Brief history of counted embroidery. History of embroidery: types, history of origin and its development

When you start embroidering, do you ask yourself: do I really have nothing else to do? Why do we always give away ours? free time for a hobby? And ask yourself: is anyone interested in my hobby besides myself? You know the saying: “ Best gift“It’s a gift made with your own hands.” Embroidery most of all reflects the essence of the saying, because with its help we can show all our love and devotion to a person. We try to put a piece of ourselves into every work, so such work becomes much more valuable, unlike a factory product. The recipient will undoubtedly appreciate your work and care for him, and will think that you have invested a lot of time and effort in making his gift! This gift will remind you of your attention and will never be forgotten. Therefore, when distributing your time, think that the gift that you make yourself, with your own hands, will be much more valuable and closer than a purchased one.

Cross stitch is one of the most oldest species handicrafts. The exact time of the appearance of embroidery is unknown. There is no information about when cross-stitching became a separate type of needlework. Nowadays, there are examples of embroidery even from the 10th century. However, it undoubtedly arose much earlier. IN different countries a specific color predominated, and the pattern styles differed from each other. The embroidery reflected the national color and individual vision of beauty of each nation.

In the 16th century, counted embroidery gained particular popularity in Western Europe. At that time it included most of the biblical texts and stories. Already in the 18th century, the classic cross stitch became more prominent in embroidery, and the themes became more diverse. In eastern countries, embroidery was traditionally used to decorate household items - capes, carpets, pack bags. They have always been distinguished by a huge variety of colors and complexity of patterns. Over time, embroidery became an integral part of costume and household utensils in the West.

Since the 18th century, embroidery has entered the homes of all segments of the population without exception. Folk embroidery was associated with rituals and customs, while urban embroidery was formed under the influence of the West. Embroidery played not only the role of decoration. It played the role of a talisman, being located at the places where the human body came into contact with the outside world (i.e. on the collar, sleeves, hem). Nowadays, cross stitch is a common hobby.

Embroidery is one of the types of needlework that has its roots in primitive culture. Initially, hemp fibers, animal skin, wool, and hair were used as embroidery materials.

Since embroidery was done using a needle, which is like the sharp end of a thread: paper or wool, silk, then the needle, until it became metal and came to perfection, was made from various materials: bones, trees, and ancient people had fish bones, tree needles, bristles and more. They embroider with paper, silk, thread, gold, wool, using beads, silver, beads, glass beads, sometimes real pearls, using sparkles, coins, and semi-precious stones. The embroidery of India and Iran is distinguished by a great variety of depictions of birds, animals, plant motifs and classic national literary subjects. Cross stitch in the Byzantine Empire, stood out for the beauty of silk embroidery (silver, gold), various patterns, significantly influenced the development of the art of cross stitch in many European countries during the Middle Ages, when their own unique patterns, colors and cross stitch techniques appeared, their own for each nationality .

Cross-stitching can easily be turned into a favorite pastime, by doing which you can create nice interior items with which any home can purchase cozy view. And embroidery on pillows, shirts and towels can serve as an excellent souvenir.

In past times, ladies embroidered using completely different tools and working materials than now - fragments of animal bones served as needles, and hard sinews served as threads.

They also used various improvised means, such as animal skin and hemp fiber. Thinking about which now it is impossible to imagine them being suitable for embroidery. This is not surprising, because bone fragments have long been replaced with metal needles, and canvas is used instead of animal skin.

Currently, there is a wide variety of embroidery techniques: satin stitch, cross stitch, ribbon embroidery, carpet technique, tapestry. Thanks to such a huge variety of embroidery techniques, it will undoubtedly be possible to realize any designer’s ideas in your work. Also, there is a very wide variety of embroidery kits on sale. And any pattern can be viewed in magazines, newspapers and in an online embroidery store. Embroidery kits can also be a separate gift.

