed in crewel embroidery; | | | | today. Betty Ring's monumental work, Girlhood |
| these stitches add texture and depth to the finished | | | | Embroidery, opened the past for many women who |
| piece. The outlines of the design are often screen | | | | could clearly feel a connection to their history through |
| printed on the fabric, and the stitcher fills in, or outlines, | | | | embroidery. This excitement is reflected in amazing |
| each area with stitches. | | | | advancements in counted work on evenweave linen |
| Crewel History | | | | by women relearning 17th century techniques who are |
| Crewel Embroidery, or Crewelwork, is a decorative | | | | no longer bound by previous conventions. Crewel |
| form of surface embroidery using wool and a variety | | | | embroidery has had many revivals since its English and |
| of different embroidery stitches to follow a design | | | | American zenith of the 17th and 18th century. Each |
| outline applied to the fabric. The technique is at least a | | | | revival alters and redefines stitch names and |
| thousand years old. It was used in the Bayeux | | | | techniques with losses and gains sustained during each |
| Tapestry, in Jacobean embroidery and in the Quaker | | | | period. |
| tapestry.The origin of the word crewel is unknown but | | | | The word crewel, with a variety of spellings, can be |
| is thought to come from an ancient word describing | | | | found in English records back to the 13th century. It is |
| the curl in the staple, the single hair of the wool. Crewel | | | | thought to have come from the East to Egypt then to |
| wool has a long staple; it is fine and can be strongly | | | | Greece and Rome where it traveled with the Roman |
| twisted. Modern crewel wool is a fine, 2-ply or 1-ply | | | | conquests to England. From the 15th century crewel |
| yarn available in many different colors. | | | | embroidery meant any embroidery technique using fine |
| Crewelwork came to the United States from England, | | | | worsted yarns. I've been known to say repeatedly that |
| where it gained its popularity during the rule of King | | | | the name surely refers to the effect of the sharp |
| James I. This time in history was the Jacobean period | | | | needle on your fingers while stitching. This is definitely |
| and the embroidery of the time was called Jacobean. | | | | an untruth for past usage of the word crewel included |
| Crewel was taken from the type of yarn that was | | | | tent and cross stitch using an inoffensive tapestry |
| used "krua" which means wool. This wool yarn was a | | | | needle. By the 20th century crewelwork had been |
| thin worsted yarn made of two threads. The term | | | | redefined to mean surface embroidery with wool. |
| crewel embroidery actually means wool embroidery | | | | Crewel, by definition, is the application of a variety of |
| and today refers to the design of the period not just | | | | stitches to the surface of fabric, usually linen, following |
| the wool yarn that was used in the stitching. The first | | | | a design applied to the fabric. |
| crewel or Jacobean designs came from the orient and | | | | |