Crewel Embroidery
By Adeline Panamaroff
Adeline, a freelance writer/proofreader, located in Edmonton, Alberta can be contacted at www.adelinepanamaroff.com for writing and marketing requests.
Crewel embroidery example by M. Jean Ford (1999)
History: Crewel embroidery has been around for over a thousand years, perhaps even longer. What makes it distinct is the use of wool yarn as the fiber used for the stitches. Wool has been used for decorative stitching in many places in Europe, during different periods of time. Crewel probably came from Egypt, through Greece and eventually to Britain, with Roman conquerors.
The word crewel does not refer to the technique, as a wide variety of stitches and colors are used in this embroidery, but to the yarn used. Crewel probably came from an old Welsh word that was used to describe the curl of a single fiber of wool hair. In the Medieval Ages thicker wool was used, but as spinning technology improved, thinner wools started to be employed. Two ply worsted yarn, with a tight twist, and sometimes one ply yarn are used today. The most famous piece of crewel embroidery that still exists is the Bayeux Tapestry, which serves as a visual history of the Norman Conquest of England, dating to the 11th Century. While it is an embroidery, not a tapestry, it was completely worked with wool yarns and used many different stitches to complete, such as herringbone, stem, long and short, chain and among others.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, who was a well-known stitcher herself, embroidery became more standardized, due to her influence. She established the guild of Keepers and Wardens and Society of the Art and Mystery of the Broderers of the City of London, a male run guild that established rules and standards for high quality crewel work.
The motifs that are classically associated with crewel embroidery, large flowers, curling leaves, creeping vines, animals and insects were highly influenced by the wall hangings that were a popular trade item during the 1600s C.E. Coming from the East India Trade Company, these hangings used images of the Tree of Life, with exotic flora and fauna in the boughs of the tree, with the plant itself rooted in rounded hills. This style is still the basis of crewel designs today.
At the same time, during the 1600s, King James I of England promoted crewel work even further. With the construction of many stone fortresses and more common wood frame housing, which were drab to look at and drafty to live in, large pieces of crewel became highly desired as wall hangings, bed curtains and covers, floor carpets, and table covers, to both keep out the drafts and brighten up dull interiors. This moved crewel embroidery out from ecclesiastical embellishments into the domestic sphere.
As international trade increased the availability of cotton and silk threads, crewel fell out of favor in Europe. It took hold in America during the 1800s however. The women on this side of the pond had to spin and dye their own fibers, from flax for the backing cloth, to the wool for the stitches. Access to dyes was also limited in a mostly rural market. With these limitations the early American stitcher also grew their own plants for dying. This meant that indigo dyes were the most readily available color. Limited to only white, from the natural color of wool and blues, American crewel work developed into an offshoot called Deerfield. A simpler style of crewel work evolved as a result.
By the end of the 19th Century interest in crewel work declined globally, as other techniques became more popular, such as lace making and the use of silk threads replaced the use of wool yarns.
A revival of crewel occurred during the 1960s and 1970s. During this time women started to look back on what their grandmothers and great-grandmothers had been stitching. Museum exhibits created interest in old textile methods. Books started to be published with classic and new crewel designs. A feeling of being connected to history through stitching led crewel embroidery to enjoy a resurgence that still lives on today.
A modern version of the Bayeux Tapestry was created in the 1980s and 90s. The Quaker Tapestry, stitched over 10 years and worked all in crewel, depicts the 350 year history of the Quaker religion. This modern work of art is a testament to the enduring power of embroidery and how it can connect us to our past.
My Indoor Garden / Crewel Embroidery designed and worked by Vicki R.
Technique: Crewel embroidery, using thick or thin wool yarn is best done on heavy, even weave backing fabrics. This is so that the heavier stitches can hold up and not pucker the fabric that they are worked over. Since the primary use, even today, of crewel work is as upholstery for wall hangings, cushions, seat covers, and similar items that will see a lot of wear, thick fabric is the natural choice.
The stitches used are so various that it is only limited to the embroidery’s imagination. Satin, long and short, stem, feather, running, and chain stitch are only a few of the choices that are typically used.
Today 2 ply worsted yarn, or 1 ply yarn, marketed as crewel yarn is what is used for most crewel designs. Sometimes other fiber threads are also used, as detailing over the crewel work. The colors used can be anything that the stitcher chooses.
Designs are usually stamped or drawn onto the backing fabric and filled in following a pattern supplied or of the embroidery’s own making.
Innovation: While the heavily worked floral designs that were popular during the 1600s are still a main influence in crewel work, lighter more airy patterns continue to be developed. These designs use thinner stitches, such as buttonhole that fill in areas of the design, while letting the backing fabric show through.
The subjects of crewel work have expanded from images taken from nature. These days patterns for cartoon characters, modern items like cars and golf clubs and anything else a person can imagine have been used in pieces of crewel embroidery.
Smaller pieces have also become more popular than large wall hangings. Works that can be framed are much more common than tapestry sized items. Cushion covers and seat embellishments remain popular to this day, still tying the crewel stitcher to this needle techniques’ past.
References and Further Reading:
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