Artistic embroidery

Embroidery has been defined as “the art of adding to the surface of woven textures a representation of any object we wish to depict, through the medium of the needle, threaded with the material in which the work is to be executed.”

From the earliest times, it has been the amusement of women of leisure, and the occupation of those whose skilful fingers must be used to bring in returns of daily bread. In the Middle Ages, a regular work-room, or “studio,” was set apart for this especial purpose in the dim old castle; and there the whole paraphernalia of embroidery-frames, materials, and implements, were always to be found. There, too, the chatelaine sat with her maidens embroidering cushions, or book-covers, or those wonderful pieces of historical tapestry afterward displaced by the more mechanical arras.

was the favorite needlework of those days; and these hangings, or “veils,” were rendered necessary by the style of building, which afforded many convenient chinks and loopholes for the wind. Some of these ancient pieces of embroidery were very rich, the designs being worked with worsted or silk of various colors, and often mixed with gold or silver threads, on canvas, cloth, or silk.

The oldest specimen of this kind of work now in existence is the famous tapestry of Bayeux—the work of the English Matilda and her attendants. A piece of embroidery over two hundred and twenty feet long, although not much more than half a yard wide, is no trifling accomplishment; and in spite of the red, blue, green, and yellow horses, some of them with two legs of a different color from the rest of their bodies, one cannot but reverence this curious triumph of the needle that can claim eight centuries of birthdays. It is entirely worked with worsted in very little variety of coloring, as the Norman princess had few advantages of this sort, but she has represented to the best of her ability the invasion and conquest of England by Duke William and his followers. The battle of Hastings is ingeniously emphasized by a bordering composed of the bodies of the slain.

Few would have the time or the inclination for such a piece of work in these days; and “some of our moderns are inclined to think that, in days of old, when the chief employment of a woman’s life was needlework, she must have had a very dull, dreary, monotonous time of it. But when we survey ancient heirlooms, veritable works of art—the smooth, mossy crewel-work, the frost-like point-lace, the shining gold-threaded ecclesiastical work, or even the conventional forms of the now despised cross-stitch—we imagine every happiness and beauty connected with the age of chivalry, as we are conscious of a sense of wonder akin to that felt on beholding some magnificent ancient jewels, or plate, or pictures.”

As late as the days of the Spectator, it was written: “How memorable would that matron be who should have it inscribed on her monument that she wrought out the whole Bible in tapestry, and died in a good old age, after having covered three hundred yards of wall in the Mansion House”—but no such exploit is on record.

The most fashionable worsted embroidery of the present time is

CREWEL-WORK.

This style of work was much in vogue during the latter part of the eighteenth century, and has recently been revived, and the modus operandi dignified by the name of the South Kensington stitch. But people with great-grandmothers produce pieces of work done in a similar manner; and the stitch is the same as the long stitch in silk embroidery, only longer and more careless.

Crewel work was brought to such a state of perfection by the famous Miss Linwood, who literally painted pictures with her needle from her thirteenth until her seventy-eighth year, copying the old masters so successfully that, at a little distance, the needle-worked picture could not be distinguished from the painted one, that every one wanted to imitate her; but few having the same gift, this branch of art fell into disrepute.

Miss Linwood’s pictures were marvels of patience and skill. They were embroidered on a stiff, twilled fabric called “tammy,” on which the outline was drawn in chalk; and the entire ground was covered with close, irregular stitches, of great fineness in the more delicate touches. The shading was perfect, the crewels being dyed under the artist’s own supervision; and her first needle-painting, the “Salvator Mundi,” from Carlo Dolci, was wonderfully true to the original.

Her collection, which was exhibited for some time in London, contained sixty-four pieces; and among them was a portrait of herself in the bloom of youth and beauty.

The great beauty of crewel-work is its freedom from set rules; in taking the stitches, the needle is used more like the brush in the hand of the artist.

THE CREWEL STITCH

resembles the wrong side of long back-stitching more than anything else; and is illustrated by Figures 1 and 2.

