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We can say that cross stitch was born with the first attempts by primitive man to sew animal skins. Even though this can sound funny, we can really talk of the first steps of an art which will last till nowadays.
It is in the Middle Age when we can find the first trackable traces, at times when chatelains waited for their men copying motifs of carpets coming from eastern crusades.
Maybe it is during the Renaissance that cross stitch finds its more fertile ground, helped by the Church, huge user of stitched paraments. In fact, samplers were born during the Renaissance like a fabric on which young girls and maidens practised stitching. Often, when thinking of samplers, our thought goes uniquely to cross stitch, but, as a truth, every kind of stitched point was learned. Moreover, stitching the alphabet was a system for women to learn how to read, considered that education for women was not expected apart from noble classes. Drawings are handed on from one sampler to another. We shall wait until 1500 to see the first printed patterns.
In 1600 thanks to import
from America of new natural colourings, stitchers discover red colour which
for a long time will stand out on all embroideries which keep on being stylized.
In 1700 patterns become more refined and realistic,and we can see the first
landscape representations.
As we get to 1800, art of cross stitch become the favourite hobby of women
of every social class and can rely upon new products, fabrics and fibers n
new brilliant colours and new patterns. First encyclopaedias are printed.
At the end of 1800 with the beginning of the new century, cross stitch clashes
with new fashions and is forgotten: there will pass about 70 years before
it gets overbearingly trendy again.
Fortunately today, apart from current fashions, passionate stitchers have everything they need to satisfy even the most unbridled fantasy, every kind of fabric, hundreds of colours in every conceivable shade, patterns from country style to the realism of photographs converted in patterns by computer programs. And also stitchables objects, many monthly publications, new encyclopaedias, books for lovers of every kind of style up to Internet, inexhaustible mine of new information.
What more? It looks like
this is the most propitous moment to cultivate this very ancient art…let’s
take the chance!!!
This short summary has no claims, I based myself on researches made by others and i simply tried to synthetize the main stages of cross stitch history. I hope you will be so kind to forgive any mistake.