Stem Stitch with Purl

Heritage

Traditional

Stem stitch using sections of coiled wire, called purl, in every stitch

Material

Metal
Other

Craft

Textiles

General Technique

Surface modifying

Specific Technique

Purl is tightly coiled wire and is one of the materials used in goldwork embroidery. Stem stitch is an embroidery technique in which each stitch begins at the halfway point of the previous. In this case the use of two different tones of green purl was intended to replicate the wave effect seen on the Lyons Tea box.

Properties & Qualities

Application

Art Clothing Furnishing

Colour

Green Red Beige

Sample Information

Date of creation

July 2020

Culture & Context

Goldwork is a branch of embroidery, usually seen in military and ecclesiastical settings. Goldwork’s most celebrated era is usually considered to be Opus Anglicanum which took place between the 12th and 14th centuries in England.

Fine examples of goldwork can also be seen in textiles from China, Japan and France. In my own practice I use goldwork removed from its colonial and secular origins to ask what traditional artwork for a country founded in the 20th century (Ireland, 1921) might look like.

Credits

Craft Maker

Sorcha O’Raw

Library Contributor

National College of Art & Design Ireland

Photographer

Sorcha O’Raw

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