Crewel embroidery

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Crewel embroidery, or crewelwork, is a type of surface embroidery worked in wool. A wide variety of different embroidery stitches are used to follow a design outline applied to the fabric. The technique became popular in the 17th century. Crewel embroidery is not identified with particular styles of designs, but simply with the use of wool thread. Modern crewel wool is a fine, two-ply or one-ply yarn available in many different colours. Crewel embroidery is often associated with England in the 17th and 18th centuries, and emigrants carried the craft from England to American colonies, where it became particularly popular in New England. The stitches and designs used in America were simpler and more economical with the scarce crewel wool. The Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework (1896–1926) revived interest in crewel embroidery in the United States.

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