The needle is put in at the back of the material and brought out at 1, put in again at 2 and brought out at 3, put in again at 4 and brought out at 5, and so on to the end of the line. In outline-work the thread should be kept to the left of the needle, and great care taken to bring the needle up exactly in the line of the pattern, or a wavy, uncertain outline will be the result, and the character of the pattern will be lost.

This method of working is to be used when the material is put in a frame; but when the work is done in the hand, it is best illustrated by Figure 2. The easiest and quickest way in this case is to begin at the bottom and work upward—putting the needle through (from the back) at 1, and back again at 2—through again at 3, and back at 4—until the entire distance has been traversed.

It will be seen that the stitch is very simple, and that much is left to the discretion of the worker. Care must be taken that the worsted is not pulled too tight, nor left too loose, as the effect must be smooth and even—with the curves clearly defined, and the points sharp and complete.

In ordinary crewel-work, the stitch should be from three-eighths to half an inch long, according to its position—some stitches must necessarily be shorter—as in filling in, they must dovetail into each other like the tiles of a roof, that no sharp line of color may indicate the different shades. To produce the desired effect, all the stitches should not be taken close up to the inner edge of color. Figures 3 and 4 will give some idea of this shading.

A leaf or stalk should never be worked across, but always (and the same rule, of course, applies to flower-petals) in the same direction as the fibres in a natural leaf. With such leaves as brambles, and others that will suggest themselves, one side should be a darker shade than the other. Figure 5 shows the natural way of working a leaf.

In working the stalk of a flower, it is better to begin at the lower end first, and work on the outline until it is crossed by a leaf or terminates in a flower; then pass the needle to the other side, and work back again to the lower end; then work another line of stitches inside the outline till the stalk is filled up. See Figure 6. Leaves of one shade are done in the same way, and the veins are put in last.

Crewel-work has many recommendations; it is easy, is done with comparatively little labor, and yet it affords scope for the exercise of artistic skill of the highest order. A great variety of beautiful shades may be had, and the worsted washes beautifully, thus possessing a decided advantage over many other styles of ornamentation. The materials are also quite inexpensive, and taking it altogether, it produces the best effects with the least outlay of labor and expense of any other kind of embroidery.

Floral designs suit this style of work best; and somewhat conventionalized models are most suitable—flowers that can be expressed by the fewest lines in form and the fewest shades in color. Daisy-shaped flowers are particularly suitable; and the well known sunflower, not too much conventionalized, but with the tendency of its long petals to droop a little just indicated here and there, is represented in Figure 7.

Simple, old-fashioned flowers are most successful in crewel-work. Wild roses being simple, and having very distinct petals and well marked centres, are better than the double and treble triumphs of the florist—to which painting alone can do justice. The daffodil, narcissus, and lily tribes, with primroses, honeysuckles, pansies, and daisies, bloom out charmingly in crewels; and almost any clearly defined leaf is pleasing.

Butterflies and vases may also be successfully introduced, but the latter should be chiefly in outline.

The experienced crewel worker may study nature for designs, and discover unending combinations of beauty and delicate touches of detail which give a character to the whole. In the veining of leaves especially this is shown; and the leaf of the common scarlet poppy, veined and unveined, in Figures 8 and 9, will show how much depends on careful finish.

But embroidery in general should not attempt too much detail—a thorn here and there on a rose-stem being sufficient to suggest the thorny nature of roses, while only a few of the larger serrations of the leaves should be retained. The bramble, when shorn of superfluous outline, is a very desirable leaf for embroidery; and Figure 10 shows it in its natural state, which, if worked, would be a confused mass of nothing in particular—while in Figure 11, its shape and general character are preserved, but all unnecessary notchings and veinings are pruned away.

An important point in embroidery is to know what may be to advantage left undone; and as crewel-work is entirely free from all artificial raising, it is merely suggestive of general form.

The crewel itself is a particularly strong, twisted woollen yarn, quite unlike zephyr and the other wools in use. The shades of color are very soft and numerous, and blend beautifully in delicate flower-petals and varying leaves. The work is usually done on heavy linen sheeting, as this wears well, is easily washed, and is particularly suitable for tidies, doilies, and many small articles.

