Jacobean Embroidery: Its Forms and Fillings, Including Late Tudor (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Ada Wentworth Fitzwilliam

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0265548608 ISBN 13: 9780265548608

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Explore the history and craft of Jacobean embroidery in a richly illustrated study that traces crewel work from Tudor beginnings through the Jacobean era and into late Stuart taste.

This edition surveys how designs evolved, the symbolism behind motifs like the Tree of Life, and the ways stitches and materials shaped the look of English needlework over three centuries.

This book blends historical context with practical detail. It explains how embroidery reflected social and artistic currents, and shows how designers adapted motifs across time. Readers will learn about the common fabrics, color palettes, and a wide variety of stitches that gave crewel work its distinctive texture and depth. The text also guides interpretation of plate-by-plate examples, from early Tudor pieces to late 17th‑century panels and hangings.

• Understand the evolution of Jacobean and Stuart crewel designs, and how historical influences shaped their forms.
• See how stitches such as stem stitch, buttonhole stitch, and satin stitch create different effects in complex landscapes, flora, and symbol-filled motifs.
• Learn how color, scale, and composition moved from broad outlines to more solid, detailed fillings.
• Explore how embroidery served as a record of taste, politics, and allegory across Elizabethan to Georgian periods.

Ideal for readers with an interest in textile history, English embroidery, and the decorative arts, this volume offers both scholarly insight and practical appreciation of stitch, pattern, and design.

• Historical overview of early embroidery and the Tree of Life motif.
• Plate-guided discussion of stitches, fillings, and colorings across periods.
• Close looks at notable examples and how they influenced later work.
• Glossary-style notes on terminology and technique common to crewel embroidery.

Whether you are studying the evolution of English needlework or seeking inspiration for design and technique, this work provides a clear window into Jacobean embroidery and its enduring legacy.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0265548608
• ISBN 13: 9780265548608
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 82