Tuesday, May 5, 2009

it's a crewel, crewel world

Crewel is a special kind of embroidery done with a pointed hook and used for drapery and upholstery. Rows of chain stitch done with a pointed hook form solid patterns usually rotating from the center and creating an embossed effect to add richness to the textile. Crewel is done on the thick material popularly used for furnishing and usually carries flowing floral and creeper designs. The thick material includes hand-woven Cotton Dosooti Fabric, Cotton Duck, Linen, Jute, etc. The Crewel embroidery, done in thick woolen yarn by a pointed crochet, provides a very dazzling and durable material for drapes and upholstery’s. All embroidery is done by hand in either single or double ply wool. Designs are available in assortment of colors ranging from a single color to multicolour embroidery. The price is related with the amount of embroidery done on the material. The width of the material is 52”, 54” inches and length is 25 or 28 meters per roll. The craft is also available on Bedspreads, Cushion Covers in various sizes.



Crewel



Crewel, also known as wool embroidery, has been around for centuries. The word crewel is derived from an old Welsh term meaning “wool.” The word referred to the wool yarn used for stitching and not the style of embroidery. Traditionally, heavy wools were used for this type of embroidery, but today there is a wide variety of yarns and even threads to choose from, depending on the desired effect.

Although crewel is considered the most difficult stitchery technique to master, it is ideal for pillows, curtains, clothing, and wall hangings. The use of tightly-woven fabrics enables stitchers to create an infinite variety of shapes. There are a great number of stitches that can be employed in crewel embroidery; these stitches add texture and depth to the finished piece. The outlines of the design are often screen printed on the fabric, and the stitcher fills in, or outlines, each area with stitches.



Crewel History

Crewel Embroidery, or Crewelwork, is a decorative form of surface embroidery using wool and a variety of different embroidery stitches to follow a design outline applied to the fabric. The technique is at least a thousand years old. It was used in the Bayeux Tapestry, in Jacobean embroidery and in the Quaker tapestry.The origin of the word crewel is unknown but is thought to come from an ancient word describing the curl in the staple, the single hair of the wool. Crewel wool has a long staple; it is fine and can be strongly twisted. Modern crewel wool is a fine, 2-ply or 1-ply yarn available in many different colors.

















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