General
Armenian edging is a decorative technique for a hemmed edge, worked from left to right, with small stitches.
Basketweave is the general term for a structure that occurs in many forms of textile production and decoration. It is characterised by the interlocking of a number of horizontal and vertical strands, making a square pattern that has the appearance of the structure of woven baskets. See also the basketweave stitch.
There are specific colours for vestments and hangings in the Christian (Western and Eastern) liturgy. The colours are said to reflect the ‘mood’ of the season. The main colours in the Western Churches are black, green, red, rose, violet and white; while those in many Eastern Churches are black, gold, green, light blue, purple or dark red, red and white. These colours are used for the cloth, and sometimes for the embroidery.
There are various definitions for decorative needlework and these have changed over time. For the purpose of this encyclopaedia, the term is used as an umbrella concept that includes a range of decorative textile techniques, such as applied decoration, appliqué, beadwork, embroidery, patchwork and quilting.
Etching embroidery was a style of working that reproduced line engravings. It was also sometimes used with painting. Etching embroidery, also sometimes known as print work, was carried out with fine black silk over a sepia coloured ground material. It was very popular in Europe in the first half of the nineteenth century. Later in the nineteenth century it was mostly used in outline, rather than for filling-in the illustrations.
Marking is a term that may refer to the use of an embroidered initial, monogram, number, shape or word to denote the maker or owner of an object, such as a napkin, tablecloth, or item of clothing. Marking was used to identify a person’s or family’s property, especially when something was sent to be laundered.
A basic cross is a geometric design made up of two intersecting lines. In the Christian tradition a cross was used to crucify Jesus Christ, as told in the New Testament. There are many different forms of crosses that used in the Christian Church, depending on its denomination, to commemorate the crucifixion of Christ.
Trench art is a term used for objects made by military, civilians or commercial groups who were actively and directly involved in an armed conflict. Two well-known forms of trench art are the embroidered silk postcards dating from the First World War (1914-1918) and embroideries worked by POW's, often classed as trench art samplers.