Cross Stitch and Crossed Stitches

Description

by Anne Wanner

The project of a glossary of embroidery stitches arose among the members of the “Embroidery Group”, one of the specialized groups under the banner of the CIETA (Centre International d’Etude des Textiles Anciens), based in Lyon, France. This publication presents a section of the glossary, which consists of an illustrated collection of embroidery stitches with descriptions in four languages. It aims to serve as a reference to those experts who study and catalog historic textiles. It is hoped that the illustration of the embroidery stitches both on the front and the reverse side will allow new insights in terms of dating and provenance. The scope of the glossary is to help preserve knowledge about an ornamental craft that has been practiced for centuries but is today threatened with oblivion, especially since hand work is not taught in most basic school curricula. This is a booklet of 18 pages in four languages (German, English, French and Italian). Many samplers and stitch diagrams are in color, including detailed photos of historic embroideries of the Ikle Collection in the St. Gallen’s Museum.