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Definition: embroidery from Collins English Dictionary

n pl -deries

1 decorative needlework done usually on loosely woven cloth or canvas, often being a picture or pattern

2 elaboration or exaggeration, esp in writing or reporting; embellishment


embroidery

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
ornamental needlework applied to all varieties of fabrics and worked with many sorts of thread—linen, cotton, wool, silk, gold, and even hair. Decorative objects, such as shells, feathers, beads, and jewels, are often sewn to the embroidered piece. The Bayeux tapestry is among the most famous examples of embroidery. The art probably antedates that of weaving. Needlework is mentioned in the Vedas and in Exodus in the Bible. In ancient Egypt, gold was used for the decorative stitches, which often covered the entire garment; such work has been found on mummy wrappings. The borders of Greek and Roman garments were often finely embroidered. In Asia, sumptuous designs of gold and silver thread were produced from remotest times; the intricate embroidery of China became stylized and remained unchanged for centuries. From the richly decorative art of Byzantium (4th cent.) embroidery was introduced into Europe and thereafter followed the great period (12th–14th cent.) of church embroidery. The…
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Crewel is a type of loosely twisted, fine, two-ply wool yarn used for embroidery. Crewelwork, which may describe any embroidery using crewel, is particularly associated with the bed-hangings and curtains made in Britain from the late 17th to the early 18th century and subsequently copied in North…
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Full text Article embroidery

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
ornamental needlework applied to all varieties of fabrics and worked with many sorts of thread—linen, cotton, wool, silk, gold, and even hair. Decorative objects, such as shells, feathers, beads, and jewels, are often sewn to the embroidered piece. The Bayeux tapestry is among the most famous…
| 435 words
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Full text Article embroidery

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Art of decorating fabric with a needle and thread. It includes broderie anglaise , gros point , and petit point , all of which have been used for the decoration of costumes, gloves, book covers, furnishings, and church vestments. The earliest surviving embroidery known in England is the stole and…
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Full text Article embroidery, Palestine

From Encyclopedia of the Palestinians
At some period prior to the early nineteenth century, the seeds of a beautiful costume art were sewn in rural Palestine; that art had a spectacular efflorescence during the first half of the twentieth century. Dresses, coats, and flowing head veils of hand-woven cotton and linen in natural shades or…
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Full text Article embroidery, ecclesiastical

From Encyclopedia of World Religions: Encyclopedia of Catholicism
Ecclesiastical embroidery is the art of sewing religious designs or narrative scenes, often in subtle color tones, onto the base fabric of vestments, altar coverings, banners, processional cloth baldachins, and other textiles used in liturgical ceremonies. As the art was done mostly by women, it has…
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Full text Article embroidery

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Art of decorating textiles with needle and thread. Among the basic techniques are cross-stitch, crewel work, and quilting. The Persians and Greeks wore quilted garments as armor. The earliest surviving examples of embroidery are Scythian ( c. 5th–3rd century bc ). The most notable extant Chinese…
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Full text Article embroidery

From The Macquarie Dictionary
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Full text Article embroidery

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
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Full text Article embroidery

From World of Art: The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers
Embroidery has always been used to add luxury or...
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Full text Article embroidery

From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary
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