Crewel wool

[Marjolein Mieras]

I am interested in what wool your favorite is to do crewel embroidery in particular for long and short shading.

What thread have you used? Did you like it? What are the pros and cons?

How strong is the thread? Is it easily damaged? How does the thread feel?

Please share your experiences, thank you!

[Sharon Brodeuse]

Hi Marjolein,

This is a good quesiton. I have used Paterna (Paternayan), Fine d'Aubusson, Appletons, and Renaissance Dyeing in various projects to date. I think all of them have their place depending on what the final effect you want to achieve in your piece.

For example, I do find that Appletons is very good for long and short shading; I like the "blended" effect it gives. They have an excellent range of colors, too (425). The downside: It is hairy, and has a "raspy" feel to it and the thickness can be inconsistent - very thin in some places, and makes your stitching (stem stitch for example) uneven. Not good. I find that using a maximum of 13-14" works best, as it "thins" from the friction of passing through the twill. But I will continue to use it for projects because the final effect (in my opinion) is very nice. The price is reasonable, too.

I used Paterna on projects from Susan O'Connor's "Flowers From Elizabeth" and I like the effect. It is very fluffy and gives a nice finish. Have not used it for long and short shading. It is sometimes difficult to find a distributor. The wool is soft and springy to the touch. It  is a bit more expensive than Appleton's but not excessively so.

It is a pleasure to stitch with Renaissance Dye Works wool. Their wool is tinted using plant-based dyes. There is a range of (about) 125 colors, I believe. This is a fine wool and works well in smaller projects, say fromj 3x5" to 7x9". Keep in mind that for larger projects, since the wool is fine, it will take a lot more to do the job! The price is very reasonable. They also have a range of colors called "the Elizabethan range" - very nice. 

The only thing I have done with Fine d'Aubusson is a stitch sampler (see my photos page). I like the wool, although their color range is not nearly as extensive as Appletons. However, if you have a color scheme that uses their available range, it could be a good choice. It is very expensive, though, in my mind and I would very probably choose Renaissance over them for a project unless I really wanted to use the colors in their range.

 

[Marjorie Holme]

I haven't used many of the threads out there (Mary Corbet at Needle n' Thread has discussed many of them on her blog). I have primarily used Appleton and Medici wools and I've used a little Renaissance Wool that I found in England. I like the Renaissance wool the best-- nice color range and evenly spun thread.  It's great for long and short.

In general for long and short I use Appleton. Medici is thinner and Appleton's thickness helps it cover more evenly and shade nicer. Appleton's also more readily available to me now that DMC no longer sells Medici. I have a good stash of both and tend to use what I have.  I do wish Appleton was a more consistent thread--it varies in thickness and I occasionally find myself cutting around bits that are too tightly spun.

I find that all wool threads are fairly fragile and shorter threads work best, around 12". Any longer and the wear become noticable in the stitching. I've heard Appleton is "harsh" feeling. It's never bothered me (I never noticed until someone mentioned it) but I believe Medici and Renaissance are softer to the touch. 

[Marjolein Mieras]

Thank you for your replies.

I agree with what you say about Appletons. It looks great, but I didn't like to stitch with it. (raspy and not consistent in thickness)

B.t.w. "Flowers for Elizabeth" is on my very long to-do-list.

I also used Gumnut blossoms, it is thicker than Appletons and softer. I liked it, allthough it is not suitable for very fine work.

Gumnut and Appletons were used on the bag on one of my photos.

It seems you both like Renaissance Dye Works wool best.  I will certainly keep that in mind.

[Marjolein Mieras]

Do you know where Renaissance Dye Works can be bought?

Perhaps you mean Renaissance Dyeing, I found this website:

http://www.renaissancedyeing.com/about-renaissance-dyeing/

[Sharon Brodeuse]

Yes, Marjolein, you have the correct link! I have not tried Gumnut Blossoms yet, but would like to give it a try on a future project so I appreciate your comments about it. 

[Hélène Rouèche]

I agree with Marjolein, for my last work in progress I use appleton crewel wool but I do'nt really like it and  for small details I use Aubusson wool which is thinner and a bit mor expensive. of course in my case, in Paris, it is easy to buy  Aubusson wools;

I have just posted a photo on my page, the work was done with DMC n°117 and the final effect is marvellous! but only for small works.

I am really happy of this discussion group because Crewel embroidery is not known in France.

[Francesca]

As you said, Appleton is hairy and raspy but we should remember that this is the real  traditional wool used in England for Crewel and Jacobean. The cons becomes pros when doing long and short stitch as this helps to obtain the shaded effects. Also the colours that looks a bit "dusty" are the original ones used in the past.

It's important to use the correct lengh of thread in the correct sense as this helps for not breaking it.

Renaissance wool is nice but is a Merino wool, much softer, its good for small detailed projects in my opinion but I don't think to this as a real crewel wool.

Medici  is the classic Aubusson wool used for Bandera embroidery or fine needlepoint but not for crewel. Is still on the market from Tapisserie de France website.

[Laurel]

I'm new to this group, and find this discussion on wool threads interesting.  What a wealth of knowledge and experience!  I've only used Appleton for crewel embroidery projects and love all the color choices.  However, I'm going to try the Renaissance if I can find some.  I've used fine Merino wool for other surface stitching projects and love the feel of it.

[Marjolein Mieras]

I will start a new crewel project: the Royal Persian Blossom. Here is the link: http://www.talliaferro.com/Patterns.html

The wool I will use is Heathway. They have beautiful color ranges. I heard it is very nice to stitch with.

[Laurel]

Marjolein - I went to your linked site, and your designs are wonderful, very full and expressive.  Do you know of Phillipa Turnbull (http://www.crewelwork.com/)?  She has a similar design style.  I've also started a new Jacobean piece as the 5th project in the Crewel Master's program sponsored by the Embroiderers Guild of America.  I'll post a photo when it is finished.

Marjolein Mieras said:

I will start a new crewel project: the Royal Persian Blossom. Here is the link: http://www.talliaferro.com/Patterns.html

The wool I will use is Heathway. They have beautiful color ranges. I heard it is very nice to stitch with.

[Marjolein Mieras]

Yes, I know her work. Her style seems to me more traditional Jacobean.

Please post a photo of your work?

[Laurel]

I am away right now, but will post some photos when I get home.

Marjolein Mieras said:

Yes, I know her work. Her style seems to me more traditional Jacobean.

Please post a photo of your work?