Cross stitches

Applications

Cross stitches were typical of 16th century canvas work, falling out of fashion in favor of tent stitch toward the end of the century. Canvas work in cross stitch became popular again in the mid-19th century with the Berlin wool work craze.

Herringbone, fishbone, Van Dyke, and related crossed stitches are used in crewel embroidery, especially to add texture to stems, leaves, and similar objects. Basic cross stitch is used to fill backgrounds in Assisi work.

Cross stitch was widely used to mark household linens in the 18th and 19th centuries, and girls' skills in this essential task were demonstrated with elaborate samplers embroidered with cross-stitched alphabets, numbers, birds and other animals, and the crowns and coronets sewn onto the linens of the nobility. Much of contemporary cross-stitch embroidery derives from this tradition.

Variants

Common variants of cross stitch include:

• Basic cross stitch
• Celtic cross stitch
• Long-armed cross stitch
• Double cross stitch
• Italian cross stitch
• Basket stitch
• Leaf stitch
• Herringbone stitch
• Closed herringbone stitch
• Tacked herringbone stitch
• Threaded herringbone stitch
• Tied herringbone stitch
• Montenegrin stitch
• Trellis stitch
• Thorn stitch
• Van Dyke stitch

The most famous are Italian cross embroidery, long arm cross embroidery, and Black Mountain embroidery. Italian cross embroidery and Montenegrin embroidery are reversible, which means that the work looks the same on both sides. These styles are a little different from regular cross stitch embroidery. These more intricate stitches are rarely used in traditional embroidery, but they are still used to recreate historical works of embroidery or by creative and adventurous embroiderers. Double cross embroidery, also known as Leviathan embroidery or Smyrna cross embroidery, combines cross embroidery vertically.

Berlin Woolwork and similar stitches like petit point are reminiscent of the heavily brushed, luxurious styles of cross-stitch embroidery, and sometimes paper-printed diagrams are also used.

Gallery

Image:Basic cross stitch.jpg|Basic cross stitch as worked in embroidery Image:Long-armed cross stitch.jpg|Long-armed cross stitch Image:Double cross stitch.jpg|Double cross stitch Image:Italian cross stitch.jpg|Italian cross stitch Image:Basket stitch.jpg|Basket stitch Image:Leaf stitch.gif|Leaf stitch Image:Herringbone stitch2.jpg|Herringbone stitch Image:Tacked herringbone stitch2.jpg|Tacked herringbone stitch Image:Tied herringbone stitch.gif|Tied herringbone stitch Image:Montegrin cross stitch.jpg|Montenegrin stitch Image:Thorn stitch.gif|Thorn stitch Image:Trellis stitch.gif|Trellis stitch Image:Van Dyke stitch.gif|Van Dyke stitch

Notes

References

• Caulfield, S.F.A., and B.C. Saward, The Dictionary of Needlework, 1885.
• Enthoven, Jacqueline: The Creative Stitches of Embroidery, Van Norstrand Rheinhold, 1964,
• Reader's Digest, Complete Guide to Needlework. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (March 1992).
• Lemon, Jane, Metal Thread Embroidery, Sterling, 2004, , p. 112
• Levey, S. M. and D. King, The Victoria and Albert Museum's Textile Collection Vol. 3: Embroidery in Britain from 1200 to 1750, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1993,

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References

1. Gillow, John, and Bryan Sentance: ''World Textiles'', Bulfinch Press/Little, Brown, 1999, {{ISBN. 0-8212-2621-5, p. 181
2. Levey, S. M. and D. King, ''The Victoria and Albert Museum's Textile Collection Vol. 3: Embroidery in Britain from 1200 to 1750'', Victoria and Albert Museum, 1993, {{ISBN. 1-85177-126-3
3. Leszner, Eva Maria: ''Assisi Embroidery: Old Italian Cross Stitch Design'', Batsford Press, 1988, {{ISBN. 0-7134-5595-0, p. 29
4. "What Exactly Is A Cross Stitch Sampler?".
5. Gillow and Sentance: ''World Textiles'', p. 180-183
6. Reader's Digest ''Complete Guide to Needlework''. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (March 1992). {{ISBN. 0-89577-059-8, p. 38
7. "A Stitch in Time: Two-Sided Italian Cross-Stitch". pieceworkmagazine.com.
8. "Assisi Embroidery and Assisi Embroidery Patterns". www.needlepointers.com.
9. "Two-sided Italian cross stitch". rsnstitchbank.org.
10. "History of Cross-Stitch Embroidery". www.heartfuldiamonds.com.
11. "60+ different types of hand embroidery techniques". sewguide.com.
12. "Berlin woolwork". www.britannica.com.