Crewel Embroidery

Crewel Embroidery, or Crewelwork, is a decorative form of surface embroidery using wool and a variety of different embroidery stitches to follow a design outline applied to the fabric. The technique is at least a thousand years old.

The origin of the word crewel is unknown but is thought to come from an ancient word describing the curl in the staple, the single hair of the wool. Crewel wool has a long staple; it is fine and can be strongly twisted. Modern crewel wool is a fine, 2-ply or 1-ply yarn available in many different colours.

The crewel technique is not a counted-thread embroidery, but what is referred to as a style of free embroidery. It is usually worked on a closely woven ground fabric, typically linen or cotton. More recently crewel is being made on Matka Silk, Cotton Velvet, Rayon Velvet, Silk Organza, Net Fabric and also Jute. A firm fabric is required to support the weight of the wool stitching. In order to create crewelwork, you need special needles, with large eyes and sharp points.

The outlines of the design to be worked are often screen printed onto the fabric or can be transferred to plain fabric using modern transfer pens, containing water soluble ink or air soluble ink, or iron-on designs applied using transfer sheets. The old fashioned "pinprick and chalk" or "prick and pounce" methods also work well. This is where the design outlines on paper are pricked with a needle to produce perforations along the lines. Powdered chalk or pounce material is then forced through the holes onto the fabric using a felt pad in order to replicate the design on the material.

Designs range from the traditional to more contemporary patterns. The traditional design styles are often referred to as Jacobean embroidery featuring highly stylised floral and animal designs with flowing vines and leaves.

More Towel Terminology

A towel is a towel, right? Wrong. There are many different types. The glossary below defines towel terminology.
Terry – Cotton terry towels are woven on a loom. Terry towels utilize an additional yarn to form loops which cover both sides of the towel.These loops are normally referred to as "pile" or "loop surfaces."
Velour – Velour towels are produced in the same fashion as terry, but with an additional process that shears the terry loops to a shorter length on one side. Some people prefer the decorative sheen that results. The terry side should face the skin for optimum drying.
Printed – Colorful designs are printed on the surface of both terry or velour towels. Designs are normally printed on one side.
Jacquard – These towels feature a slightly upraised area of fabric, which creates a decorative effect. The design is woven right into the towel on a special jacquard loom.

Bedding Terms - Weave

Weave is also important, whether you choose a classic linen weave, silky sateen or crispy percale (pictured above). Since feeling the sheet is the best way to decide what you like best, you should do some in-person shopping (or touching) even if you plan to buy online.

The best way to care for your sheets and avoid wrinkles is to avoid overloading the washing machine, and don't mix cotton sheets with anything polyester, as the combination can cause the cotton to pill. When you take the sheets out of the washer, give a good shake before putting them in the dryer rather than wadding up the bundle. Then take them out of the dryer slightly damp, and fold or line dry.

Linens - Finishing

After the cotton yarns are woven into a fabric, the fabric needs to be finished. This includes singeing and mercerizing. The singeing process is vital; it burns off the tiny fuzz that can later develop into pilling on your sheets. Mercerizing is a treatment conducted under tension, in order to increase strength, luster, and affinity for dye. Bed linens of lesser quality may not be singed or mercerized.

Linens - Thread Count & Construction

Thread count is simply the number of threads per square inch of fabric. These consist of vertical threads (warp) and horizontal threads (weft) woven together. Construction refers to how the thread count is achieved (# of warp and weft yarns, # of picks in the weft, use of 2 ply yarns etc.) To achieve higher thread counts, sometimes 2 ply yarns are used and sometimes multiple yarns (picks) are inserted into the weft. The FTC has ruled that plied yarns should each only be counted as one thread for the purposes of thread count. This is not enforced, but in response the market has moved more toward single plies with multiple picks as the preferred method of achieving higher thread counts. In weave quality terms alone, the best fabric would be made with single ply yarns and have a single pick; but the highest thread count you can get with this type of construction is about 400. Above that, 2 ply yarns and/or multi-picks must be used.

The buzz about "single ply" in the last five years or so, was a reaction to customers feeling cheated by the concept of 2 ply. (meaning a 300 thread count constuction made with 2 ply yarns and called a 600 thead count) But the "single ply" concept has its own problems, as stated above. Sheets made with "single ply" yarns but with 6 to 8 picks do not necessarily result in the best feeling or highest quality weave - - but they do achieve the higher thread count in a way deemed more correct by international standards and the FTC.

