What is Stumpwork?
Stumpwork or raised work is a form of embroidery in which three dimensional figures and scenes are created through the use of stuffing, batting, and crafty stitches. This style of embroidery appears to be almost exclusively British in origin, and some very fine examples of stumpwork can be seen in British textile museums. Crafters in many regions of the world practice stumpwork today, with the style being popular in Australia and the United States as well as Great Britain. The modern descendant of stumpwork is puff embroidery, although puff embroidery is only a pale imitator of traditional stumpwork.
The craze for stumpwork arose in the 1600s, with some companies even producing printed stumpwork kits which could be used by unimaginative crafters. The popularity of this embroidery technique receded almost as soon as it arose, experiencing a resurgence in the 1800s, when the term “stumpwork” was coined to describe it. The origins of the term "stumpwork," by the way, are a bit mysterious, with claims ranging from references to wooden batting used in traditional stumpwork to a corruption of "stamp," as in the stamps used to made commercial stumpwork patterns for sale to crafters. Today, like many hand crafts, stumpwork is practiced by a limited community of crafters who do it primarily for the novelty.
In stumpwork, there are a variety of ways to create a three dimension effect. Most typically, pieces of embroidery are performed on one base cloth and then attached to another, allowing the crafter to create the illusion of flower petals, flowing skirts, and other three dimensional design elements. Stumpwork can also be accomplished on wire frames which are sewn into a base fabric, or with the use of layers of batting in the base fabric which are covered in stitches.
Traditional stumpwork is incredibly detailed. In addition to including basic embroidery, it may also include lace stitches, beading, and other sewing notions, and the scenes depicted can become quite elaborate. Typically no scale or perspective is used in stumpwork, and botanical and biological accuracy is usually of scant concern. Often, the level of detail is so high that one must be right next to the stumpwork to fully appreciate it.
Stumpwork was used to adorn padded boxes, garments, and wall hangings, among many other things. The scenes depicted varied considerably, from Biblical stumpwork pieces to scenes of men and women in lush floral gardens. In the modern era, commercial puff embroidery is produced by embroidering over foam padding to create a raised effect, although the multidimensional aspect and rich detail of true stumpwork are not present in this type of mass-produced embroidery.
Written by S.E. Smith
