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crewel

American  
[kroo-uhl] / ˈkru əl /

noun

  1. Also called crewel yarn.  a worsted yarn for embroidery and edging.

  2. crewelwork.


crewel British  
/ ˈkruːɪl /

noun

  1. a loosely twisted worsted yarn, used in fancy work and embroidery

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of crewel

First recorded in 1485–95; earlier crule; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“Showstoppers!” displays 100-odd costumes, as well as a handful of the tools used to make them, like millinery blocks and a 19th-century crewel machine from the embroiderers Penn & Fletcher.

From New York Times Aug. 12, 2021

If you don’t want to graduate to more complicated crafting like cross-stitch or crewel embroidery, there are some latch-hook kits that yield more useful items.

From Slate Dec. 9, 2020

While I can sew a reasonable seam by hand — in fact, I was very into crewel and embroidery once upon a time — I don’t have a sewing machine.

From The Verge Apr. 8, 2020

She says she has seen a huge demand for vintage crewel work and embroidered framed pieces that have motifs such as butterflies or daisies.

From Washington Post Sep. 20, 2017

Christian symbols—especially tulips, sunflowers, and hearts—are recurrent, as they are on contemporary West-of-England furniture, pewter, and embroidery and on the carved chests, and crewel work of Puritan New England.

From North Devon Pottery and Its Export to America in the 17th Century by Watkins, C. Malcolm

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