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StumpworkAlso called raised work, stumpwork is a very dimensional embroidery form, most noted by the stuffed figures and attached pieces of embroidery. The designs invariably consisted of two people in a garden full of flowers, herbs and animals with no regard whatsoever to scale. Figures were dressed as little dolls, skirts could be lifted to view the petticoat and sometimes shoes, ruffs, collars, boots, hair (real), hats, faces were "soft sculptured" and the finest details were remarkable in the attention paid. Stumpwork was usually found on boxes, cabinets, mirrors and small bags. Raised embroidery was always popular in the ecclesiastical work done throughout history, but gained immense, though short, popularity in the latter half of the 1600s by secular embroiderers. Why it died out at the beginning of the 18th century is anyone's guess (possibly the difficulty of keeping such scenes clean, and no practical use for them), but it is certainly making a comeback! There are zillions of links on the net, and I've provided several at the bottom of this page. There are several conjectures as to just how stumpwork got its name. The one most often given explains that since some of the faces were made of molded or carved wood and covered by small stitching, the embroidery was done "on the stump" during the time of James I. Another suggestion is that the embroidery patterns were printed or stamped on the satin fabric (hence the similarity of so many examples) and stumpwork was just a derivation of embroidery being done "on the stamp". Interestingly, the French word for embossed is "estompé", and in 1678, according to Erica Wilson, the phrase "stump drawing" first made its way into the Oxford English Dictionary. Possibly, too, a new and fashionable word describing drawing in relief might also have been borrowed to describe embossed embroidery. Stump drawing was a form of shaded pencil drawing in which a stump, or small eraser of India rubber, among other possible materials, was used to soften the harsher marks of the pencil to made a shaded, relief effect. This may or may not have had something to do with the fact that raised or embossed embroidery came to be generally known as stumpwork at this time. I leave it to you. :) What I love is the fact that stumpwork has been revived in a big way, and it's a form of embroidery I would love to try. I had my hopes set on learning from all the best teachers, but one of the best is gone from us now, and the passing away of Jean Fletcher is largely the reason for this article. A great opportunity lost as she was one of the best, but her work lives on in books and kits. Back to history: in the sixteenth century it was very fashionable to decorate the bindings of those precious books! The covers were works of art, inlaid with jewels, pearls, beads, gold "bullions", all the fanciest embroidery on velvet, and the book it covered was kept in a cloth bag or case which was embroidered as well. Petit point was done on small count canvas and later applied to whole cloth which made the making of curtains and bed covers go much quicker than having to work the whole ground. In the late 1500s needlelace was popular and it was Hollie Point lace that was used to cover the wood molds. So, I think it can be said that many different types or styles of needlework merged at this time and culminated in the lovely art of stumpwork embroidery. Then it died out. Raised wool work was more popular, especially in the United States where colonists were at a great disadvantage in not being able to purchase (or afford) the fanciest materials. Gold tubes and silks just weren't available. Women raised sheep, spun wool, and wove their own fabrics, so wool work was much more popular than the traditional stumpwork at that time. There is one example I have heard that exists in America, and it's mentioned in Georgiana Harbeson's book, American Needlework. It is a picture, fashioned by one of the early settlers Rebekah Wheeler, a 19 year old girl, in "Ye month May 1664" and it was last reported to be in the Concord, Massachusetts Historical Society's collection. (Oh good! Proper care will be taken! I'd love to see it!) It illustrates the story of Queen Esther and Ahasuerus and there is a picture of it in the book. The crowns of the figures have beads in them and it is described as not having the usual amount of padding generally found in Stuart embroidery. If this interests you, do take the time to follow some of the following links, and if you should find more, let me know!! About Slips from the Victoriana website For kits: http://www.jenniferbee.com.au/ Hanging by a ThreadFor as long as it's up, panels for sale: http://www.scarlet-letter.com/Antique/Descript/StmpWrkPnls.htmhttp://www.velona.com/items/021/B02123.html http://www.florilegium.org/files/TEXTILES/embroidery-SW-msg.html http://www.cross-stitch.com.au/patterns/stumpwork.html http://www.silkenstrands.co.uk/links.htm http://www.needlepoint.org/NeedlePointers/00-07/ToC.htmBerlinwork http://www.needlepoint.org/Archives/01-01/berlinwork.htm
Jean Fletcher Her design "Fairy Wrens in My Garden" is used as the background photo. It's up in full at the bottom of the page. Some of her work can be found in the Australian magazine Embroidery and Cross Stitch, the 1998 yearbook having a lovely photo and plenty of instructions. She also had her work featured in Volume 5 Number 1. Other issues contain stumpwork by other talented stitchers: Vol. 3, # 6 with the red pansy on the cover; Vol. 5, #5, violets; Vol. 5, #3, pansies and strawberries. There are undoubtedly plenty more, and in other magazines. I'll post them here as I find them. Good searching to you, and if you've done any work of this sort, send a photo!!!! References used and recommended: Erica Wilson's Embroidery Book...there must be 15 pages of history on stumpwork. I love this book and it can frequently be found for sale on eBay. The Encyclopedia of Embroidery Techniques by Pauline Brown Stumpwork Embroidery by Jane Nicholas. This is her first book and her others refer to it for the basics. Get this one first! Stumpwork Embroidery Designs and Projects by Jane Nicholas American Needlework by Georgiana Brown Harbeson The Embroiderer's Story by Thomasina Beck |
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