Crewel Stitches

In my last post about crewel I mentioned that I was going to do some crewel work on a bag I am going to make. I thought I would try to find some resources for you to show you how some of the crewel stitches can be done. In my last post it was mentioned that some of the most common stitches used at this time were long and short stitch, stem stitch, French knots, satin stitch, and couching. These are all relatively simple stitches, most of which I have done on other projects. Once you have these mastered, I should think that there would be no pattern too hard to master as long as you have the time and patience!

It was actually rather difficult to find a good resource on the web that explained how these stitches are done. There are a lot of books out there that explain how to do crewelwork, so if you are interested in this, it should be relatively simple to find a book that will show you how to do the stitches. You may even want to pick up a sampler from Michael’s or AC Moore. The design you will make won’t be period correct by any means, but it will teach you how to do a lot of the basic stitches. You probably will learn more stitches that weren’t really used at this time though, so be careful about what you use when you actually do your 18th century project.

I was able to find one great website that had a whole host of stitches on it. The website is called InaMinuteAgo.com if you click on that link you will be brought to her pretty comprehensive listing of different types of stitching. Here are the explanations of each of the types of stitches we are interested in direct from the website. If you click on the name of the stitch, you will be brought to her page where you can also see a picture of the stitch in action:

Stem Stitch:
Stem stitch is also known as crewel stitch, stalk stitch and South Kensington stitch. Stem stitch is often worked to outline a shape.

Work from left to right taking small regular stitches with a forwards and backwards motion along the line of the design. The thread is kept to the right of the needle after picking up a small piece of material. This means that it always emerges from the left side of the previous stitch.

If the thread is worked to the left of the needle, the stitch produced is slightly different, and is known as outline stitch.

French Knot:
A French knot is a little tricky but with some practice it can be mastered. Some people find it better to work the knot with the fabric stretched in an embroidery hoop using a chenille or straw needle.

French Knot is also known as French dot, knotted stitch, twisted knot stitch and wound stitch.

The weight of the thread will determine the size of the finished stitch

Step 1
Bring the needle out through the fabric and holding the thread taut and flat to the fabric with your left thumb. With your right hand twist the needle round the thread twice.

Step 2
Still holding the thread firmly take the needle back into the fabric one thread away from where the stitching thread emerges from the fabric and insert the needle.

Step 3
The completed french knot

At this point it is sometimes helpful to brush the knot down the shaft of the needle with the nail of your left thumb so that it is sitting firmly on the fabric. Pull the thread through to the back of the fabric. You have completed the knot!

Satin Stitch:
Satin stitch is also known as damask stitch.

As one of the oldest embroidery stitches to be found satin stitch is worked on traditional embroideries in practically every country. The traditional embroiderers of China and Japan excelled in the use of this stitch. It is formed by working straight stitches close together.

To use satin stitch to advantage stitches should lie evenly and closely together and some practice is needed to gain this effect. Stretch the fabric in an embroidery hoop or frame to prevent puckering. This stitch is only suitable for small areas as long satin stitches can become loose and untidy. If you need to cover a larger area divide the shape into more workable areas. The other alternative is to use long and short stitch or encroaching satin stitch.

To work the stitch bring the thread up through the fabric and make a single straight stitch. Bring the needle out very close to the stitch just made and continue to fill the shape. Stitches related to single satin or straight stitch in this dictionary are Satin stitch and Padded satin stitch.

Couching:
Medieval embroiderers made full use of couching to be economical with expensive threads, such as gold thread, on the surface of the work. It is used, to this day, to attach threads which are too thick, or textured to pass through the foundation fabric. The term is from the French word 'coucher', which means to lay down.

Couching is extremely simple to work. Work with the fabric stretched in an embroidery hoop or frame.

To commence bring the heavy thread up from the back of the fabric with a large eyed needle. The surface thread is laid on the fabric, and then anchored by a second finer thread.

Small, straight stitches are taken over the thick thread and back through the fabric. Work along the thick thread until you have completed the line.

Take the heavy thread to the back of the fabric with a large needle and secure both ends of the heavy thread by using a few small stitches. Do not clip the heavy thread too close, otherwise it will pop up to the surface of the embroidery.

The second thread can be arranged in patterns - as in laid work. Other types of couching involve using embroidery stitches such as herringbone, fly stitch, arrowhead stitch, satin stitch, detached chain stitch, buttonhole and numerous other embroidery stitches over the thread to be couched. Metallic thread, ribbons, fine cord or groups of threads twisted together can all be couched.

And though the Chain stitch wasn’t mentioned before, it looks like it was definitely a widely used stitch at the time. Here is an example from VintageTextile.com that shows the chain stitch used on a 1790 skirt:



And here is an explanation of what the chain stitch is:
Chain stitch is also known as tambour stitch and point de chainette. Chain stitch is one of the oldest of the decorative stitches and is the basis of a large group of stitches.

