Featured needlework cushion info

Hi folks

something i found this week in a charity shop for a couple of quid

i like this sort of needle work but dont know if it has a specific name

seems like alot of work, im presuming its all hand done

not sure of age either, doesnt seem to be very old but unsure

any thoughts or info appreciated

 

In the US we call it crewel. I don't want to assume you have the same name across the pond.

 

awesome thanks bakers. crewel on the fingers i bet

 

There were a number of similar imported from India in the not-too-long-ago. I'm assuming machine-made.

Debora

 

this sort of thing ?, they look rather hideous

https://www.pashminagolden.com/kashmiri_cushion_covers.htm

 

Or this.

https://www.bestofkashmir.com/collections/cushions-pillows

Debora

 

colourful .....u mean colourful !

 

Don't be Cruel !!!

 

They do.

 

I'd call it chain stitch rather than generic crewel. Commercially made in the 90s usually.

 

Another vote for chain stitch rather than crewel.
I, too, think it's mass-produced, commercially made.

 

yeah im surprised, has a home made feel look about it, but guess it was wishful thinking

 

I bought two crewel cushions a while ago. They looked Indian, with very nice Mughal style floral designs, so I assumed they were made in India. But when I took the covers off and looked inside, there was a made in China label. Fooled again.

 

Google finds these chain stitch cushions, said to be hand made in Kashmir and sold by a UK store for 39.95 GBP, filled.

 

just for my own edification, i took out the cushion to see the underside of the needlework

to me it looks handmade, but is there obvious signs from underneath that is isnt ?

 

From my own, admittedly very limited experience, I’d say the stitches look too uneven to be machinemade.

 

Aren't those long loose loops a sign of machinework?

 

Hi AJ,

I wouldn’t know. It just seems to me that the randomness of the lines and uneven length and tightness and thickness of stitches might be indicative of hand stitching. But maybe the machines have gotten very good at faking that.

Also, I read somewhere that it’s cheaper to hire people/kids to do that sort of work than buying the machines and teaching people to use them.

Here in Portugal, the average wages were about 500 euros a month not too long ago.

 

You would think so. But afaik that rather unfinished back is often a sign of machinework. I can tell you, the sisters at my school would have been very upset if I finished the back of an embroidery like that.

The poorest country of Western Europe at one time. Also high illiteracy rate in those days. They have come a long way.

 

Well, that’s what it reminded me of — my own handiwork…

I’m also guessing that the hidden insides of the pillow cases might not be of great concern for those who have them produced for a pittance in low wage countries and sell for about 40 quid in a shop in England.

But I’m interested in learning what the verdict is.

Edited for clarity.