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History of Cross Stitch
Cross stitch and needlework
can be found in the earliest history, as far back as sixth century BC.
Needlework has been around as long as there has been cloth to work it
on. Pieces of embroidery and needlework have been found preserved
in ancient Egyptian tombs and in Medieval churches.
In the Eleventh century,
tapestry was the most popular and famous of embroideries depicting the
Norman invasion of England in 1066.
Catherine of Aragon, who was Spanish and
the first wife of Henry VII is credited with bringing blackwork to
England in the sixteenth century.
Blackwork was believed to be the beginnings of what we think of as cross
stitch today. It was worked with black sheep wool on white linen.
Blackwork is still popular today.
The first printed pattern
book was made in Germany in 1524. It would be some time before
patterns became widely available. In the 16th century printing was
invented. These early patterns left the stitcher to decide what
colors to use for their design.
Linen was very expensive so
every square inch of the fabric was used. Thus the invention of
samplers. Samplers were also intended to teach young women to sew
and to memorize the alphabet and numbers. They were also used to
teach moral values and verses from the bible. Since Linen was so
expensive, commoners used what is called perforated paper to do their
designs.
The first fabric made
specifically for cross stitch was introduced in 1890. It was made
by a company in Germany called Zweigart. The fabric is called
Aida, it is an evenweave and it is designed in little squares
making it easy to see where to stitch each cross stitch.
Assisi embroidery is a form of
counted-thread embroidery based on an ancient Italian tradition where
the background is filled with embroidery stitches and the main motifs
are left void i.e. unstitched. The name is derived from the Italian town
of Assisi where the modern form of the craft originated.
Zweigart currently have two
mills. One in Germany and one in Switzerland. They
distribute their products world wide. Their next step is to catch
up with the computer age. It would make their distribution
much more efficient.
Cross stitch as we know it
today was introduced in the 1960 when women had more leisure time.
Needlework in this country as generally been attributed to women's work,
but in it's beginnings it was a craft preformed mostly by men who spent
many years mastering their technique. Many designs were made widely available with the ease of printing
them and computers to reproduce the designs. You can find a
pattern of just about any subject today. You can even design your
own patterns with computer software.
Cross stitch is the most
popular form of needlework today. It is very easy to do and to
teach. Most people who stitch, myself included, consider it
to be relaxing and enjoyable to do.
There are a few different
types of cross stitch. There is stamped cross stitch. In
stamped cross stitch little X's are stamped on what is usually a cotton
fabric with a tight weave (no holes). The fabric is
often used for a quilt, bed linen, or doily. You just stitch over
the little X's to make your design.
There is no count cross
stitch. This is a great way for beginners or children to learn to
cross stitch. The pattern is dyed onto the cross stitch fabric
(usually an Aida) and you just follow the colors while you stitch.
No need for a paper pattern.
More experienced stitchers
like to do counted cross stitch. In counted cross stitch you use a
clean fabric (Aida, Linen, Lugana, etc.) and you use a paper pattern and
follow the directions on the pattern to create your design on the clean
fabric. This is the most rewarding kind of cross stitch.
It's fun to watch your design come alive on the clean fabric as you
stitch. It's like painting with a needle.
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