crewel

peppermintsquare · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 162 Location: austin

Yesterday's Daily Candy email featured these crewel kits - http://www.woolandhoop.com/

I think that they are pretty darn spiffy, but I wish they were larger than 3" x 3".

Has anyone done any creweling (is that a word)? I have never tried it, but these do tempt me.
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lizzymahoney · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 804

Yeah, I've done some. Probably lots from some perspectives.

I've always worked with wool in crewel. It is embroidery, just a specific type, so I might say I am doing crewelwork or crewel embroidery. I don't know how others refer to it but suspect that Erica Wilson, the grand dame of all things embroidery, refers to it in that fashion.

Are you planning on doing something utilitarian or something to wear or something that is strictly ornamental?

There are some stitches peculiar to crewel, but mostly fiber artists use whatever they damn well please in whatever medium. Fatter eyed needle, heavier weight fabric for crewel, generally. If you use a hoop, get them in various sizes so you don't crease an embroidered motif while working on another area. I probably have two dozen hoops myself.

I haven't worked with transfers in a quarter century. I'm either going to freehand sketch my design, or adapt it from a design I've seen elsewhere, including on transfers.

Go with a larger motif rather than smaller. You can do things like flower stamens but the effect is lost in crewel sometimes.

MonaMew · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 62 Location: Canada

Pretty kits! Crewel is super easy, it is basically just a coloured drawing in thread.

You could easily make your own, like lizzymahoney said, you could just freehand a drawing (pencil on fabric) or make your own transfer. Draw your picture on paper, tape it to a window or lightbox face down and trace over your lines on the back side of the paper in transfer pencil. Place transfer side down on to fabric, iron, pop the fabric in a hoop and stitch away.

Check your local library for books on embroidery for some stitch ideas. Erica Wilson does have the best books and they are mostly from the 70's so you will get some really neat ideas.
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Daphne · Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 2 Location: SoCal

Is there a difference between crewel embroidery and the embroidery stuff from sublime stitching? I have been searching the web for stitching how-tos but can't find anything that shows how to make different kinds of stitches, so maybe I have it wrong?

(sorry, not trying to hijack the thread!)

lizzymahoney · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 804

Sublime Stitcher's kits are suitable for 'fine embroidery.' I knoiw I am an old lady, but embroidery stitches are in all kinds of printed matter. I don't know from online, but guess about.com would be a place to start.

The more detailed in smaller areas the design, the more likely it is to be fine embroidery. Crewel with heavier yarns on heavier backing material is likely to be a bolder motif.

You can do either with only a few basic stitches. You would rely on satin stitch a bit more in crewel work, but both use split stitch and lazy daisy and chain and french knots. Probably more, but I just don't think like a beginner.

Some crewel will use more woven stitches. The stitched area is more likely to cover the backing, but not necessarily.

If you start with kits, the basic instructions are usually there. If you freehand, you probably already know what stitches to use in what applications. There are plenty of stitches that I have to look up, even when I know what they should look like. Like a Maltese Cross: I can describe it to you, but not enough for either of us to do one without mistakes. I look it up to work the pattern. A beginner could do what peppermintsquare linked, though you might have to practice your satin stitch and tension a bit. A beginner can do most or all of Sublime Stitcher's kits, but with a little practice you can change up the stitches. Her portraiture though is probably not all split stitch or stem stitch, eh?

schnitzle · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 72 Location: Seattle

No crewelwork input but I wanted to pipe in and say that I LOVE those designs! It's also nice that they are small and so they wouldn't be frustrating for beginners. I've never done crewel but now I want to!

Lizzymahoney, good to know that I am not the only so called "old lady" here ;)

-Leah
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badbabs · Joined: 15 Jul 2004 Posts: 1

Crewel is apparently defined by using wool thread and twill cloth - and there are also some specific stitches - stem, buttonhole and I don't know what else.

There's a great online encyclopedia of embroidery stitches with photos and instructions ... it's at http://home.iprimus.com.au/ijerry/sharonb/stitch
dict/

Did you get a kit in the end?
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deborahthecraft · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 364 Location: California

This is a good place for stitch referance http://home.iprimus.com.au/ijerry/sharonb/stitch
dict/index.html