Crewel Embroidery
Crewel embroidery, also known as crewelwork, is a traditional form of English embroidery that dates back to the eleventh century. This craft involves stitching with two-ply worsted woolen yarn onto a thick fabric canvas, creating textured, three-dimensional designs that often resemble paintings. Throughout its history, crewel embroidery has experienced varying levels of popularity, particularly during the Jacobean era in the seventeenth century, when elaborate patterns such as the "Tree of Life" and the Elizabethan scroll became prominent. In the United States, particularly in the 1700s, colonial women adapted crewelwork to reflect local flora and fauna, moving away from English motifs.
The introduction of machine-made crewelwork in the nineteenth century presented a challenge to hand-stitched creations, yet the craft continues to thrive, with many still enjoying it in the twenty-first century. Craft enthusiasts can easily access materials and instructional guides to create personalized designs for various decorative items. Additionally, contemporary trends have shifted towards original designs, expanding the applications of crewelwork beyond traditional textiles to items like scrapbook covers and home decor. Overall, crewel embroidery remains a valued art form that bridges historical traditions with modern creativity.
Crewel Embroidery
History
Crewel embroidery, or crewelwork, is the oldest form of English embroidery. It is made by stitching two-ply worsted woolen yarn called "crewel" onto a thick fabric canvas. Crewel stitches often lay above the surface of the canvas, producing textured, three-dimensional designs. Like a painting, the motif and palette of a crewelwork project are matters of personal choice.
The popularity of crewel embroidery has fluctuated since it originated in England in the eleventh century. It experienced a massive revival in England during the seventeenth century, and what many people refer to as traditional crewelwork patterns are ones that bear designs from the Jacobean era. These are the "Tree of Life," a vertical growth of flowers and leaves extending from the ground; the Elizabethan scroll, a curling, sweeping stem sprouting leaves and flowers; and the wavy border, encasing small images of people and nature.
Crewel embroidery was most commonly used to ornament bed linens, wall-hangings, curtains, valances, and women's undergarments in Jacobean-era England. The ability to produce fine crewelwork was a skill favored by the royals, and as such, girls of the court were expected to become proficient crewel embroiderers.
In the eighteenth century, as the volume of trade between England and Asia grew, Chinese and Indian silk thread became easier to obtain. Silk was mixed with wool to create softer crewel threads. By the nineteenth century, silk embroidery had practically replaced crewel embroidery altogether.
Crewel embroidery was at its height of popularity in the United States during the 1700s. Crewelwork appealed particularly to colonial women, who adapted it to fit their ways of life. Gone were the plants and animals of the English countryside that had dominated so many pieces of English crewelwork; in their place were fixtures of the American landscape such as pine trees, wild grapes, sheep, cows, and chickens. Extravagant stitches were exchanged for practical, faster ones, and the spacing of motifs widened.
The commercialization of crewel embroidery began in the nineteenth century in both England and the United States with the marketing of crewelwork pattern catalogues. Customers purchased the patterns, which were then painted onto canvases by professional artists.
In the twentieth century, machine-made crewelwork could be purchased that was so flawless, it rivaled crewelwork stitched by a well-trained hand. Mass-produced, machine-made crewelwork appealed to consumers because it saved hours of labor. The art of hand-stitched crewel embroidery did not die out with the advent of this technology; the burden was merely taken off those who found stitching crewelwork a chore.
The last notable revival of crewel embroidery occurred in the 1960s. However, many people still enjoy the craft in the twenty-first century. Crewelwork materials are inexpensive and easy to obtain, and there are plenty of instruction guides available that will teach the embroiderer how to create beautiful embellishments and designs for draperies, bed spreads, pillows, clothing, purses, wall hangings, and anything else that captures the imagination.
Other Materials
- Embroidery hoop
- Dressmaker's scissors
- Crewel needle
- Tapestry needle
- Thimble
- Tracing paper
- Sketch pad
- Black felt-tip pen
- Water-erasable felt-tip pen
- Tape measure
- Masking tape
- Wooden board
- One-inch nails
- Hammer
- Mist sprayer
- Glass pane
- Dressmaker's graph paper
Techniques
Those who choose to design their own projects must transfer their designs onto canvas fabric. To do this:
- Trace the design onto tracing paper with a black felt-tip pen.
- Tape the tracing paper to a pane of glass.
- With masking tape, tape the fabric on top of the tracing paper.
- Put a light source behind the design so it is visible through the fabric.
- With a water-erasable felt-tip pen, trace the design onto the fabric.
Before beginning to stitch, the fabric must be placed in an embroidery hoop (or other type of embroidery frame) to tighten it. If the fabric is not tight, the stitches will pinch the fabric together.
After completing a piece of crewel embroidery, it must be stretched, or "blocked," to compensate for any distortion in the fabric. To block a piece of crewel embroidery:
- Using a mist sprayer, dampen the entire embroidery with water.
- Cover with dressmaker's graph paper a wooden board that is 2 inches larger than the embroidery on all sides.
- Place embroidery onto the board face up and align one edge with the graph paper.
- Hammer nails on the edge of the aligned side ½ inch from the edge of the fabric and ½ inch apart to match the graph paper, and then do the same along the adjacent side.
- Repeat on the other two sides, so that they follow the lines of the graph paper. The four corners should all form right angles.
- When the canvas is dry, remove it from the board.
Trends
The biggest trend in crewelwork is the movement toward original designs. These original designs share the spotlight with traditional ones in the fashion world, especially, where crewel embroidery is used to embellish haute couture.
Crewel embroidery is also used to decorate everything from scrapbook covers, picture frames, and lamp shades to Christmas tree ornaments, sachets, and greeting cards.
Crewel Embroidery for Fun vs. Profit
Since machines can mass produce crewel-embroidered fabrics, there is a not much of a market for hand-stitched crewel-embroidered clothing or textiles for the home. A crewel-embroiderer's best bet is to either work with a clothing designer who sews each piece by hand, or market his or her hand-stitched clothing and textiles with an emphasis on their superior "hand-stitched quality." Easier money-making opportunities include the sale of crewel-embroidered wall hangings, greeting card covers, photo album covers, scrapbook covers, Christmas tree ornaments, and picture frames, all of which can be personalized.
Finally, a unique way to earn money is to stitch crewel embroidery kit models for display in craft stores or catalogues.
Learning More
Organizations
The Embroiderer's Guild of America <http://www.egausa.org/>.
Books
Glenny, Mave. An Introduction to Crewel Embroidery. Sussex: Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd., 1998.
Rainbow, Jane. Beginner's Guide to Crewel Embroidery. Great Britain: Search Press Limited, 2000.
Shaughnessy, Katherine. The New Crewel: Exquisite Designs in Contemporary Embroidery. New York: Lark Books, 2005.