Other materials may be used to advantage; but cloth, velvet, or silk is not suitable for crewel-work. Serge makes a very nice foundation; and a pair of invalid’s slippers, made lately, were worked on white felt. But these were done in Canada, where many materials are to be had which cannot be found here. Said slippers were merely to thrust the toes in, as all the rest was sole; and this white felt pointed piece was ornamented with strawberries in crewel-work. This beautiful fruit is quite as effective as flowers are; and in Figure 12 the clusters may be used separately, or continued indefinitely for a border. A very pretty footstool could be made by grouping them closely for the top, and putting the bordering on the band. The fruit may be either red or white as best suits the groundwork.

Velveteen makes a good background for crewel embroidery; and this is suitable both for footstools and hangings. It is also handsome for mantel lambrequins. But the favorite material is crash towelling—which is so generally used for the purpose that crewels seem inseparable from it, and the work is quite as often called “crash-work” as crewel-work. Crash is very serviceable for tidies, toilet covers, toilet mats, travelling bags, etc.; but it does not hang in graceful folds for curtains and portières, and it is not worthy of being embroidered in silks.

There is a ribbed velveteen in different shades of drab and brown, which looks remarkably well as a foundation for crewel-work, if the latter is done in a rich, bold design. It should be remembered, as a general thing, that while rich materials may be used on cheap groundwork, worsted embroidery is very unsuitable on a rich foundation.

We have attempted suggestions only in the way of patterns, as these may be bought in great variety wherever the crewels are sold; and for those who are unable to design from nature this will be found a great convenience.

It is not long since all worsted work was done in mechanical patterns on canvas; and some of this work, with stitches laid as regularly as minute mosaics, and the shades blended as by the hand of an artist, is still very beautiful. It is the mosaic-work of embroidery, and bears the same relation to it that the real mosaic does to painting; but crewel-work has the advantage of being more quickly done, and of expressing better the individuality of the worker. How quickly, for instance, with needle and crewels, the very essence of a May morning may be condensed into the cluster of apple-blossoms from the laden bough beside the window; but who could extemporize them into a pattern of set squares on the spur of the moment?

ARTICLES TO BE WORKED IN CREWELS.

It is always more satisfactory in a work of this kind to find some practical illustrations of the suggestions given; and many people like to know exactly what to make. We shall be more explicit, therefore, in this little volume than would be possible in one of greater pretension; and mention articles to be made, as far as our limits will permit.

Being quickly done and effective at a distance, crewel-embroidery is very suitable for large pieces of work, such as curtains, portières, friezes, and so forth. Portières and friezes have a pleasant suggestion about them of old tapestries; and the latter are really wall-valances. One would scarcely undertake

AN EMBROIDERED FRIEZE

even in crewel-work, for a large apartment; but a moderate-sized room could be adorned with this wall drapery without an unreasonable outlay of time. Claret-colored serge, or velveteen, if in harmony with the other coloring of the room, worked with perpendicular sunflowers or lilies (Figure 13 is a good pattern for the latter), with a bordering of gold-color and green at top and bottom, would be very ornamental. The frieze could be finished with a fringe and hang loose at the lower edge, which is prettier, or fastened at both sides, paper-fashion.

Colors and figures may be varied indefinitely—for the latter, a standing army of storks would often be preferred. Dragons, too, are now so generally regarded as cheerful domestic animals in the way of adornment, that a procession of them across the walls of an apartment on an elaborate frieze would, doubtless, add a pleasing element in the way of decoration. But those who say, Give me beauty, or give me nothing, in the way of ornament, will prefer designs of flowers and leaves.

A DADO IN CREWELS

may be done in the same way, only that there is more of it; and being nearer the eye, the design should be more close and elaborate. The patterns on rich papers will be found suggestive studies; and it may be remembered that the material for groundwork can be adapted to the purse of the embroiderer and the other belongings of the apartment, from velveteen at a dollar a yard to crash-towelling at ten cents.

