100 Details in 100 Days:Day 10

A few tips regarding Crewel Embroidery:

• Crewel Embroidery is worked with either a crewel or chenille needle. The critical factor is that the needle needs to be sharp.
• Crewel wool shreds very easily, so make sure you use short lengths.
• Never knot your wool, always use a waste knot or secure your thread in an area where you will work over it later.
• In crewel, stitches are worked both in and out of a hoop. I like to heavily starch my linen twill before I transfer my design. As mentioned before, it make it easier to remove any stray marks, but it also helps keep the fabric from skewing out of shape when you are stitching in hand.
• The "right" side of the linen twill has more pronounced ridges, but it can be difficult to discern.
• Always bind or overcast the edges of the linen before you begin to stitch.
• Surprisingly, denim twill makes an excellent ground fabric for crewel embroidery.
• If your fabric in in hand, use the sewing method.
• If your fabric is in a hoop, use the stabbing method.
• Use a wooden hoop, with a screw tightened closure. Wrap the inner hoop with twill tape or a strip of bias cut fabric. Judy Jeroy recommends a small hoop, so that you can easily manipulate the thread with your fingers and thumb.
• Never leave your work in the hoop any longer than necessary.
• Washing is almost always necessary. Do not wet your piece until and unless it is laced on a frame first.