November Art Form: Embroidery

Dark Fairy Tale Red Riding Hood by SewDoSomething on Storenvy

Embroidery, the fine art of needle and thread, is used to decorate fabrics in everything from simple to ornate designs.  While embroidery may be most often thought of as using only thread it can also involve beads and sequins among other things.  Throughout it's use embroidery has remained based on some fundamental stitches (chain stitch, buttonhole or blanket stitch, running stitch, satin stitch, cross stitch) which form the basis of the art still even today.

While the exact birth of embroidery is not clearly known, elements of it can be traced back as early as the 5th century.

As times have passed there are many types of embroidery that can be rendered now.  After the Industrial Revolution machine embroidery became possible and while it is not an exact replica in all ways of the hand made version is still remains a popular mode today, especially in the digitizing of images and allowing for quicker renderings.  You'll see this type of embroidery used often today for monograms and logos on clothing and other apparel.  It is also used to mimic the original complexity of hand embroidery in decorative household items.

While many people think of patches that may be applied to clothing as all that encompasses embroidery that couldn't be farther from the truth.  Embroidery can be broken up into four groups:

Embroidered Pouch, Photo Credit: Aradia's Eye

• free embroidery includes Crewel, Chinese, and Japanese embroidery which are all done without regard to the weave of the fabric.

Reiki Principles Cross Stitch by Aradia's Hand

• counted-thread embroidery may sometimes get overlooked as embroidery by the general populace and because it is more commonly referred to by other names such as Cross Stitch, Needlepoint, or Black Work Embroidery.  It usually involves using a specific amount of strands (1 to 6) from a thread and stitching into evenweave cloth (though non evenweave can be used as well).

Bobbin Along Bargello, Photo Credit: TangleCrafts

• canvas work uses a fabric mesh that is densely covered in thread.  Bargello fits into this category.

White Work with Seeding & Sparring, Photo Credit: Lewis F. Day

• drawn threadwork & cutwork involves white work (which is done with white thread and white fabric) and involves the cutting away of pieces of fabric whose edgings are then decorated in thread.  You can see this as the precursor to needlelace.

When embroidering one can find a myriad amount of choices for threads including: wool, linen, silk, cotton, rayon, novelty yarns, and even ribbon.  The type of fabric or mesh determines the type of needle you will use, and often an embroidery hoop is used to help keep the fabric taught while it is stitched.

So now you're more familiar with the art of embroidery I hope you can have the same appreciation for it that I do and maybe it will even inspire you to pick up some needle and thread!

Cross Stitched Easter Eggs, Photo Credit: Inna Forostyuk

In the comments below I'd love to hear from you about your thoughts on this post!  Did you find it informative?  Did I leave something out?

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