The wide material known as jute, and just the least bit in the style of brown straw-matting, would make a very nice dado worked in crewels, with a darker brown picked out with gold color; and this same material hangs in graceful folds for curtains and portières. A brown room could be made very beautiful in this way; and quiet though it is, there is a richness about brown that is always suggestive of gilding.

A WORSTED-WORKED PORTIÈRE

should be of velveteen, if this harmonizes with the other hangings of the room, as the material has a particularly rich effect in doorways, and artistically executed crewel-work suits it admirably. Brown velveteen with golden sunflowers, or gray with wild roses, or dark blue with lilies, will be found very handsome.

In working portières, it is necessary to remember that they should be well covered with embroidery, because the light falls on all their parts; while an embroidered border suffices for curtains, as the edges only are likely to catch the sun’s rays.

Other hangings may be made for the open shelves of cabinets and étagères; these should also harmonize with the general decoration of the room in color and style, but may be richer and more elaborate than the larger pieces of embroidery, as they will be subjected to closer inspection.

CURTAINS WITH SPRAYS OF SUMAC.

These were really beautiful. The ground was a pale sage green, in perfect keeping with the prevailing hue of the room; and the soft bright shades of the crewels were so delicately blended, that the effect was a perfect needle-painting of these bright-hued darlings of the autumn. They were embroidered on the plain band of the sage—colored material that formed the simple cornice—down the front of the curtains, and here and there, on the body of the drapery, a spray seemed to have dropped by accident.

A SWEET-PEA TABLE COVER

which emanated from the same hand, was also a thing of beauty. The table was a round one of moderate size, and the top was tightly covered with maroon-colored flannel. A straight band of white flannel between two narrow strips of the maroon formed the border, and on this white ground the sweet peas were worked in delicately-tinted crewels. Feather-stitching, of black and bright green, marked the joining of the white flannel to the maroon on either side. The bordering was fastened to the table with silver-headed nails, and finished with a worsted fringe to match the maroon flannel.

This beautiful work was all copied from natural models during hours of summer leisure on a country piazza, and many beautiful thoughts and memories were wrought into the bright-hued leaves and petals.

SCREENS IN CREWEL-WORK.

We saw a honeysuckle screen lately, that might have been beautiful, but was not because it had altogether too sombre an air to be viewed in the light of an ornament. The workmanship was fine, and regularly done according to the rules of art, but as the ground was black and the coral honeysuckle was represented in very dull reds and greens, the effect was not enlivening. A gray ground of a silver tinge would have been a great improvement, but dark work on a dark ground is a dismal production.

The woodbine honeysuckle can be reproduced in crewels in very natural colors, and we have seen some that almost diffused a June odor about them. They were worked on very fine, soft crash, and intended for a tidy; but a beautiful fire-screen could be made of them on a blue or plum-colored ground.

The large folding-screens, so often in strips of coarse Berlin-wool work, are very handsome in crewels; and climbing vines of all kinds are particularly suited to them. A crimson ground with water-lilies in one corner, and the wild morning-glory, with its nearly white blossoms (that grows in damp places and therefore harmonizes with the water-lily) trailing its beautiful length across the largest space, while the inevitable heron, balanced, of course, on one foot, stands sentinel among his reeds and rushes, where classic cat-tails bristle like spears, is vis-à-vis to the water-lilies on the other side, would be found bright in coloring and handsome in effect.

But a screen that looks as if some one had come in and thrown a handful of daisies over it may be quite as pretty, and is certainly less work.

CARRIAGE WRAPS

of fine crash, ornamented with crewel-work, are handsome and serviceable for warm weather. A bordering of strawberries and leaves near the edge, or one of periwinkle with its delicate blue flowers, would be very pretty; and this bordering, with a large monogram in the centre, would sufficiently ornament the article.

But endless are the uses to which this simple and charming style of embroidery may be put; and the suggestions given maybe indefinitely multiplied and rearranged in various forms.