Crewel, blackwork, and canvaswork

Canvas work - are you talking basic basketweave or counted canvaswork? Also, painted canvas or not? I like counted canvas and am partial to Laura Perin, but usually find at least one mistake in her charts. Whatever you do, DON'T do the freebie at Northern Pines Designs as a first counted project - it is not very well written!

Blackwork is, essentially, back stitch taken to the extreme (although some people prefer to do it in running or double running stitch) and probably the easiest to make the "jump" to. I like the look of blackwork in different colors. If you look back through recent posts, you will find a thread about blackwork with loads of freebies and links.

HTH! Linda

I think there actually is a pretty good choice of small crewel kits that are geared to beginners. I know that I've seen some on Tanja Berlin's site (I'm sure someone can give you the correct spelling) and I've even seen some that looked pretty nice in the Herschnners and Stitchery catalogues.

I googled crewel embroidery kits and immediately came up with this one that had some very nice kits that are marked for a beginner.

Needle has a ton of counted canvas work and I'm sure some of them must be marked as suitable for a learning experience, or you could try a bargello piece from a book. That's generally a nice way to begin and it isn't terribly difficult once you get it started. To me, counted work on canvas isn't all that different from cross stitch, except for using either basketweave or continental stitch. Blackwork is beautiful but I didn't find I loved doing it. Once you get a pattern started, it's just a matter of keeping track and endless counting. But it's pretty enough to try it and find out for yourself if you like the technique or not.

As far as where to start, no matter what I'm doing, be it crewel, needlepoint or cross stitch, I do it the unorthodox way and usually start in the top right hand corner. Most of the instructions I've seen tell you to mark the center and work out from there. Personally, I don't think it makes much of a difference where you start, provided you are very sure to leave enough margin so if it's not exactly centered on the fabric it doesn't matter.

Try them all and see for yourself what floats your boat. It's all fun.

Lucille

>

Can't help you with where to start. I jumped in the deep end before I knew I wasn't supposed to be able to do...whatever. I also don't tend to read directions before and until I get into trouble.

However, this:

is where to go for good animated instructions.I'm with Linda on surface work, although I'm pretty much too lazy to design it myself. I pick a motif and go. This is the quilt I made my daughter:

are about 6 pictures of it in there. I liked the Suzy's Zoo stuff, traced out the outlines and just started stitching. I haven't finished quilting it yet and now she's four. In my defense, my grandmother acquired my extra large hoop somehow and I've been kinda busy.

Hmmm, Crewel - start with a kit. And there are some great books out there for beginning crewel with nice diagrams, etc. this one, Amazon link below,

the hot new book. We have sold several copies, nice clear diagrams, etc.You could look at the local library to see what they have. Canvas work - a kit, likely a simple painted design is a good place to start. Many of the charted pieces tend to involve more complicated stitches. But some don't. It depends. Jean Hilton has some charted designs that are for beginning, and I know we have some other charts in the shop that are for beginning canvas work, and walk you through the stitches, etc. I just can't remember who else they are buy. But there are some - those charts will be booklets for the most part, not just a couple of pages.

A classic is the Needlepoint Book by Jo Ippolito Christensen.

that said, there is a really good, inexpensive book put out by thetrade association, TNNA, "How to Needlepoint" which is about $7 (maybeless). Most shops have it. Covers very clearly the basics of what to do,why to do it, including starting, stopping, setting up, and several stitches- tent including basketweave, plus some of the decorative stitches oncanvas. I'd really recommend getting a copy of this if you're going to bedoing some of your canvas stash. Take a look at your local shop - actuallythe knitting store in Westfield may have the TNNA book - they also do a "Howto Knit" one. If you really want something - just give us a call at theshop.

On the web, for NP, the American Needlepoint Guild is a great resource. They have a section "stitch of the month" with diagrams of many stitches, and IIRC, a good one on basic tent stitch.

way to the bottom for the tent stitches. Good luck - you'll be fine.

Ellice

Actually, we've got several crewel kits that are aimed at beginning to intermediate. I think it's making somewhat of a comeback. And there is always the awesome Tanya Berlin sight - she has some gorgeous stuff, the kits are reasonable, and I think she still does the correspondence criticism if you buy a kit from her.

