I have collected embroidery for many decades. I remember shopping for vintage embroidered pillow cases with my mom, and I even tried embroidering my own with cross-stitch once. I do still have some embroidered linens, but my preference is for embroidered wall art. Since I was writing this post I moved a cross-stitch made by Jim’s mom (above) to a new place of honor in our bedroom. I had previously had it hanging in the spare room, but now that the teen has taken over that space I need to find new homes for my art collection.
One style of embroidery I’ve been able to find for resale is crewel, named for the wool yarn used in place of embroidery thread. I love the warm 70s colors and the texture!
Now that I know these crewel works were available as kits I might have to find one to complete. I’ve seen photos of some that are really 3-dimensional with layers of yarn and that would be fun to make and touch.
My sister found this embroidery piece for me. The beautiful frame has domed glass and the whole thing is 16 x 22 inches! As far as I can tell this was not from a kit and was made from regular embroidery floss. Some of the flowers are made with layers of knots—apparently there are many variations of this stitch with one of the most common being the French knot.
I also have a collection of family quilts, including this one featuring an embroidered nursery rhyme scene that I believe my grandma made. It is a bit fragile and I don’t have the space to hang. But most of my quilts I will save for another post.
These are beautiful pieces of hand crafted art you have collected and now display in your home. Your photographs and details about the artists show your love for this expression of art. I especially appreciate those created by your own family.