Its use has a long history and is widespread, throughout the world. It is believed to have originated in Persia and India, where it is worked with the aid of a fine hook known as an 'ari'. In the west this tool which looks like a crochet hook, is known as a 'tambour' hook. The needlework produced using this method is known as tambour embroidery. To distinguish between chain stitch sewn by hand from that worked with a hook you need to examine the back of the embroidery. Needlework that is done with a hook has a continuous thread without any joins where as, chain stitch done with a needle, will display separate stitches.

Chain stitch is simple to work. Bring the needle up through the fabric and hold the thread with the left thumb. Insert the needle back into where it first came out. Take the needle through the fabric bringing the point of the needle out a short space along the line to be stitched. With the thread wrapped under the needle point pull the needle through the fabric.

A large variety of threads can be used from the finest silk to ribbon, the size of the stitch will depend on the weight of the thread used. it is an ideal beginners stitch and suitable to teach children as it is easy to sew.

Hopefully I can check out a few good books on 18th Century crewel from the library and I will see what other stitches were used at this time. And of course I will post pictures of my project as I have them.

18th Century Crewel Work

So while I was at Hubbardton recently, I decided that I needed to make (or buy) a little bag to carry my camera around in. My new camera is quite heavy and really weighs down my pockets, so I figure if I make a nice looking bag, I can carry it with me still pretty easily. So I asked one of my friends who was a Sutler at Hubbardton if she had any bags for sale. She didn't, but she did have a simple one I could borrow. She also showed me her bag, which had a nice drawstring and some embroidery on it. I decided that I could make one. So she explained to me how to do the drawstring, and I started the planning process.

I knew I wanted to have embroidery on my bag like my friend’s had, but I wasn’t sure where to start. So recently on one of the lists I subscribe to, someone was talking about a wallet they were making their husband where they would be using something called a “flame stitch” to decorate it. Having never heard of it, I asked a few more questions, got a few more answers, and decided it wouldn’t work properly for my bag (but don’t worry I will have a post about the wallet project later).

So eventually on the thread I got the topic around to crewel. This is a type of embroidery that was done in the 18th century. I explained that I had some linen left from making a shirt for my husband, and wondered if they thought it would work for this project I am trying to do. Judith responded with this …

The lightweight linen would be fine for crewel work (then line for strength if your camera is hefty) … on the fine linen you could use real silk or wool crewel embroidery to make a beautiful pocket/bag,

Common crewel stitches used in period are long and short stitch, stem stitch, french knots, satin stitch, couching

There is a dover book of 18th century embroidery designs

Of course this sent me on an Internet search for more information on crewel. I did find a great book on Amazon, which unfortunately my local library doesn’t have. But now it’s on my list of “to get” books. It’s called English Crewel Designs and Norman Bradburn and Frances Bradbury put it together.

English Crewel Designs

It looks like this book provides some period correct patterns that would be easy to trace to fabric.

Some other members also suggested four more books that look very interesting, which of course, my library doesn't have either:

18th Century Embroidery Technique

A Practical Guide to Canvas Work

Plain & Fancy

The Bargello Book (Which, I guess, only has a few patterns that would work, but teaches the methods really well.)

I also stumbled on a great website that had some awesome information and pictures of crewel through the years.

http://www.caron-net.com/feb00files/feb00fea1.html

American women in the 18th century took crewel to their hearts producing their simplified but original style of bed hangings, pockets, pocketbooks, petticoat borders, chair seats etc. The amount of crewel remaining in collections today attests to the devotion and industry of American women. Design became regionalized with mounds and prancing animals remaining popular near the seacoast, while blue and white scattered patterns were favored in the Connecticut Valley region. The stitches also changed as they moved from England; long and short to the faster self couching stitch also called New England laid or Roumanian. By the third quarter of the 18th Century, crewel faded as women became overwhelmed with the American Revolution.

So even if crewel was out of fashion by the time I am portraying, it doesn’t sound like it was completely gone, and I may still have a purse from before it went out, so I don’t think it would be wrong for me to carry a little purse with some crewel. Here is a picture from the same site:



I really love this example, the color and design are exactly what I want to do, but I don’t know that I can find a pattern like this particular example. Plus I am sure it was done by someone with much more time, patience, and skill then I have right now, so I will probably need to stick to something more simple for now.

As far as the bag itself goes, I think I will line it with felt, although that’s not period by any means, it’s soft and will give just enough cushion for my camera. The hardest part I was having with making a bag was imagining how the drawstring would go, but now that I have that part thought out, I think this will be a relatively simple project to put together. I haven’t started yet, but I will post pictures and any more research I find on crewel when I do start!

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