Crewel To Be Kind

As you know, I'm a fan of the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda and have seen most episodes of each show multiple times. I love watching their friendship grow, and the more I watch the show, the more I like everything about it. Well, I noticed that Mary does crewelwork! So, obviously, I like it too.

Crewelwork, or crewel embroidery, is a type of embroidery used to create decorative patterns in dress and home fabrics, often with wool yarn. It's as old (or older!) than the Bayeux Tapestry; here's a great website that describes the history of crewel work.

Remember, when you were little, and your mom introduced you to cross stitching? I started my first cross stitching project in second grade, while planning to give it to my second grade teacher; I finished my first cross stitching project in fifth grade and gave it to my fifth grade teacher. It was probably my apparent lack of enthusiasm for cross stitching that stopped my mom from introducing me to crewelwork! Like all handcrafts, crewelwork is making a comeback, and I'd like to be a part of the crewelwork movement.

Now, the funny thing about crewelwork is that I've been creating it for a while without knowing it. I've embroidered fabric, felt makeup cases, and clothing with embroidery floss without giving much thought to the idea that what I was doing had a name. And that other people enjoyed it as much as I did. And that other people blogged about it.

Image from HelloHorizon

 What appeals to me most about crewelwork is its free-form style. Yes, you can follow a pattern, but basically, you can create whatever you want using whatever colored yarn or floss you'd like to use. And the work can be as detailed or as abstract as you would like. It's a creative free-for-all, a time to let your imagination run wild.
Very cool!