In a quality product, the incremental comfort value of thread counts over 300 is very little. A 300 thread count can feel far superior to a 1000 thread count. Thread count has become a simple measurement used by marketing people to capture interest and impress with high numbers. The problem with mass produced high thread count sheets is that to keep the price down, important elements of quality must be sacrificed, meaning in the end the customer gets a product with an impressive thread count but that probably feels no better (or even worse) than something with a lower thread count.

How does this happen?
Weaving with 2 ply yarns that do not have a high enough yarn size so the end product feels heavy and blanket-like.
Inserting multiple yarn threads (picks) into the weft. These are often visible to the naked eye. I've heard of as many as 8. This practice increases the thread count but otherwise really has no practical or useful purpose. Depending on the number of picks and yarn size used it can also make the product feel heavy.

There is no simple answer to the thread count, ply and pick game; there are thousands of combinations that will make a beautiful product. We've seen excellent examples of every type of construcion (thanks to quality fiber, yarn size and finishing). Keep in mind that with higher thread counts, price and quality do tend to go hand in hand. An extremely high thread count sheet at a very low price is exactly what it sounds like: too good to be true. This is not to say that you have to spend a small fortune for quality sheets - just don't fall into the thread count trap. Unfortunately, a lot of companies don't make it easy to be well informed.

Towel Terminology

When purchasing towels, thickness should not be your only determining factor. New fibers hitting the market are both lighter and more absorbent than traditional cotton. Some are made of natural fibers It is said that there is a new movement when it comes to big fluffy towels, people are having a downsizing mentality. New towel technologies in include Modal, a natural fiber made from beech wood, that when blended with cotton creates a lightweight, highly absorbent towel. Consumers shouldn't be put off by the initial stiffness of some towels, in the weaving process, a potato starch is sometimes used on the thread and some of that may remain. Towels will get softer as you wash them.

Attractive towels can be made from many different fibers, but functional concerns should be considered when stocking up on these bathroom essentials. As a towel’s main purpose is to blot up water, 100 percent cotton towels are the best for the job. Cotton is hydrophilic, which means it has a strong affinity for water. Synthetic fibers, on the other hand are hydrophobic; this means that a cotton-polyester towel will not be as absorbent as an all-cotton towel. Cotton actually absorbs moisture within the structure of the fiber, between its various layers or walls.

Terry Cloth or Velour?
A terry cloth towel features loops that enhance its drying ability. The more loops, the greater the drying power. But some people prefer the sheen of a velour towel, which is created by a shearing process that removes part of the terry and shortens the fabric pile. But keep in mind that the velour towel’s shorter loops makes it slightly less absorbent. However, this does not affect its performance as long as it is used to blot, rather than rub dry. Shoppers who can’t decide which they prefer, are in luck: some towels feature terry on one side and velour on the other.

Another measure of a towel’s drying ability is its thickness. Thick towels contain more
cotton yarn; the thick loops will dry the body better than thin loops made with less cotton.
Make Sure It’s Cotton since cotton content plays such a key role in a towel’s effectiveness, consumers can be sure they are purchasing 100 percent cotton towels by looking for the Seal of Cotton trademark, which appears on many towels, bath and bedding items. In fact, two out of three Americans would rather buy all-cotton towels from an unknown manufacturer than a cotton/polyester blend towel from an established brand, according to the recent studies.

Towel Care Tips
Good towels should last more than a decade, which means consumers should consider making an "investment" by purchasing the highest quality towels they can afford.

Here are some tips that will help prolong the life of a towel:
Launder frequently with soft water and detergent.
Avoid fabric softeners as they contain silicones that will make them virtually water repellent.
Deeply colored towels will bleed during the first three or four washings, so wash them separately at first. After that, continue to wash similar colors together.
Do not bleach colored towels.
Wash white towels separately because subtle pick-up from colored items will occur gradually over time.
If drying by hanging, shake towel once while still wet, and again after dry. This will fluff the terry loops.
Do not iron towels, as it will reduce absorbency.

Linens - Yarn Size

In continuation of our series demystifying bed linens and what to look for the next time you purchase we cover yarn size. The fineness of each yarn is what the term yarn size refers to - the higher the yarn size, the finer the yarn. Alternatively this is also how you can determine the gauge of wire.

Finer yarns allow for lighter, more supple fabric. The yarn size in quality sheets is typically between 40 and 100. Some companies go up to 120's may be used also, but are pretty rare (and the resulting product very expensive). Higher thread counts are created with finer yarns, as more of them can be woven into a square inch. Also, super fine yarns can be twisted together, creating 2 ply yarns that can then be woven into sheeting. When 2 ply yarns are made with a very high yarn size, they make a nice product that is not at all weighty or blanket-like.

