All You Want To Know About Embroidery

The History of embroidery is a long and illustrious one with every conceivable surface having been embellished with the art of needlework. Garments and items of all kinds for both religious and domestic use were richly embroidered. During the Reformation in the 16th century, which involved the dissolution of English monasteries, many of the church vestments were burnt. In the medieval period up to the end of the 14th century, English embroidery was considered to be the best in Europe and was known as opus anglicanum (English work). It was carried out by guilds of craftsmen and women who were mostly centred on monastic houses and medieval convents. Made solely for the Church and exported throughout Europe, its importance is shown by the fact that many of the best artists, who worked on the books and illuminated manuscripts, were also employed to design these great works of embroidered art.

Experimentation to solve problems is the best advice. Keep a variety of needle types, sizes, and finishes on hand so you will have the tools needed to solve any related problem. The other advice I give is to keep a record of the needle size, fabric, stabalizer and thread also the bobbin thread used in your project. Topstitch needles are perfect for the heavier weight threads and when all else fails! This needle is extra sharp, the eye is very long and the front groove is deep. Having a very long eye means that the needle shaft is not necessarily thick and therefore does not put large holes in the fabric. No well-born girl would have been considered a lady without being able to sew; all the Queens of Europe were well skilled with their needle. The Spanish Catherine of Aragon, Mary Queen of Scots educated in France and Elizabeth I of England were all noted for their skill at embroidery.

On the domestic front it was mainly the women of noble houses and their servants who stitched the garments and items used in daily life. Mary Queen of Scots, who embroidered away the hours of her long imprisonment,later Charles Plouvart as her embroiderers. The popularity of embroidery and the demand for rich and sumptuous garments became so great in medieval Europe that there were various attempts to control what was seen as an excessive desire for finery. Embroidery must start with a design or logo that is in the proper embroidery format. Patterns are put into the correct format in a process called digitizing. Professional digitizing software is expensive, but cheap auto-digitizing patterns have numerous problems when put out to the embroidery machine. Embroidery uses certain types of stitches to get a great look on a finished product. Straight stitches include running stitch, simple satin stitch, Algerian eye stitch, and fern stitch. As opposed to straight stitches which move in a simple up and down motion, back stitches move in an encircling motion. Back stitches include stem stitch, outline stitch, split stitch, and crewel stitch.