Needlework is the general term for decorative and practical work done with a needle and thread, including embroidery, tapestry or canvas work, crewelwork, samplers, quilting, lace, whitework, stumpwork and appliqué. For centuries it was an essential domestic skill and a mark of accomplishment, particularly for girls and women, as well as a professional trade.
Historic needlework survives in many forms: seventeenth-century raised work caskets and pictures, crewelwork bed hangings, eighteenth-century chair seats in wool and silk, schoolgirl samplers worked with alphabets and verses, and the brightly coloured Berlin wool work so popular in Victorian homes. The Arts and Crafts movement revived art embroidery, with Morris & Co. and the Royal School of Needlework producing designs for amateur and professional embroiderers alike. Antique needlework is valued for its craftsmanship, design, colour and social history. Condition is important, as fading, moth damage and staining are common; pieces should be displayed away from direct light and cleaned only by a textile conservator.
