Decorative needlework using crewel yarn on linen or cotton fabric, popular for embroidering designs on furniture and clothing.
From crewel (a worsted yarn from Middle English 'cruell') plus 'work'. Crewelwork became a major decorative art in 17th-18th century Europe and colonial America.
Crewelwork was the Instagram of the 1700s—colonists showed off wealth and artistic skill by covering furniture in hand-embroidered wool designs depicting exotic birds and flowering vines!
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