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History of Russian embroidery originates in the 9th-10th century. This is evidenced by various archaeological finds. Such finds include fragments of clothing that are decorated with patterns and made with gold threads. Gold embroidery was very popular in those days. Noble people decorated their clothes and household items with them.

Development of Russian embroidery

The art of embroidery did not stand still and was constantly evolving. So in the 14th-17th centuries. decorate household items and costumes. Church vestments and clothing were embroidered with silver and gold threads, adding gems and pearls to them. Wedding towels, scarves, and shirts were also decorated with embroidery.

Of course, such an activity was the prerogative of wealthy ladies. However, starting from the 18th century, almost all segments of the population, mainly peasant girls, began to engage in embroidery. As before, it was used to decorate clothes, aprons, and so on. Each embroidery at that time had its own special meaning. Most often, embroidered on clothes, it served as a talisman. To do this, it was applied on the sleeves, hem, and collar.

One of the most common and popular motives in embroidery- this is a rhombus. At the same time, each nation could depict it completely differently. In some cultures it was seen as a symbol of fertility. If we talk about plant ornaments, then the tree of life or the world tree is in demand here. Also, very often on embroidery you can find a female figure, which symbolizes the Mother Goddess.

Learning embroidery in time, you can study and know ethnic history , as well as the culture of almost any nation. and the motives, although improved over time, nevertheless, their content and essence were passed on from generation to generation, selecting and preserving the best. Each handmade product, will undoubtedly be distinguished by beauty, harmony, and perfection. And technology, professionalism and precision.

In museums you can now see many examples of folk embroidery. Of course, the best preserved embroidery is from the 19th century. Folk embroidery had strong traditions, unlike urban embroidery. The urban one was more influenced by fashion, which did not apply to the folk one. In villages, girls prepared a dowry for themselves by the age of 13-15. These dowries included embroidered gifts, tablecloths, towels, clothing items, and so on. Shortly before the wedding, an exhibition was organized to evaluate the girl’s skill level. Then, at the wedding, everything that the girl embroidered with her own hands was given to the groom’s relatives.

Handicrafts were developed in peasant families. Women spun, weaved, embroidered, sewed, i.e. engaged in all types of handicrafts. The more they practiced it, the better their skill became. Clothes in the villages were also made by hand. At the same time, it was decorated not only with embroidery, but also with lace, braid or inserts of various colors. Clothing had different purposes. It could be festive, everyday or wedding. It is worth noting that it differed in different provinces. Clothes were also made for people different ages, which means it can be given one more characteristic, i.e. it could be sewn for elderly woman, for a young woman or for a girl. The patterns also pleased with their variety. They could also differ from each other depending on the area. All these differences were influenced by everyday life, customs, and natural environment.

Russian embroidery is unique

If we compareRussian embroidery and embroidery of other nations, you can notice a huge difference. In Russian embroidery, ornaments and patterns are very important. As a rule, they are geometric and represent diamonds, birds, trees, female images. The solar motif in Russian embroidery was depicted using rhombuses, circles, and rosettes. If a female figure or a flowering tree was depicted, this meant that in this way the needlewoman wanted to indicate the fertility of the earth. And the arrival of spring, as a rule, was symbolized by a bird. If the embroidery was free, then, as a rule, patterns of a floral nature predominated.

Speaking of patterns and embroidery techniques, you need to remember that they were directly associated with the form of clothing, which was sewn from straight pieces of fabric. The seams were called counted and were made by counting the threads of the fabric. Such seams served to decorate the ends of the sleeves, the mantle, the hem of the apron, the slit on the chest, the bottom of the apron, or the bottom of the garment. The pattern itself was placed along the connecting seams. Antique Russian seams are considered to be cross stitch, counted satin stitch, painted stitch, half cross stitch, and fine stitching. white, goat. Over time, cross stitch, chain stitch, colored and white satin stitch appeared.

All Russian peasant embroidery is divided into the northern group and the group of the Central Russian strip. They differ in embroidery techniques. The northern region includes embroidery from the following regions: Yaroslavl, Vladimirov, Vologda, Kalinin and so on. It is dominated by cross stitching, white stitching, painting, through sewing and other embroidery techniques. It is worth noting that the embroiderers used the background very skillfully. It served as part of the element.

Russian embroidery is very popular

Of course, in our time, embroidery remains just as popular and relevant. It is as valuable as any handmade. You can decorate absolutely anything with it. It depends only on your taste how it will look: vulgar or elegant. Today the most popular techniques are cross, half-cross, petit, ribbon, bead and satin stitch embroidery, contour embroidery, as well as embroidery using the black work technique. Today, the embroidery process is extremely easy, since you can buy a kit containing absolutely everything: threads, canvas, pattern. All you have to do is put in a little effort. Although, you can still find grandmothers in the outback embroidering classic patterns. And there are simply lovers of classic Russian embroidery who follow all the traditions.

For those interested, let's go under the cut....

Cross-stitch - one of the most popular types of needlework, the art dates back to the era of primitive culture, when people used stitches with stone needles when sewing clothes from animal skins. Initially, the materials for embroidery were animal skin, sinew, hemp or wool fibers, and hair.
The passion for decorating oneself and one's clothes, in order to stand out from the environment, is characteristic of human nature, even in its primitive, semi-wild state.
The legend of Arachne tells that the daughter of the dyer Idmon in Colophon, having learned from the goddess how to weave and embroider, surpassed her teacher in this art and, challenging her to a competition, won in a large embroidery depicting the adventures of the gods. Minerva, angry at her defeat, threw the shuttle at her rival's head; Arachne hanged herself out of grief and was turned into a spider by the goddess. The Odyssey mentions embroidery and points to Ulysses' magnificent cloak, the front of which was richly decorated with gold embroidery. In the same way, Homer says that Paris brought rich embroidery to Troy from Tire and Sidon, which were already famous in those days for their art, and in the third song of the Iliad the occupations of Helen, who embroidered snow-white fabric battles between the Trojans and the Greeks because of her.

The more developed art of embroidery was borrowed by the Greeks from the Persians, when during the campaigns of Alexander the Great they became acquainted with the luxury of the Asian peoples. During the time of Moses, the art of embroidery was highly developed, and Ahaliab from the tribe of Dan was especially famous for his art. The clothing of Aaron and his sons during worship consisted of fabric made from linen embroidered with multi-colored patterns.
Since the ancient peoples were shepherds, the first fabrics and embroideries were made from wool. Subsequently, when the fibrous properties of some plants, mainly hemp and flax, were discovered in Egypt, fabrics began to be made from them, which, due to their whiteness, turned out to be especially suitable for the splendor of religious rites and were used for this purpose by all ancient peoples. Later, a cotton plant was found in India and they began to make the finest fabrics, on which they embroidered with wool, paper and, finally, gold threads. Since cross stitch is done using a needle, which serves as a sharp continuation or end of a thread: wool, paper or silk, the needle, until it became metal and reached its modern improved state, was made from the most diverse materials: wood , bones, and in ancient times, even among savages, wood needles, fish bones, bristles, etc. were used for this. They embroider with threads, paper, wool, silk, gold, silver, using beads, glass beads, sometimes real pearls, semi-precious stones, sparkles, and also coins.
In our country, embroidery has ancient history. It was used to decorate clothes, shoes, horse harnesses, homes, and household items. The museums of our country contain many samples of folk embroidery. The best preserved items are from the 19th century. In those days, embroidery was conventionally divided into urban and peasant (folk). Urban embroidery was influenced by Western fashion and did not have strong traditions, while folk embroidery was inextricably linked with ancient customs and rituals of the Russian peasantry.

All women, young and old, mastered this art perfectly. The embroidery was based on ancient rituals and customs. This is especially true for cross stitch. The cross has always been considered by the Russians as a talisman that can protect a person and his home from evil spirits and the evil eye.
In pagan times, embroidery was mainly used to decorate towels, sheets, towels, tablecloths, curtains and various bedspreads. Clothes were also decorated with embroidery: sundresses, hats, shirts.
After the arrival of Christianity in Rus', embroidered products acquired a new meaning. People began to decorate windows, mirrors and icons with embroidered items. Products embroidered in one day were considered especially valuable. Usually several craftswomen worked on such things at once. They started at dawn, and if they managed to finish the work before sunset, then the product was considered perfectly clean and capable of protecting against evil forces, natural disasters, diseases and other misfortunes.
The motifs of the embroidered works were very diverse. There was a lot of symbolism and hidden meaning. There were human figures with raised hands, birds of paradise, and fairy-tale animals. In ornaments, for example, a rhombus and a circle symbolized the sun, a hooked cross - a wish for goodness and mutual understanding.
Initially, embroidery in Rus' was an activity for the elite. Until the seventeenth century, it was practiced by nuns and members of the nobility. The materials were expensive fabrics such as velvet and silk, gems, pearls, gold and silver threads.

Since the 17th century, this type of needlework has been included in the category of compulsory activities for peasant girls. Starting from the age of seven or eight, girls began to prepare their dowry for the wedding. It was necessary to embroider tablecloths, bedspreads, towels, tablecloths, as well as various clothes. It was also customary to embroider special gifts for the groom's relatives and guests. On the eve of the wedding, an exhibition of the prepared dowry was held in front of all the honest people, this helped everyone to appreciate the skill and hard work of the bride.
Originating in antiquity, the art of embroidery has been constantly improved over the centuries. Man, who lived constantly among nature and observed it, already from ancient times learned to create simple patterns, conventional signs-symbols, with the help of which he expressed his perception of the world around him, his attitude to incomprehensible natural phenomena. Each line, each sign was full of meaning that he understood and was one of the means of communication.
Over time, individual figures changed, became more complex, and were combined with other forms, creating patterns. This is how ornaments arose - the sequential repetition of individual patterns or a group of them (such repetition of several elements of a pattern is called rapport.)

Ornament, especially in folk art, where it is most widespread, imprints a folklore and poetic attitude towards the world. Over time, the motifs lost their original meaning, retaining decorative and architectural expressiveness. Important in the genesis and further development of the ornament there were aesthetic social needs: the rhythmic correctness of generalized motifs was one of the early ways of artistic exploration of the world, helping to comprehend the orderliness and harmony of reality.
Russian embroidery is very diverse in the nature of patterns and techniques for their implementation. Individual regions, and sometimes even districts, had their own characteristic techniques, ornamental motifs, and color schemes. This was largely determined by local conditions, way of life, customs, and natural environment. Russian embroidery has its own national characteristics, it differs from the embroideries of other nations.
A large role in it is played by geometric patterns and geometrized forms of plants and animals: rhombuses, motifs of a female figure, a bird, a tree or a flowering bush, as well as a leopard with a raised paw. The sun was depicted in the form of a rhombus, a circle, or a rosette - a symbol of warmth, life, female figure and a flowering tree symbolized the fertility of the earth, the bird symbolized the arrival of spring.
The placement of the pattern and embroidery techniques were organically related to the shape of the clothing, which was sewn from straight pieces of fabric. The seams were made by counting the threads of the fabric; they were called counted. It is easy to decorate with such seams the mantles, the ends of the sleeves, the slit on the chest, the hem of the apron, the bottom of the apron, the bottom of the garment. The embroidery was placed along the connecting seams.
In the “free” embroideries, along the drawn contour, patterns of a floral nature predominated.
Old Russian seams include: painted or half-cross stitch, cast-on, cross stitch, counted stitch, goat stitch, white small stitch. Later, cutouts, colored weave, cross stitch, guipure, chain embroidery, white and colored satin stitch appeared.
Russian peasant embroidery can be divided into two main groups: the northern and central Russian strip. The northern includes embroidery from Arkhangelsk, Novgorod, Vologda, Kalinin, Ivanovo, Gorky, Yaroslavl, Vladimir and other regions.
The most common techniques of northern embroidery are cross stitching, painting, cutouts, white stitching, end-to-end sewing done on a grid, white and colored satin stitch. Most often, the patterns were made with red threads using white background or white on red. Embroiderers skillfully used the background as one of the elements of the pattern. Squares and stripes inside large figures of a bird - a peahen, a leopard or a tree - were embroidered in blue, yellow and dark red wool.
With the development of new technologies and the release of the latest embroidery equipment, the process of creating embroidery has become significantly faster and simplified. By using embroidery machines, special software for embroidery, almost anyone who wants to touch this type of decorative and applied art has the opportunity to express creativity. Machine embroidery has simplified and made the work of embroiderers easier, leaving more time for ideas and fantasies in relation to embroidery.

The art of embroidery has a long history. About the existence of embroidery in the era Ancient Rus' say the finds of archaeologists dating back to the 9th-10th centuries. These are fragments of clothing decorated with patterns made with gold threads. In ancient times, gold embroidery was used to decorate household items and clothing of noble people.
The traditions of embroidery art constantly developed; in the 14th-17th centuries, embroidery became even more widespread in the decoration of costumes and household items. Church vestments and the rich silk and velvet clothing of kings and boyars were embroidered with gold and silver threads in combination with pearls and gems. Wedding towels, festive shirts made of fine linen fabric, and scarves were also decorated with colored silk and gold threads. Embroidery was mainly common among noble women and nuns.
Gradually, the art of embroidery is spreading everywhere. Since the 18th century, it has entered the lives of all segments of the population, becoming one of the main occupations of peasant girls.
Embroidery was used to decorate household items - towels, valances, tabletops (tablecloths). Festive and casual clothes, aprons, headdresses, etc. Products, as a rule, were made from simple, inexpensive materials, but they were distinguished by high artistic skill.
Each embroidery had its own purpose. Embroidery on shirts was located where the human body came into contact with the outside world (i.e., along the collar, sleeves, hem) and served as a talisman. The embroidery of towels reflects the cosmological ideas of people, ideas associated with the cult of fertility and the cult of ancestors. First of all, this concerns the ornament of folk sewing, in which ancient symbols were preserved until the 2nd quarter of the 20th century.
The most common motif in folk embroidery patterns is the “rhombus”. In embroidery different nations it looks different and has different meanings. A rhombus with hooks in embroidery is considered as a symbol of fertility, associated with the idea of ​​the mother - the ancestor - the immediate beginning of all births on earth. The rhombus - "burdock" in folklore is compared with an oak, a sacred tree of many peoples, and is a metaphor for the heavenly "color" - lightning that strikes demons and protects livestock.
Among the favorite motifs was a “rosette”, consisting of 8 petals - blades, connected in the center. It acts as a symbol feminine, fertility.
Among the motifs of floral ornaments, a prominent place is occupied by the “world tree” - the tree of life. A common motif in facial embroidery is a stylized female figure. It can appear in various compositions: in the center, riders or birds on the sides; holding branches or lamps; with birds in hands, etc.
All these stories differ in the nature of their interpretation. But in most of them, the woman Mother Goddess, personifying Syra - the Earth, acts as the patroness of agriculture and the fertility of the earth. It was designed to ensure the benefits of life and reproduction of the family.
Traditional embroidery is a source of knowledge of the ethnic history and culture of the people and their evolution over time.
Embroidery techniques, patterns, and their color implementation were improved generation after generation. Gradually, the best was selected, and unique embroidery images with characteristic features were created.
The artistic products of folk craftsmen, decorated with embroidery, are distinguished by the beauty of their patterns, the harmonious combination of colors, the perfection of proportions, and the refinement of professional techniques. Each embroidered product meets its practical purpose.
The museums of our country contain many samples of folk embroidery. The most preserved embroideries from the 19th century have survived to this day.
Embroidery was divided into peasant (folk) and urban. Urban embroidery did not have strong traditions, as it was constantly influenced by fashion coming from the West. Folk embroidery was associated with ancient customs and rituals of the Russian peasantry. So, by the age of 13-15, peasant girls had to prepare a dowry for themselves. These were embroidered tablecloths, towels, valances, clothing items, hats, gifts.
At the wedding, the bride presented the groom's relatives with products of her work. Before the wedding, an exhibition of the dowry was organized, which was supposed to testify to the skill and hard work of the bride.
In a peasant family, women did needlework - they spun, weaved, embroidered, knitted, and wove lace. In the process of work, they polished their skills, learned from each other and from their elders, adopting from them the experience of many generations.
Women's clothing was made from homespun linen and woolen fabrics. It was decorated not only with embroidery, but also with lace, braid, and colored chintz inserts. In different provinces, clothing had its own characteristics and differences. It had different purposes (everyday, holiday, wedding), and was performed for different ages (girls, young, old women).

It is found on many items of clothing and in home design components. This is not surprising, because it has always been common for man to decorate himself, his clothes and his home.

The history of embroidery begins in the ancient world, although the question of which country it first appeared in is still a matter of debate among archaeologists. According to some, embroidered patterns first appeared in ancient Asia, according to others - in Ancient Greece.

In favor of the fact that richly embroidered clothes and various items everyday life appeared precisely in Asia, as evidenced by the records of ancient historians about the wars of Alexander the Great with the Persians. It was there that the young conqueror first saw tents embroidered with gold and ordered his craftsmen to make him the same ones. In ancient times, embroidery testified to social status families. The richer and brighter the pattern, the more expensive the clothing materials and embroidery threads, the higher the person’s position in society. The patterns used were mainly stylized plant and animal ornaments or religious symbols adopted by one or another people.

The history of embroidery has evolved and continues to evolve today. Over hundreds of years of its existence, depending on peoples, beliefs, fashion for depicting a pattern with threads on fabric or other materials, many seams have arisen and the pattern can be embroidered in one style, or depending on the skills and artistic taste of the master, it can be created using various textured threads and various techniques embroidery This combination gives the embroidery originality and charm.

The most popular embroidery is satin stitch. It can also be different: embroidering a design in one color most often comes as an addition to embroidery using the cutwork technique, usually done in white and called white satin stitch. The artistic surface with color transitions is very beautiful and quite difficult to execute. Counted stitch - the number of stitches is counted, and the length of the stitch is usually equal to the distance between the parallel sides of the pattern. Counted satin stitch is usually used when embroidering stylized ornaments that have small elements in their motif.

The history of satin stitch embroidery dates back to somewhere in the 3rd century. Satin stitch was considered embroidery for decorating the nobility and their homes, as well as for temple paintings with religious images. Gold and silver were used for this. The rest of the population gravitated more towards ornamental patterns and more simple techniques, such as cross stitch, half cross stitch, stem stitch, etc. The history of embroidery knows a lot interesting facts in its development. For example, among the Slavic peoples in Rus' there was a belief: if you start embroidery at sunrise and finish it before sunset, then the thing with such a pattern will become a talisman or amulet for the person for whom it was intended.

In the last century, embroidery with ribbons or braid came into fashion. It is not very difficult to perform, but it requires certain skills and abilities, accuracy and patience from the craftswoman. But it is a mistake to think that this is a new stage in the development of embroidery techniques. The story begins in 14th century France. The hats and dresses of noble ladies were decorated with ribbons, then such patterns became so firmly in fashion that several hundred meters of silk or satin ribbons were spent on embroidering one dress.

The history of embroidery does not stand still. Talented needlewomen add rhinestones, beads, beads, pendants and other elements to the patterns, which help add uniqueness and elegance to the product, and make fashionistas look back.