Hello, Crewel World!
After admiring Katherine Shaughenessy’s Crewling Kits at Wool & Hoop for years, I was inspired to order one after finding out she published a very cool looking how-to book.
I got mine in the mail a few days ago, and I’m right in the middle of the of the “Birthday Wish” project. I’ve dabbled a bit with embroidery, but I’ve always been disapointed by how minute the detail was, and how slow-moving each project turned out.
With crewling, the wool fiber stitching seems to be much more forgiving than any embroidery floss I have ever used. The first project is done on linen, and with a special crewling needle. In this case, I think it really helped to have the proper tools. The whole process seems to be moving along quickly.
Just to let you know, she’s having an awesome sale, where you can get her new book, the “Birthday Wishes” kit, everything you need to start your own project, and her wonderful 3-D crewling designs. The book is a very interesting read, not only outlining technique, but history. The second half of the book demonstrates multiple places to display your new crewling ability, including ides for lampshades, skirt/jeans embellishment, greeting cards, and other appliques.
Maybe I’ll post a picture of my progress this weekend. Have a good green beer weekend, too!