I have been working hard on the crewel work bed hangings for the Master Bedroom in Daviot House.  It is a riot of colours and flowers, which is such an antidote to the dull January we are having.





My RL size sewing tools give you an idea of scale.  Miniature surface embroidery often photographs very badly, as the stitches can seem quite rough.




I made the design myself, inspired by the bed hangings that date from the mid-Eighteenth century.  Crewel work is a distinctly British type of embroidery that was taken over to the US, where you can see some very fine examples.  

The designs themselves were based on the bright printed Indian calicos and cottons that were imported to Britain in the late 17th and 18th centuries.




The floral motifs could be realsitic representations of plants, or more exotic types.  They often had animals hidden in the vines.  The tree of life motif is extremely ancient, and we still see its influence today in chintz fabrics.

Crewel work was worked (sewn) in light wool thread on either wool or linen cloth.  In miniature these materials would be impossibly out of scale, so I have used silk thread on dupion silk, which has a nice texture to it.




It gives me an excuse to get out my miniature sewing items too!





You can see on the work bag and stumpwork sewing box that I can stitch even tinier stitches than the crewel work, but crewel work designs had very little respect for scale and reality.  A peony can be larger than a pheasant, and the stag at the bottom of my design is completely dwarfed by the flowers!

This is the delight of crewel work, which gives such life and humour to embroidery.




Such lovely colours are a delight in these dark evenings, and make me think about what I shall do in my garden this year.


I still have to complete the hanging for both sides, the valance along the top, the headboard curtain and the bedspread....such a lot of work!



I put the embroidery behind my sewing table to show you the size - when in place, the individual stitches cannot be seen so clearly.

I still have quite a long way to go, but hopefully 2022 will be the year of the bed hangings!

Jonquil

 

Comments

  1. Good Morning, What a pleasure to find your sideways post on Instagram this morning and to be able to check your work out more thoroughly here. Amazingly it seems I can comment this time.
    What an influence the Indian prints had on European design and fashion and continue to do so.
    Your real size scissors are fantastic by the way! I am surprised to see you working so soon on the bed hangings but that bed is just crying out to be dressed.
    What a pleasure it must have been to sift through your silk threads to decide on colours. Another of your skills.
    Your work is wonderful. Thank you for posting.
    Regards Janine

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  2. Dear Jonquil, my first thought was "Heavens you're fast"! The bed curtains are just Gorgeous!!! I am so envious of your mini stitching skills... I want to try stumpwork someday... but so far all I do is simple stitches. I can dream, right? The delicacy of your design is so sweet and the colors are a delight! I have seen many examples of RL crewel bed hangings in museums and "historical" homes over here. I have always wanted to make some for my dolls houses... so someday I will get going! Meanwhile I will just admire your gorgeous handiwork and try to understand how you can work so quickly! LOL! I can't wait to see more! :):)

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  3. What an amazing work!!! I am in awe of your embroidery. Thank you for telling us more about crewel work.
    Geneviève

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  4. You have to be one of the most Prolific embroiderers that I know, and between you and Betsy, I am once again gob-smacked by the high quality and speed at which the 2 of you can work!
    Needless to say Jonquil, that I'm Mega impressed by your original designs, and by the richness of the jewel tones you've chosen flesh your patterns out. Your Crewel work is as flawless as your petit point and stumpwork- Hats off!

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  5. Oh my, Jonquil the tree of life bedhanging is exquisite. I often work RL crewel embroidery projects and your miniature version is just such an incredibly perfect representation of the originals. The bed is no doubt going to be absolutely stunning.
    It is summer in South Australia, way too hot to do fine stitching unless you are right in front of the air-conditioner but seeing your work sure does 'make my fingers itch'
    Anna X

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  6. Hello Jonquil, I am amazed by your miniature crewel work. So colourful. The flowers almost jump off of the canvas.

    I love crewelwork very much but on the continent it is virtually unknown. Only very rarely examples show up in museums or grand houses over here. I have visited many museums and grand houses/castles but most of the examples I did encounter were in Great Britain.

    I love the huge and colourful florals. I wish you good luck with the rest of the hangings. It takes little imagination to know that the result will be nothing short of spectaculair!

    Huibrecht

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