Stringwork

Example of string work slip, first half of the 18th century, made possibly by Princess Amelia Sophia. Example of string work slip, first half of the 18th century, made possibly by Princess Amelia Sophia. Copyright Victoria and Albert Museum, acc. no. T.116A&B-1953.

Stringwork was a popular form of decorative needlework in seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe. A thin, round cord was wound onto a large shuttle with open ends, then the cord was unreeled and knots made at intervals. The resulting knotted cord was fed into a bag, suspended either at the left wrist or from a belt. The knotted cord was then couched down in a decorative pattern onto an usually linen ground of some kind.

Sometimes silk or satin cloth with a firm backing was used as a ground material. The technique was used mainly for household furnishings, such as bed hangings, window curtains, chair covers and so forth, but also for garments. Stringwork went out of fashion in about 1800, when a comparable technique, called tatting, took over.

Stringwork was sometimes known as Queen Anne’s tatting (especially in Cornwall, England) during the late eighteenth century.

See also: passementerie; knotting

Source: SWAIN, Margaret (2001). Ayrshire and Other Whitework, Botley: Shire Publication, p. 29.

V&A online catalogue (retrieved 29 June 2016).

GVE

Last modified on Wednesday, 24 August 2016 17:01
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