Canvas work - are you talking basic basketweave or counted> canvaswork? Also, painted canvas or not? I like counted canvas and> am partial to Laura Perin, but usually find at least one mistake in> her charts. Whatever you do, DON'T do the freebie at Northern Pines> Designs as a first counted project - it is not very well written! Good points. But there are several designers out there with chartedinstructions that are a bit better to start with. The Laura Perin stuff isfabulous. Having just rearranged all the charts in the store, includingracks of NP, you'd think I'd remember who has the nice beginner ones - butI don't.

Well, isn't "true" blackwork done in Holbein stitch? The Skinner sisters have several books (coil bound) of blackwork, including an introductory one. Plus there is Leon Conrad. And there are some small blackwork designs from Dessins - a French company. Also, the Royal School of Needlework Embroidery Techniques book,

a very good section on Blackwork - with tips on the stitching, how to doshading with it, etc. This book also has crewel information, and anexcellent section on Goldwork. Definitely a great resource. Ellice

See, usually I'm the type that just jumps in, too, but I'm wondering if I should avoid that for a change. :) Crewel's the one I know the least about; mostly I've just seen Elizabethan/Jacobean style critters & flowers that mix solid & openwork areas. I love the look, but I'm not sure what I'm looking at, either in stitches or materials (usually cushions and the like, so heavier fabric & fibers I assume).

Allura

Counted canvas. In fact, I JUST downloaded that freebie last night. That abstract look of multiple stitches is what I like and I had thought that was "canvaswork," as compared to a painted canvas being done with needlepoint? Now I'm confused. This is what I get for self- teaching. :)

I like the idea of painted canvases, but I rarely see one I like enough, and hand painted ones are expensive. OTOH, I actually have a chart for a canvaswork kimono and even utterly indugled in "Nova," which is huge but I thought would actually make a good learning piece at some point. Now, though, I'm thinking the colors are too muted for my taste, so that's another issue.

I'll look for those. I have one design that's a blackwork maze garden that I want to try in color, actually, and another one that uses blackwork in the background.

Of course, all these ambitions involve me finding more time to stitch! :)

Allura

Oh, ok. I must be the only stitcher that doesn't regularly check out Nordic Needle, simply bc I tend to be more of an impulse buyer...so it's safer to wait till I have the money before I go near my LNS. :) I'm such a geek, but I don't actually buy a lot online.

I'm an upper left starter myself. I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not, but it's just sorta what I started doing. It does make me extra careful about measuring my margins, though.

Allura

You should take a peek at New Crewel Or The Art of Embroidery: Inspirational Stitches, Textures, and Surfaces or Embroidery: Techniques & Patterns

I love them for the ideas. Remember in some ways crewel is just a fancy name for surface work.. C

Umm, it's all needlepoint. Just a couple of different ways of getting the pattern on the canvas - either from a chart or a painted. Regardless, the basic stitch is the diagonal tent (either done colonial or basketweave). But, you can do other stitches in either case. Part of the fun for painted canvas is really choosing what stitches, what threads to get the effect you want.

Nova is a great piece - but probably it would be good to start with something a bit smaller. And you can always change colors.

Ellice

Ok, I feel dumb now. :) I thought needlepoint referred to solid tent stitch. Sheesh, I'm really going about things arse-backwards, aren't I? :)

Yes, it is quite large. Since it's broken into small squares, I thought it was less intimidating than some other BAPs I have, though. Small project? Whuzzat?

Allura

Before I was told how blackwork should be done -- following a route with preferrably a double running instead of back stich, no cross overs, etc., I did one of Leon Conrad's designs. You can see his work at

Many free patterns can be found at has put out a blackwork book which is gathering dust on my bookshelf. List price was $11.99; contact me off list if you might interested in negotiating for it ;-) In terms of crewel, ebay is one source of wool but be wary -- I bought some that fell apart when pulled through the fabric. As someone else said, you don't have to use wool; find a pattern and do it with whatever fibers or threads you've got on hand.

Free patterns for many techniques are available at

library or a used bookstore may have some good stitching books. Stitch guides can be found at you want more advice on surface embroidery, just ask ;-)