Needle art kit project

Hi,
I have what I think is some sort of needle art. A change of pace from those wicker baskets, I think its a cool piece. My mom inherited this from her Aunt in Indianapolis, IN which is where my mom and her family was from, too. My mom 98 lbs. at the time used to drive an Indian with a side car back in the 1950s. Had to start it with her leg power. She does not own it she traded it on a Harley with a side car. Neither her nor her mother could start it with leg power. So, they got rid of it for something else. Back to the picture, I assume her Aunt did this in 1/78 as shown in picture.The dimensions are 17 1/2" x 19 1/2". I suspect that it was some sort of a kit but I could be wrong. I was wondering what this type of needle art is called and worth. Thank you for your assistance in this request. Rob

 

If it's wool thread, it's crewel. I think Sunset kits were predominantly wool, but don't hold me to that.

I don't believe there's much resale value, but I've been surprised before by trends, so I'd check eBay for completed sales.

 

What is crewel? Why would crewel be important?
Regards, Rob

 

Crewel embroidery is embroidery using wool. Common for these kits apparently.

Looks like your Aunt did a nice job with the piece.

 

A very popular pastime in the 1970s. (Ferns!)

Debora

 

Crewel work is a reference to the stitch designs rather than the yarn content. Most crewel was done with wool, but some was probably acrylic.

 

Nice enough, but I suspect that with the water damage I can see to the right of the fern, value is purely sentimental.

 

Just wanted to throw this in the ring - sometimes the vintage unused kits can have surprisingly good value. Some of it seems to depend on the subject and some of it depends on whether it's crewel, cross stitch, etc.

I live in an area where there's been several manufacturer plants over the years - Bucilla is one I can think of. I try to remember to keep an eye out at garage sales for sealed kits (if they are unsealed you can't always tell if they're complete if you're not into stitchery). I've found quite a few around here but not in a while.

PS. Never had luck with a candlewicking kit that I had that I thought was really nice...guess no one does candlewicking anymore (whatever the hell candlewicking is...lol).

PSS. For a while the last few years, hook rugs were quite the rage....both unopened kits and finished products....but again, subject is a big determing factor.

Sorry for the ramble!

 

Going to disagree. Crewel uses the same stitches as embroidery with cotton or silk, but it's the type of yarn that makes it crewel.

Though I did just look up the actual definition of "crewel" ("a thin, loosely twisted, worsted yarn") and I suppose that could include acrylic.

It's possible there are regional differences in the use of the terms.

 

Hi,
I loved doing candlewicking. I can not read on a plane but I did a lot of candlewicking and embroidery on flights. They were smaller pieces usually 8" by 10". My biggest was a couple of pillow cases for a friends wedding. I hope the cases lasted more than the marriage did.
greg

 

When I was in junior high/highschool, there was a candlewicking fad (among craft nerds only). All I remember is that I did not finish mine and there was way too much use of French knots.

 

Hey Greg, interested in a tree skirt? I'll send it your way, no charge, if you're interested. Here's a link to it:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/264051832452

If you're interested, shoot me your address in a private message. I've had it up for well over a year without a single watcher, so I'd be glad to pass it on to someone who would use it.

 

Sorry to the OP to get off track. Sometimes happens here...lol.

 

The kits were around in the 80s; I still have a pillow on my couch that my sister did. Done my share of crewel work too, but these days I can't tolerate wool any more.

 

Hi Tie.dye,
Thank you for the offer but I can not sit still long enough to do it. The candlewicking that I did was all white on white. If I sit longer than 10 mins I am afraid they will try and bury me.
greg

 

You're very welcome. I still can't believe it hasn't sold after all this time. If it sits here long enough, I just might have to give it a whirl myself!

 

I found some still in the packages and in the top left corner says Crewel. I will put them up on this thread. I just do not know when because I am going through and sorting stuff. rknarr2

 

Here are the 3 crewel kits that I found. They are smaller than the one I address in this thread. Two are unopened and the other opened. The name of the store on the price sticker reads WoolCo. Robert

 

I can not read on a plane but I did a lot of candlewicking and embroidery on flights.

A friend went overseas with girl she knew who hadn't flown before, who didn't want to go alone. The girl couldn't or didn't read for some reason but did a lot of embroidery. On boarding, at Customs, they confiscated her embroidery needles and she was so furious, she said to the Customs guy, 'What do you think I'm going to do with them? Go up to the pilot and say, Take me to Tahiti or I'll embroider your shirt'.