Although printed patterns have been found as far back as 1525 it is thought that the golden age of cross stitch began in 1804. A man from named Phillipson a print seller from Berlin was developing block and coloured patterns for mass production. Many other printers followed and by 1840 there were printing over 14,000 designs a year.
The word embroidery comes for the Anglo-Saxon word for “edge”. This term firstly applied to stitched borders on medieval religious robes and after a while the word was also used to describe stitched decoration on any textile fabric, In 1828 the first embroidery machine was invented by Joseph Heilman making mass production embroideries, embroidery continued to be treated as a handicrafts as it had been in ancient times. If you look back in history embroidery has been used for many things for example, as an ornament for clothing, robes, wall hangings, linens and upholstery and rugs for domestic use.
Embroidery stitches could be very functional or just for decorating a piece of clothing. Applique work is stitched to the main cloth with decorative stitches; Smocking uses decorative stitches to secure gathers or folds which have already been formed. There are many names for stitches but the most common are chain stitch, blanket stitch, featherstitch, French knot, satin stitch cross-stitch and tent stitch. The thread used usually silk, wool, cotton or linen. In some 20thc century work some fine metallic wire has been found. Some types of embroidery are referred to by the kind of thread used for example crewel work is stitched in brightly coloured wool yarns on a natural beige or bleached white linen. Needlepoint it a form of embroidery but stitched on a canvas usually with the picture already printed on the canvas.
The earliest piece of embroidery includes cross stitch and dates back to the sixth or seventh centuries AD. Around this time folk art was becoming very popular and cross stitch decorated domestic items using geometric and floral patterns. Some of these patterns can still be found in books today
To start with cross-stitching was used t make working sampler. It was used as a means of recording a verse or a prayer. In 1797 orphaned children in a school in Bengal were given the task of stitching the longest chapters in the bible the 19th Psalm.
As pattern books became more accessible during the seventeenth century cross stitching was used to as an educational tool, teaching children needlework skills thought essential to young girls who would be making household linen and clothing. Many items would be produced for the home by these girls for example bell pulls, purses, cushions, fire screens, pincushions. and cushion covers.
In 1852 the first domestic sewing machine was invented and machine embroidered clothes were available at prices people could afford home stitching started to decline. But in the sixties when many women found they had a bit more time on their hands and Cross Stitch as we know it today was reborn
To do cross-stitch you need supplies and equipment such as embroidery threads, wool, needles, fabric and patterns. You can find all this equipment without having to leave the comfort of you home. The internet is a minefield of information. Below are a few example of what you will need to get you started. If you decide to buy a kit it will contain needle, fabric, needle and pattern
Aida Fabric is a material that has small square holes in it so you can sew when doing cross-stitching/embroidery. Aida comes in a lot of colours and sizes. You can get it in kits or on its own.
Embroidery silk usually comes in 8mtre skeins and is available in hundreds of different colours and Tapersty needles in different sizes
Embroidery hoops are used to hold the material taut for when you are sewing. Frames and stands are also useful for keeping large pieces of work taut and work can be also on show with this piece of equipment.
Good lighting for the work area is essential. If you work area is dark there are a variety of daylight bulbs available to suit you setting
Patterns can come from a magazine, books or the internet. (If you buy a ready made kit your pattern will be in the kit).
Although tapestries have been woven from lots of different yarns for years, it is said that the first yarn to be used was Jute. This is one of the world’s strongest fabrics and is used for making ropes, rugs & wall hangings. These days Jute is not used and most wall décor is woven from cotton to acrylic wool.
With so many fabrics to choose from its very hard to decide what type to buy. That decision will depend on what style of tapestry you are choosing to do and what sixe you need. The classic designs are wool tapestries and are much heavier and larger that other tapestry wall hanging. This types of tapestries are usually found in castles and large estate houses. Many medieval tapestries were woven from wool as sheep were a large part of medieval society
Cotton wall accessories are the most popular as they are not so heavy and much easier to keep clean. They are also a lot cheaper to make than the old wool tapestries but still looking like the old wool tapestries
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