Ethnic Influences on Crafts
As an American, I've always taken pride in our 'melting pot' society. As new ethnic groups arrive, dreaming of a better life for themselves and future generations, they bring with them centuries of cultural heritage. Our society absorbs these unique histories and is the key to an ever evolving culture which is uniquely American. These influences can be seen in our arts and crafts.
The Arabic/Islamic influence has been making its presence felt in cross stitch circles for a number of years. Consisting of geometric shapes and symbols, Arabic/Islamic cross stitch is definitely a change of pace for those accustomed to stitching more traditional themes.
The Arabic/Islamic influence has been making its presence felt in cross stitch circles for a number of years. Consisting of geometric shapes and symbols, Arabic/Islamic cross stitch is definitely a change of pace for those accustomed to stitching more traditional themes.
A (Very!) Brief History of Arabic/Islamic Embroidery
In the Middle East as early as the 13th century, the double-running or Holbein stitch, was a mainstay of Arabic/Islamic embroidery. The Holbein stitch can also be found in blackwork embroidery. It is believed that this style of embroidery made its way into Spain during the Arab occupation.When Catherine of Aragon arrived in England, she brought with her clothing which had been adorned in blackwork embroidery. From here, its popularity spread to the rest of Europe and has always been associated with Spain.
What Arabic/Islamic Stitching Looks Like
Geometric designs, floral designs and calligraphy are frequently recurring theme in Arabic/Islamic needlework. Human or animal figures are not used as the Qur'an teaches that only Allah is worthy of worship. Anything that may be seen as idols is forbidden. One would think this type of restriction would smother creativity, but sometimes it appears can actually drive creativity. How Arabic/Islamic Embroidery Was Used
Then, as now, silk was a commodity exclusively for the rich. Those who could ill afford silk brocades used embroidery as a cheap method to decorate clothing such as tunics, shirts, ends of sashes and possibly turbans. Despite the modesty of the adornment, pieces which were decorated in this manner were still thought of highly enough to be recycled into children's and dolls' clothes.These days there is no limit to what you can create with cross stitch. Wall hangings cushions, rugs are just a few suggestions.
Have You Done Arabic/Islamic Embroidery? Tell Us About It
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- Phoenix2361 Phoenix2361 Sep 14, 2009 @ 2:20 am | in reply to abdellah
- Thank you for the correction. I thought it didn't look quite right. I hope to be re-working this lens in the near future.
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- abdellah abdellah Sep 13, 2009 @ 7:59 pm
- i just want to tell you that the embroidery with the golden words in the second picture is not in arabic but in Hebrew
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- Phoenix2361 Phoenix2361 May 3, 2009 @ 2:33 pm | in reply to wolftyrs
- If I've piqued your interest, then I've accomplished what I set out to do. After doing some research into this, I've found the history of arabic stitching is more involved than I first imagined. So there will probably be more lenses about it. It's a good thing I like history and culture. Otherwise, this could be a real drag. Thanx for your comments.
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- wolftyrs wolftyrs May 3, 2009 @ 2:35 am
- I haven't, but you've piqued my interest in it. I really enjoyed that you included the history.
by Phoenix2361
I have been doing needlework of some sort for nearly 40 years now. I started with crewel embroidery when I was 9 and have ventured into needlepoint, t... (more)
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