Linens - Fiber Quality

So you are out looking for new sheets for your bed and I would venture to guess that one of the first things you thought about was the thread count. Sure thread count matters, but there are several things aside from thread count to consider when you are buying linens for your home. I am going to break down these points so you can make more informed decisions and not pay for anything more than you need to.

Our first topic is fiber quality. 100% cotton sheets are by far the most popular and widely used type of sheets. There are massive variations in the quality of 100% cotton sheets. The highest quality cotton is long staple cotton. Staple refers to the length of the cotton fiber; the longer the fiber the better because it creates stronger and finer yarns. Among long staple cottons, the longest are Egyptian extra long staple and Pima (sometimes called Supima). Egyptian Cotton and Pima cotton are basically one in the same.

Egyptian cotton, or extra long staple cotton is produced in Egypt and used by luxury and upmarket brands worldwide. In fact, the cotton species which produces extra long staple "Egyptian" cotton is the native American species Gossypium barbadense was introduced in the 19th century during the American Civil War.

With heavy European investments, Egyptian-grown cotton became a major alternate source for British textile mills. Most of what is labeled "Egyptian cotton" today, however, also includes long staple cotton, the product of the other native American species Gossypiam hirsutum.

Gossypium hirsutum, also known as Upland Cotton or Mexican Cotton, is the most widely planted species of cotton in the United States, constituting some 95% of all cotton production. Worldwide, the figure is about 90% of all production for this species.

Interestingly enough, ancient Egyptians made their clothing from linen, a product of the flax plant - not cotton.

The Best Flour Sack Towels - Not embroidered

Next time you need to stock up on pricey microfiber rags or disposable electrostatic dust cloths, opt for flour sack towels instead. Flour sack towels outperform microfiber and disposable dust cloths for cleaning and dusting all areas of your home. They're large, absorbent, durable, and (perhaps most importantly) cheap.

What in the World are Flour Sack Towels?
They're called "flour sack towels" because the tightly woven cotton used to hold flour from the mid-1800s through the 1950s was repurposed into towels, bedding, and clothing by the resourceful women of days gone by. You can buy a set of five through me for just $10 + shipping.

OK, So They're Cheap. But Do They Clean?
I've been using a set of flour sack towels for decades. I use several a day as I do general cleaning and trail after my daughter. They still look great after several hundred washings–and I use chlorine bleach, people!

I'm sure you all can think of many more super ideas for using flour sack towels. Here are a few of my favorite uses:
Dusting:
Flour sack towels are lint-free, making them ideal for dry-dusting TV and computer screens.
Use them with furniture polish or lemon oil for dusting wood furniture.
They hold onto dirt better than any microfiber/Swiffer-style cloth I've used, so they're great for dusting ceiling fans and blinds.
Baby:
Bib: tie the short end around your baby's neck to cover her body from chin to knees, or fold the towel in half for cup practice or messy foods for double-layer absorbency.
Burp Cloth: lip one over your shoulder to burp a gassy baby–supersized flour sack towels cover more of you (always a good thing when you're in the line of upchuck fire). I did this so many times when my daughter started screaming just as I started prepping dinner. Saved me 30 seconds from trekking to her room in search of a burp cloth–in screamtime, that's 4 perceived hours.
Kitchen:
Lint-free flour sack towels are fantastic for drying dishes, particularly glassware, without streaking.
Wipe up messy kitchen spills: coffee, marinara, grease–I use them on everything, because the stains come out easily in the wash with a scoop of Biz or cup of Clorox, no problem.
Cover dough to keep it from drying out as it rises (slightly dampened), or cover baked goods to keep insects and dust out while they cool without trapping steam inside as foil or plastic wrap can.
Weird but true point on sanitary cleaning: flour sack towels don't trap hair (like cloth napkins and terry cloth towels do),so you won't have to pore over your towels looking for icky stray hairs before you use them around food.
Dry lettuce and veggies after washing–just wrap the food in a clean flour sack towel and gently squeeze.
Note: Don't use fabric softener if you use flour sack towels for food prep–nobody wants their brownies to smell April Fresh and fabric softener makes them less absorbent!
Shine your faucet with the damp flour sack towel after you finish drying dishes, then use it to spot-mop the kitchen floor–3 cleaning tasks quickly done with 1 towel.
Windows and Mirrors: Have I mentioned that flour sack towels are lint-free?

Make them pretty!
If you just can't hang with plain ol' white, buy a set of them from me that have been embroidered. I have many patterns that I have done, check out the flour sack towel link for more ideas. Embridered towels run $7 per towel + shipping. I still bleach these and have never had the colors fade.  NON-embroidered towels are $2 per towel.