GBH Openvault
Erica; Roumanian Stitch
Part of From the Vault. Part of Erica Wilson: The Julia Child of Needlework.
02/08/1972
Roumanian stitch was traditionally used to decorate peasant costumes in the Baltic countries. Erica tells the audience that though it is called Roumanian, the stitch probably originated in China. She also tells us that the stitch was called oriental laidwork at the Royal School of Needlework. Yet another name for the stitch is New England economy stitch. Early American colonists often used this stitch in crewel embroidery, and Erica theorizes that New England settlers favored this stitch because it is so economicalhardly any thread is wasted on the back of the piece. Erica shows examples of items decorated with Roumanian stitch from the former Yugoslavia and historical examples from Massachusetts. She also shows bed curtains made by her students for a saltbox house restoration on Long Island. The project for this episode is a spring tapestry in Roumanian stitch. Summary and select metadata for this record was submitted by Amanda Sikarskie.
License Clip
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- Series
- Erica
- Program
- Roumanian Stitch
- Program Number
118
- Series Description
Needlework series with Erica Wilson. “Erica Wilson, noted American authority on needlework, invites the viewer to explore the exciting possibilities of indulging his creative and artistic talents. In this series of color videotaped 15 minute programs she illustrates the wide vocabulary of stitches used in many types of embroidery including traditional crewel, needlepoint, bargello, and crewel point.
As well as demonstrating these stitches, Erica gives professional hints on creating useful and decorative objects. She encourages personalizing an original or derived design through the selection of motif, materials, stitch, color, texture, and size. C. 1971-2 Series release date: 1971
- Program Description
Roumanian stitch was traditionally used to decorate peasant costumes in the Baltic countries. Erica tells the audience that though it is called “Roumanian,” the stitch probably originated in China. She also tells us that the stitch was called “oriental laidwork” at the Royal School of Needlework. Yet another name for the stitch is “New England economy stitch.” Early American colonists often used this stitch in crewel embroidery, and Erica theorizes that New England settlers favored this stitch because it is so economical—hardly any thread is wasted on the back of the piece.
Erica shows examples of items decorated with Roumanian stitch from the former Yugoslavia and historical examples from Massachusetts. She also shows bed curtains made by her students for a saltbox house restoration on Long Island.
The project for this episode is a spring tapestry in Roumanian stitch.
- Asset Type
Broadcast program
- Media Type
Video
- Subjects
- Needlework Instruction
- Royal School of Needlework
- New England Decorative Arts 18th Century
- Balkan Peninsula Decorative Arts
- Romania Decorative Arts
- New England Decorative Arts 17th Century
- Embroidery
- Wilson, Erica
- Genres
- Instructional
- Topics
- Crafts
- Creators
- MacLeod, Margaret I. (Series Producer)
- Contributors
- Wilson, Erica (Host)
- MacLeod, Margaret I. (Producer)
- Field, James (Director)
- Mahard, Frances (Other (see note))
- Publication Information
- Copyright © 1971 Erica Wilson and WGBH Educational Foundation
- Citation
- Chicago: “Erica; Roumanian Stitch,” 02/08/1972, GBH Archives, accessed April 20, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_DFFB92FB94D14A2296D9D2E78A71630D.
- MLA: “Erica; Roumanian Stitch.” 02/08/1972. GBH Archives. Web. April 20, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_DFFB92FB94D14A2296D9D2E78A71630D>.
- APA: Erica; Roumanian Stitch. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_DFFB92FB94D14A2296D9D2E78A71630D