Wool embroidery

Wool embroidery is a freestyle embroidery where all kind of stitches may be used. The only thing in common is the woollen thread. There is a strong tradition of wool embroidery in Sweden, especially in the counties of Skåne and Dalarna.  Craftswomen in the past used their creativity and embroidered just anything they saw around them, like animals, people, plants, and houses. Most often wool yarn on wool fabric was used, occasionally it could be silk thread. Embroidery was a highly esteemed profession, and embroiders moved around and made cushions and sledge quilts on demand. Wool embroidery is still popular and there are a variety of courses and quite a few books with patterns. The beautiful and instructive pictures you find in these books could be useful even for a person who doesn’t know Swedish.

 

  

 

Two much-used books one with old and one with more modern patterns.

 

Gallery of wool embroidery

 

A couple of friends asked me to make a wall hanging for their summer cottage. The cottage is in an area where a lot of rhubarb and old sorts of apples and pears are cultivated. So we decided the wall hanging should be an embroidery of a rhubarb plant.

 

“Skapande broderi”, or Creative embroidery”, is an association with enthusiasts who love creative textile works. Collaboration with museums in Stockholm has resulted in exhibitions with the works of the members. One project was medieval inspired work in collaboration with the Swedish History Museum. During that period I stitched those two pictures.

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The process:

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