Tricky Terms

We're getting into the "terms discussion" againG

I get a little passionate about terms sometimes but try to be mellow most of
the time. My preferences (admitting not much in the world is written in
stone) a

Embroidery: Any work produced with a needle, a fiber and a ground
Needlepoint: Lace worked on the "point of a needle" (aka canvaswork,
tapestry)
Canvaswork: Embroidery executed on a ground where the holes are
substantially larger than the woven fibers
Blackwork: Any embroidery executed in black fibers
Assisiwork: A Victorian era form of voided ground embroidery
Tapestry: A woven, not embroidered, textile (aka needlepoint, canvaswork)
Cross stitch: A form of embroidery
Hardanger: A style of embroidery evolving from 16th century pattern books
and folk forms developing as a style the Hardanger region (other great
embroidery styles Castleguidi, Schwalm, etc. developed in other regions)
Voided ground: Any form of design (including embroidery) in which the
foreground is left undecorated rather than the background (aka Assisiwork)

I dislike the term "Blackwork" as a Victorian invention as was "Assisiwork"
I've given up changing the attitudes of the world on blackwork but claim
some small victories on AssisiworkG

Linn Skinner
Skinner Sisters
www.skinnersisters.com

Linn Skinner wrote:
We're getting into the "terms discussion" againG

I get a little passionate about terms sometimes but try to be mellow most of
the time. My preferences (admitting not much in the world is written in
stone) a

Embroidery: Any work produced with a needle, a fiber and a ground
Needlepoint: Lace worked on the "point of a needle" (aka canvaswork,
tapestry)
Canvaswork: Embroidery executed on a ground where the holes are
substantially larger than the woven fibers
Blackwork: Any embroidery executed in black fibers

I'm curious, then: what then is your term for double running or double
sided stitches traditionally executed in black but now often done in
colors or overdyed threads? How do you keep from confusing this with
what you call blackwork?

Elizabeth
--
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~living well is the best revenge~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The most important thing one woman can do for another is to illuminate
and expand her sense of actual possibilities. --Adrienne Rich
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Short answer "double-running" . For my take on this very fuzzy sort of term
you might want to check out:

http://www.skinnersisters.com/stitch/issue1/index.html

I would really prefer not calling modern geometric filling patterns done in
straight/back/double-running stitch "blackwork" unless they are executed in
black or for that matter the geometric bands done in double running or cross
stitch that are found in 16th century pattern books or depicted in 16th
century portraits. Early portraits show various colors used for stitching
these little designs and I doubt if the embroiderer of the time would have
stitched them in red and called them "blackwork".

I've given up though. Modern stitchers prefer the term applied to the
design style, not the color of thread used to execute a design. I use the
term "blackwork" when selling designs made up of geometric
straight/back/double-running stitches because that is what will sellG

Linn Skinner
Skinner Sisters
www.skinnersisters.com

I'm curious, then: what then is your term for double running or double
sided stitches traditionally executed in black but now often done in
colors or overdyed threads? How do you keep from confusing this with
what you call blackwork?

Linn Skinner opined thusly:

Short answer "double-running" . For my take on this very fuzzy sort
of term you might want to check out:

http://www.skinnersisters.com/stitch/issue1/index.html

I would really prefer not calling modern geometric filling patterns
done in straight/back/double-running stitch "blackwork" unless they
are executed in black or for that matter the geometric bands done in
double running or cross stitch that are found in 16th century
pattern books or depicted in 16th century portraits. Early
portraits show various colors used for stitching these little
designs and I doubt if the embroiderer of the time would have
stitched them in red and called them "blackwork".

I've given up though. Modern stitchers prefer the term applied to
the design style, not the color of thread used to execute a design.
I use the term "blackwork" when selling designs made up of geometric
straight/back/double-running stitches because that is what will
sellG

Linn Skinner
Skinner Sisters
www.skinnersisters.com

I'm curious, then: what then is your term for double running or
double sided stitches traditionally executed in black but now often
done in colors or overdyed threads? How do you keep from confusing
this with what you call blackwork?



Chipping in here.

"Spanish work" seems to be what was used in the vernacular after the
style was widely popularized in England during the reign of Catharine of
Aragon.

There are mentions of "sheets and pillow-beres wrought with Spanish work
of black silk on the edge." in Catherine's inventories, and a reference
about Mary receiving items "wrought with black silk, Spanish fashion" as
a New Year's gift in 1556.

Additionally, Elizabeth I received many items in her New Years gifts.
1558 - 1559 shows "sixteen yards of Spanish work for ruffs" and one of
Elizabeth's New Year's Gifts. In "The Progresses and Public Processions
of Queen Elizabeth" for the year 1578-1579 there is a mention of a New
Years gift given her: "By Mrs. Digby, six faire handkerchers of camerike
of blake Spanish worke, edged with a brode bone lace of golde and siluer.
Delivered to Mrs. Skydmore". And in 1601 she received a"partelett and a
peire of sleeves of sypress wrought with silver and black silke".

I particularly like the 1578-1579 notation because it explicitly states
"blake Spanish worke". This implies to me that folks categorized the
style in general as "Spanish Worke" and simply changed the thread colour
as necessary to make the description accurate. So you could have red
spanish work, blue spanish work, whatever you wanted.

Regards,
--Anne

Group: rec.crafts.textiles.needlework Date: Mon, Aug 11, 2003, 2:33am
(MDT+6) From: (Sorceress)

Linn Skinner opined thusly:

Short answer "double-running" . For my take
on this very fuzzy sort of term you might want
to check out:

Then Anne said:
Chipping in here.

"Spanish work" seems to be what was used in
the vernacular after the style was widely
popularized in England during the reign of
Catharine of Aragon.

snip the rest of good stuff

I really like the idea of "Spanish work" for the genre. The old
needlework books I have say that "blackwork" was originally based upon
the black, wrought-iron grillwork and railings found on buildings in
Spain.

I'll vote for "Spanish work" in whatever color.




chris c
"Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." ~~ Satchel Paige

"Dianne Lewandowski" wrote

I'm still trying to figure out why raised work (stumpwork) is called
Elizabethan embroidery, because there is a huge difference in the style
of embroidery which began during Elizabeth's reign and what happened to
it in the next 40 years.

I recall a reference to stumpwork that attributed the name to the use of
inserts, sometimes small pieces of wood, as well as padding, to raise
portions of the work about the ground fabric. It was talking about the
Stuart period IIRC.
Is this true, or one of those "folk etymologies" I wonder.
Dawne

Dawne Peterson wrote:
I recall a reference to stumpwork that attributed the name to the use
of inserts, sometimes small pieces of wood, as well as padding, to raise
portions of the work about the ground fabric. It was talking about
the Stuart period IIRC.
Is this true, or one of those "folk etymologies" I wonder.


Well, ya made me go to google and look up the Stuart period. 1603 until
1714.

The baroque is 1600 to 1750

The heydey of raised embroidery was about 1610 to 1640 (or 1670,
depending upon who you read). It was variously called embroidery on the
stamp. The Victorians coined the word "stumpwork". The Australian's
(notably Jane Nicholas) brought the word and technique back into vogue.
I have an essay on the confusing terminology he
http://www.heritageshoppe.com/herita...s/essay13.html

And I guarantee you, I disagree with some of the authors' conclusions.
The "Elizabethan era" was not, in my opinion, the height of embroidery.
It came during the Stuart period - and what I prefer to call it, the
"baroque" period. What did come into fruition during Elizabeth's time
was needlelace.

Yes, wood was often used as a mold, along with wool or cotton padding.
Carved wooden faces were common. But that came after Elizabeth - at
least in quantity. During Elizabeth's time, the embroidery wasn't all
that "raised". Some of the petals were "lifted" detached buttonhole -
that is, the tips of petals were free of the rest of the petal and stood
up. Half a pea pod was often done in this manner. Elizabeth Clark's
book shows how to do this very well. It ain't easy, however. big grin

One author stated she felt things were "kitted" because you could see
the inked outlines on the motifs. I also take issue with this. It's
only been the last half of the 20th century (about) that having the
lines show was considered "worthless embroidery". Asian embroidery is
inked to this day, and it often shows. They are some of the most
beautiful embroideries you'll ever see. Whitework often didn't show the
inked outlines because they bleached the heck out of this stuff. And
some dyes used for patterning were simply easier to wash out. Or washed
out fairly readily through time. Some types of embroidery covers ink
better than others. I'm open to an attitude adjustment if someone can
give me a rational, logical alternative to how I feel.

This type of highly raised embroidery probably lost favor because it
simply wasn't practical. You can't wash it. The "wired" motifs would
get all crunched with a lot of handling. Lifted detached buttonhole
wouldn't stay in position if handled frequently. But it sure enough is
gorgeous embroidery and is beautiful in a shadow box of some type. I'm
working on a rather large piece, at the moment. Have threatened in the
past to make (cover) a box. But you wouldn't be able to touch it. So,
what's the point? What do you do when it gets dusty??

Dianne

C Cordell wrote:

I really like the idea of "Spanish work" for the genre. The old
needlework books I have say that "blackwork" was originally based upon
the black, wrought-iron grillwork and railings found on buildings in
Spain.

I'll vote for "Spanish work" in whatever color.
As someone who has never done this type of work (and probably never
will, although some of it is very lovely), I vote for "Spanish work"
also. It's much less confusing for us poor souls who are learning
there's more "out there" than just the cross stitch. Red Spanish
work or blue Spanish work is much less confusing than "blackwork that's
done in red/blue/green/fuschia" (or is is fuschiawork???)!
JM2cW!
--
Joan

See my first-ever design he
http://www.HeritageShoppe.com/heritage/temp/joan1.jpg

"Stitch when you are young and poor, frame when you are old and rich."
- Elizabeth's (rctn'r) sister's MIL (Barbara Marr)

On Mon, 11 Aug 2003 02:33:24 GMT, Sorceress
wrote:

"Spanish work" seems to be what was used in the vernacular after the
style was widely popularized in England during the reign of Catharine of
Aragon.

I have a book I bought in England in 1971 that calls it "Spanish
Blackwork."
Darla
Sacred cows make great hamburgers.

On Mon, 11 Aug 2003 10:36:10 -0500, Joan Erickson
wrote:

C Cordell wrote:

I really like the idea of "Spanish work" for the genre. The old
needlework books I have say that "blackwork" was originally based upon
the black, wrought-iron grillwork and railings found on buildings in
Spain.

I'll vote for "Spanish work" in whatever color.
As someone who has never done this type of work (and probably never
will, although some of it is very lovely), I vote for "Spanish work"
also. It's much less confusing for us poor souls who are learning
there's more "out there" than just the cross stitch. Red Spanish
work or blue Spanish work is much less confusing than "blackwork that's
done in red/blue/green/fuschia" (or is is fuschiawork???)!
JM2cW!
It's fuchsia. Named for Fuchs.
Darla
Sacred cows make great hamburgers.