The World of Art

Chinese Embroidery

Embroidery as Chinese outstanding traditional handicraft, has a long history, born with the jade, pottery and fabrics. It is the Art of decorating fabric or other materials with needle, thread or yarn. It also include other materials such as beads, quills, pearls and sequins. In Chinese five thousand years of civilization, series human wisdom inventions, like the strings of precious stones, won praise around the world. Embroidery is in the forefront, which is based on the discovery and use of the “silk” and develop. It not only enrichs people’s material life, but also reflects a high level of spiritual development. According to the Painting and embroidery unearthed from various ancient tombs, as far as the Yin and Zhou era about 3, 000 years ago, China already had beautiful silk and colorful embroidery. Currently embroidery found in Henan province from the Shang Dynasty, is Chinese earliest handicraft embroidery. The pattern are diamond pattern and angular wave pattern, whose process had reached a very high level.

This silk embroidery handicrafts, not only played an important role in Chinese society, but also in the international cultural life. To the Han Dynasty(221BC~AD220), embroidery had been developed to a higher level. It became major exporting commodities. In Qing Dynasty(AD1644~1911), the folk embroidery all had traditional flavor, forming the four famous embroidery, that is, the Su embroidery in Suzhou, Xiang embroidery in Hunan, Shu embroidery in Sichuan and Yue embroidery in Guangdong. Embroidery stitch has chain stitch, buttonhole or blanket stitch, running stitch, satin stitch, cross stitch, etc. Embroidered flowers and birds are likely alive. After liberation, China uses oil Paintings, Chinese paintings, photographs and other art forms in embroidery, reaching wonderful effect. Use of embroidery also further expand, from drama costume to everyday pillowslip, table cloth, screen, wall hanging, life clothing and so on. In addition, embroidery is traditional Chinese foreign trade products, and of high economic value.

If you want to know more about embroidery, visit http://www.china-embroidery-supplier.com/blog.

About the Author

Chong Heu: Hmong Embroiderer

Sublime Stitches Swanky Decor Embroidery Transfer $3.49 Check out this crazy pad! It’s like, so wow and far out! I think that mobile is ‘art’, and those swag lamps are positively martian. Even the cat has style! These designs will perfectly complement your mid-century mod abode.One 8 1/2 x 11″ sheet of reusable iron-on embroidery patterns. All designs are pictured.

Bethany Lowes Folk Art Halloween $17.95 Haunted lights and spooky sights, ghoulish glowing luminaries, frightful festoons what fun. Halloween has become one of the most popular holidays of the year, with legions of would-be creepy creatures on the lookout for fantastic ideas. And the newest craze is to go old-fashioned, with charmingly nostalgic folk-style costumes, decorations, and other accessories. No one does that better than designer Bethany Lowe in this, the very first book to focus solely on folk art projects for Halloween. She gets into the spirit of the season with 30 sensational projects that range from trick-or-treat cones to a crazy quilt pumpkin pillow.

Mandala Stained Glass Patterns $8.95 An ancient form of meditative art, Mandalas and 39; circular designs are beautifully expressed in stained glass. Vibrant collection features 99 black and white patterns (as shown below), ideal for suncatchers, windows, mobiles and panels. Color illustrations on the cover. The additional image seen below is taken from the back cover.

Classic Folk Art Speckles Red $8.48 Designed for Fabri-Quilt, this cotton print fabric is perfect for quilting, apparel and home décor accents. Colors include yellow and red.

Classic Folk Art Checkerboard Blue $8.48 Designed for Fabri-Quilt, this cotton print fabric is perfect for quilting, apparel and home décor accents. Colors include shades of blue.

Classic Folk Art Speckles Brown $8.48 Designed for Fabri-Quilt, this cotton print fabric is perfect for quilting, apparel and home décor accents. Colors include shades of brown.

New Punchneedle Embroidery: Basics & Finishing Techniques Plus 20 Original Designs $21.95 Punchneedle embroidery is a creative needle art in which thread is literally punched through cloth with a special needle. The design is transferred onto the back of the fabric, which is stretched tightly in a hoop. Using a threaded punch needle, a small running stitched is work on the back of the fabric to outline or fill in the design. This stitch forms a loop on the front of the fabric. Different lengths of loops are created with different sizes of needles. The basic technique can be learned very quickly. The tools and techniques are similar to those used to make rugs with bulky wool yarn only they’ve been miniaturized. The craft has been described as “embroidery on steroids.” Traditionally it is used to create folk art designs, but needle arts designers are starting to create more contemporary designs, and the crafters are jumping on board. This book is a fresh take on punchneedle embroidery, a very vast, very flexible technique to apply color and texture to cloth. Punchneedle designs can be turned into patches to embellish everything from jeans to bags. They can become cards, pins, or journal covers. They can be fused or sewn into all kinds of craft projects.Charlotte Dudney is the leading designer of contemporary punch needle embroidery patterns and is acknowledged with being the driving force behind the new popularity of this craft. She has been a featured artist and instructor at the International Needlework Retailers Guild Markets, TNNA, and quilt markets. She is constantly teaching classes across the country. She has produced a DVD, Punch Needle Embroidery with Charlotte Dudney, which sells for $22.50 in needlework shops across the country. She has published over 60punchneedle patterns. The distributor Norden Crafts carries the full line. Her patterns are also distributed by Checker, Winchelt Imports, Petersen-Arne, HDC, and Nordic Needle. She shows her patterns and promotes the craft of punch needle through her website, www.russianpunchneedle.com,

Quilting $21.02 Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher’s book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Sashiko Stitching, Names Project Aids Memorial Quilt, Nakshi Kantha, Quilt Art, History of Quilting, Quilts of the Underground Railroad, Great Lakes Quilt Center, Tristan Quilt, Longarm Quilting, Quilt Index, Sue Reno, Quilt Treasures, Provençal Quilts, Possum-Skin Cloak, Patchwork Quilt, Crazy Quilting, Quilt of Belonging, Southern Aids Living Quilt, Hawaiian Quilt, Machine Quilting, Baltimore Album Quilts, Foundation Piecing, Batting, Trapunto Quilting, the Quilts of Gees Bend. Excerpt: Nakshi Kantha or embroidered quilt is a folk art of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India that has been passed down through generations. The art has been flourishing in rural Bengal for centuries. The name nakshi kantha became particularly popular among literate people after the publicaton of Jasimuddin’s poem Naksi Kanthar Math (1929). By far the most renowned embroidery of Bangladesh is the Nakshi Kantha. Immersed in ritual and social custom this enchanted wrap is an exquisite art where the basic material used is thread and old cloth. The art of kantha furnishes an illustration of the wonderful patience, craftsmanship and resourcefulness of the village woman. Kanthas are made throughout Bangladesh; but greater Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Faridpur and Jessore areas are most famous for this craft. The colourful patterns and designs that are embroidered resulted in the name Nakshi Kantha- derived from the Bengali word naksha which refers to artistic patterns. The early kanthas were of white ground reinforced with red, blue and black embroidery; later yellow, green, pink and other colours were also included. The running stitch called kantha stitch is the main stitch used for the purpose. Traditionally kantha used to be produced for the use of the family. Today after … More: