European Bluework Embroidery
Classic Expressions in Blue Thread - Part II
by Patricia Cummings
Bluework is a type of traditional surface embroidery that was influenced by the Redwork craze of the nineteenth century. (Redwork is believed to have had its beginnings at the Royal School of Needlework in Kensington, England.) In both Bluework and Redwork, only the outline of a design is embroidered with either outline stitch or stem stitch, but the interior of the shape is not filled in, as is done in crewel embroidery.
As a point of interest, stem stitch and outline stitch differ only slightly and the name of each stitch depends only upon which side of the needle the thread is placed. Other embroidery stitches are sometimes added to both Redwork and Bluework, such as French knots, straight stitch, and cross stitch.
To embroider a myriad of designs, usually just one color of thread is used. Like Redwork, Bluework may include vases with flowers, utensils for eating, kitchen gadgets, windmills, children in national costumes, boats, and domestic scenes of cooking at a raised oven.
Small Pieces in Bluework Located
While I have found larger items in Redwork to collect, such as a gorgeous Redwork tablecloth from the Alsace region of France, with its many interesting antique design motifs, I have only found small items of Bluework to purchase. One of those is a Bluework pouch that was described by the seller as “turn of the century, with Old World charm.”
Bluework Wall Pouch. collection of Patricia Cummings, photo by James Cummings
The item is designed to hang upright, and it features a pocket that is decorated with grape leaves and grapes, a perennially favorite design, often reminiscent of Christ and the Eucharistic cup. In this case, the grapes are "filled in." That is sometimes seen in certain embroideries from Germany. At times, other decorative stitches, like feather stitch as used to in-fill the design.
On the upper half of the pouch, there is a decorative band of blue fabric that extends across its width. The object's overall size is 10” wide x 11 3/4” long. Could this have been used as a letter holder? Or, perhaps, it held a small brush so that one could “spruce up” before leaving the house? Unfortunately, the origin of the piece is unknown, and we have no clear idea as to its previous use.
German "Brot" bag. collection of Patricia Cummings, photo by James Cummings
German Bread Bag
Not surprisingly, we found a “Brot” bag to purchase. These kinds of bags seem to have been very popular. Of course, the word “Brot” means “bread,” in German. (Nouns are capitalized in German). This item has a top edge that folds over. Overall it measures 15 3/4” x 21 ½.” No doubt, the bag was made to keep bread clean on its way home from the market, or from a street vendor. Traditionally, bread has been sold by outdoor vendors in Europe, at a marketplace, or sometimes from a cart, as it was when I lived in Spain in the early 1970s.
A German Tradition
Since this article was first published, a reader who has visited Germany, wrote to describe the centuries old German tradition of hanging a bread bad from the eaves of barns. The Brot bag was protected from the weather and animals, and fresh bread was placed in the bag each night by a bakery delivery man.
"Cook well!" The German uberhandtuch is displayed on an overtowel holder made by James Cummings. An overtowel is a decorative towel that hangs in front of wet, just used, utility kitchen towels.
German Overtowel – Uberhandtuch
"Koche fein," the two words on a German overtowel, is embroidered primarily with cross stitch. The words mean, “Cook well.” The designs consist of a boat and two windmills. The most interesting part of this towel is that shapes are created by use of “negative space,” reminiscent of Assisi work. That is, the stitches around the motif create it, while the space itself is untouched. Look closely at the photo and you will see what I mean. Often, motifs like windmills and boats, that are thought of as Dutch, find their way onto the surface of embroidered items made in Germany.
Bluework Splasher
One splasher in my collection shows a woman standing near a raised fireplace. On the floor, is a child sitting and blowing bubbles. The Polish words, “Gotuj dobrze nie zartuje potem z toba poflirtuje” were translated by linguist Margareta Faust to mean, “Cook well, I'm not joking. Afterwards, I will flirt with you.” She does not make any more sense of those words than I do, but many thanks to her for the translation!
Bluework Valance
The Bluework valance that I have (shown above) is quite detailed. Presumably, it would have been hung to frame a window. The main design is a boy and a girl in the center, totally surrounded by a fancy Bluework border. The additional side motifs also feature girls, facing in opposite directions. This may be a European piece.
Twentieth
Century European Bluework
The Margareta
Faust Collection
Bluework Kitchen Towels. Collection of Margareta Faust, Luxembourg
In Europe, as in the United States, everyday items were often represented in Bluework. The linen French tea towels, shown here, were embroidered in stem stitch with cotton thread, and feature utilitarian items such as a funnel, a teapot, a casserole dish, and other things. Margareta Faust states that these could be from eastern France (Lorraine), and could have been made during the first half of the twentieth century. Each towel measures 34” x 21.”
Kitchen wall hanging from Sweden, 29" x 17", depicts the interior of a cottage.
collection of Margareta Faust
From the same collection, we also see a kitchen wall hanging from Scania (southern Sweden). The 100% cotton, embroidered scene depicts the interior of a cottage through the use of Stem Stitch and Satin Stitch.
Another wall hanging from Scania (southern Sweden) was collected by Margareta Faust. That one says, “Válkommen kare van.” Translated that means, “Welcome, dear friend.” This piece is linen that has been embroidered with stem stitch and satin stitch, in cotton thread. She believes that it may date from the 1920-1940 period.
Bluework piece embroidered by Margareta Faust's Polish grandmother in 1948.
A special Bluework piece, seen above, was embroidered by Margareta Faust's grandmother, Irena Raciborska, in Poland in 1948. The “Jug, Basin and Chrysanthemum” design measures 26” x 20”, and was intended to be a kitchen wall hanging. The ground cloth is linen, and the pattern was probably worked over pre-printed ink. Margareta saw similar pieces at Polish rural markets in the 1980s.
"Cinderella" bluework towel in the collection of Margareta Faust.
photo by Estella Faust.
A more intricate and involved design is a German overtowel with its very artistic rendering of a girl in an apron, holding a bird, and flowers present above both the scalloped top edge of the towel, and placed in such a way as to enclose the bottom half of the design. This towel is meant to hang on a rod in front of utility kitchen towels to hide them. This, too, is a cotton towel, embroidered with cotton threads, and features stem stitch and satin stitch.
10/22/07 update: Margareta has written to say that she has found out that this towel is one of a series of three that illustrate the Cinderella fairy tale.
Additional European Splasher from Pat's Collection
A German splasher, with gnomes, hangs on a wash stand built by James Cummings.
Blue and White
Blue and white is a classic color combination. Time and again, these classic colors have appeared together in Chinese porcelain, in Japanese chinaware, in toile de Jouy cloth, and in the traditional blue and white needlework designs worked at Deerfield, Massachusetts. Blue and white look elegant together, and therefore, it is no surprise that the colors were adopted in ecclesiastical circles as well as royal ones, beginning in the twelfth century. We hope that you have enjoyed this overview of Bluework and some European examples.
Part I of this article - History of Bluework
Many thanks to Margareta and Estella Faust of Luxembourg for sharing their time, treasures, and talent to contribute to this article.
©Copyright 2007. Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH All rights reserved for the owners of the photos and text presented herein. Questions? Comments? Please write to: pat@quiltersmuse.com