Since I'm exploring a bit of crewel embroidery these days, I thought I'd share some resources with you for different things relevant to crewel embroidery. You'll find that most of these resources are relevant to other types of hand embroidery as well, though, so even if you aren't into crewel, you'll probably find something here that entices you!
Transferring Your Embroidery Design
For transferring crewel designs, a reader suggested using a sepia colored micron pen, as it will be less likely to show (with anything except white). I totally agree! But sepia colored art pens are not always available at craft and art stores, so they're harder to come by. I just ordered a couple from Blick Art Materials. They have both the Sakura Micron Pens and the Prismacolor Illustration Markers. I like both. A product search for "micron" pens will bring these up.
A light table is also a great instrument for transferring designs. If you like to embroider your own designs instead of pre-printed designs, investing in one of these is a good idea. You can use it for all kinds of applications - not just for tracing onto fabric. I use mine for lots of things - card-making, embossing, designing layouts for needlework, etc. You can find these at Blick's as well, in all sorts of types and price ranges.
Fabric for Crewel Embroidery - Hedgehog Handworks Sale!
Traditionally, linen twill is favored for crewel work. Besides linen twill, you can also use a plain weave linen. Hedgehog Handworks carries Legacy linen twill for $42 / yard, which is a really good price for Legacy linen - and right now (through January) they're having a 15% off sale (on everything!), so you can get a yard for $35.70. That's an absolute steal. If you want to use plain-weave linen, they also carry Strathaven linen, which works well for crewel when backed by muslin. Both linens can be used for other needlework applications as well. I was thinking the twill would make a nice ground fabric for goldwork and needlepainting, so I'm planning on trying that out later. Hedgehog Handworks is also a great place to pick up Renaissance Dying wool, cotton floche, Gilt Sylke Twist, Soie d'Alger (best price online, while it's on sale!), and Hardwicke Manor hoops.... not to mention goldwork threads... and the list could go on. Do check out their January sale - it's a great time to stock up!
So whether you're exploring crewel embroidery with me right now, or you're playing with other surface embroidery endeavors, the above resources will help you find the tools and supplies you need for your needlework.
Try not to go hog-wild at Hedgehog! (Well.... I suppose you can if you want to!)
(I did.)
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