Crewel Twists by Hazel Blomkamp

Crewel Twists by Hazel Blomkamp

Whether you refer to it as crewel or Jacobean, this free form of surface embroidery has been around for centuries and is still popular amongst needle artists today. Because of the nature of the fanciful objects and the tradition of using a large variety of stitches in one project, it lends itself to endless creative expression. In this book Hazel Blomkamp uses a wide selection of materials to update techniques and inspire embroiderers to explore whilst working loosely within the confines of crewel work styles. She shows needle artists how to be creative with fabric, threads, beads and alternative stitches, borrowing techniques from other forms of needlework, and still producing a product that is typical of the crewel or Jacobean style of embroidery. The design/fabric packs are available to purchase from Australian Needle Arts, along with the bead packs for all of the designs featured in this book.

The following notes refer to the kit contents:

• Full detailed instructions are found in the book and are not found in any of the kit options.
• The Fabric Pack contains the fabric with the design printed
• The bead pack contains all of the beads that might normally be difficult to find
• The 'special thread pack' consists of the more unusal or difficult to source threads. It does not contain all of the threads for the kit which will be easy to source, you will possibly have a good selection in your own threads. The 'special thread packs' are actually sold to us at retail hence this is a service only that we are offering.

The original designs in the book include:
• Projects including beads and metal threads to add sparkle and texture to your work.
• Monochrome embroidery making use of a variety of threads and beads, all within the same colour range.
• Techniques employed in needle-made laces with designs defined by means of texture.
• More traditional embroidery including shading and satin stitch and the many variations of trellis couching to provide texture and interest.
The completed embroideries are displayed in ways that are not only decorative, but are useful in the home.