A Stitch in Time: A Look at the
World of Cross Stitch and if it is a Cultural Universal
There are some forms of arts that
reflect a culture while still being part of daily life. These forms of art,
called folk art, tend to be over looked as a whole. They aren’t seen as great
works of art that add to the culture at a large. But there is something more to
these small creations that just the ‘hobby’ that folk art lives in. By looking
at Cross stitch, an embroidery style that has been around for several thousand
years, we can see the connection between the culture that produces it and see
if cross stitching can be called a cultural universal. By understanding the
purpose that cross stitch has, we can see how it serves the culture that is a part
of, regardless of location or the historical factors that are involved with
said group. By looking at the color symbolize in the Caucasus, the examples of British
stitching during the 1500-1700’s, and looking at the modern day stitching by
the artist Steotch, we can see if there are possible connections between the
three and if cross stitch itself acts as a type of universal that Steward had
discussed based on White’s work.
Before we can get deeper into the
examples, we need to give a clear understanding on what cross stitch is, and
what it is used for in culture. Many view the skill of cross stitching like
this, something that is added on to one’s culture without really giving much
back in return. Cross stitching is the oldest form of embroidery seen around
the world, and through it we can see some of the social changes that have taken
place in different cultures. The use of cross stitching in different cultures has
three universals that appear to go with them. First, it has a relationship with
either the nature that the culture has around them, second, a relationship with
the religious ideas that the culture has; and finally, it acts as a way to
teach the children, (In this case usually girls), learning the expectations or
morals in the culture. Many times, such as the case with samples seen in
Western Civilization, the relationships between these three ideas are blurred
together. Almost all young girls in these cultures were taught the skill of
cross stitching by making what was called the sampler, which usually contains
either the alphabet or biblical quotations along with depictions of the natural
world found in the region. This was usually flowers, but animals and people
were also added around the lettering. This skill, seen as ‘Women’s work’, was
also used as a way to show stitches that the girls were able to do, as it was a
way to practice the stitches that were also used in sewing clothing. This has
been lost to the modern stitchers of today in American, where they tend to make
funny sayings in their samplers or ones that are frown upon within the culture
as a way to rebel. It was also used to add to the material culture, such as
dust rags and things of that nature, as a way to beatify to the things around
them. When looking at other cultures, such as some of the Native American
groups, who have their own patterns of icons used, with their own either
religious or shorthand information that a member of the tribe would be able to
understand the meaning. While most Native American groups didn’t have a written
language, (The only being the Cherokee, and their written language was created
after contact with Europeans.) they were still able to stitch figures that
related to their religious ideas/folklore that were part of their culture. It
was also done in groups of young women, creating a social context as well.
The next thing we will look out is
the different styles and factors to some of the cross stitches that are seen in
the world before getting into what defines a cultural universal as Steward
suggested. By doing this, we can see what links the different styles and
designs that appear in the cross stitches that is related to each other.
To look at the extreme cultural
connections that we can have to cross stitched items, we shall look at the
Caucasus, who before 1820, really did not have a written language for their
native tongue, so their oral folklore wasn’t written down. Because of this,
they were using cross stitching as a way to pass down some of their oral
traditions involving their folklore. Because of this, they had created a system
that allowed them to express ideas, through the colors that they are using. By
using the mixtures of red, white, and black, they are able to commutate
anything, such as people and ideas. Most other colors are not used and not
really seen in the stores even. As researchers David Hunt and Robert Chauncer
found:
In Caucasus folk
literature the colours of white, black and red are also absolutely dominant.
They are even used in combination to describe a beautiful woman: black hair and
eyes, white face and bosom, red lips and cheeks (e.g. [5,
p. 205]). Of the remaining colours, green only occurs rarely in Caucasus
stories. In British stories green is “regarded with apprehension” [4],
and mainly associated with a ‘civilised/ wild’ or ‘human/other’ contrasting
pair: as, for example, the wicked witch or magician in the pantomime is often
green.
(2006: 460)
By using cross stitch, the Caucasus were able
to commutate their folklore effective and in a way that they could understand.
If we look at this with a development of culture, we can see that they created
a means in which their cultural information could be understood. They also used
cross stitching as a way to decorate the items that are used daily, like many
other groups use it for as well.
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By looking across the way at British cross stitch from the 1580-1700’s, we are able to see that iconology at this point was every important to the subject matter at hand. Looking at the cross stitches from these times, one sees that history plays apart that comes to play a part. As figure one shows, it is a portrait of Charles the first, who was dethroned in 1649, done in cross stitch. This shows that cross stitch isn’t stuck in an instruction form, teaching young girls to stitch, but something that can relate to what current events that are going on in that time. As it was pointed out while looking at the gallery showing of these cross stitches, “terms of both iconography and the role of such embroidery in the education of young women. … in choosing biblical subjects to illustrate, … heroines such as Susannah, Esther, and Bathsheba. Each one was associated with particular moral qualities that were expected of women, ideals representing chastity, maternity, or marriage.” (2009:354) Cross stitch here, as described, creates a clear cut reason for it existing outside of the need for practice of stitches for clothes mending or making. By added the religious element, it has a relationship outside of just the object that it is declorated; it adds a cultural expectation that is a norm expressed. The figures that are chosen as a short hand of the stories from the bible that everyone who would view upon would know. This is similar to what is seen in the Caucasus with their color system. Because of this, they are able to make sure that they can share their culture more than just an oral mean, but something more permanent, that can be studied. By looking at what was stitched in different periods of time, it gives an insight to how events were being viewed by people.
Cross
stitching has not been just limited to the past, but also coming use in moderns
times, we will look at the American artist Steotch, who has created her own
mini-culture with stitching community online. It isn’t just practicing stitches
and learning sewing, but to create artwork for the home. Steotch distracts this
is figure two, as she is using modern memes to make jokes in her stitching. By
doing this, she furthers the cultural information, no matter how silly or
strange that they may seem to someone on the outside. The samplers she makes
has a relationship with the people who she is stitching to. She is using an old
skill as a way to connect back into her current culture. While it isn’t quotations of a biblical
nature, she is taking ideas from culture to make pass the ideas on. She also
reproduces the social aspect of stitching by created patterns for her and her
followers to stitch at the same time.
Why is it that these common threads
are seen within these different cultures, within their cross stitching. It can
be said that the themes that are seen between them, the religious attachment,
the practical uses. With the Caucasus we see that they are using their stitch
colors as a way to denote story elements in their folklore, in the late British
work, we see that they are using cross stitch to not only practice stitches,
but to capture the likeness of those of great important; who at the time, was a
daring and controversy figure. Lastly, with the artist Steoch, we see that this
form can still be used for cultural notations for the modern day. With this in
mind, we have a good idea the function that this art has in culture. They all
have common themes across the culture, such as the practice of stitches, the
attachment of cultural ideas, and that has a clear difference between cultures.
She captures the rebellious nature that is seen in a lot of American culture
and their attitudes toward each other.
But what do these examples of stitching really
tie back into the idea of culture having a universal nature to it? Does all
societies have to create cross stitch as part of their cultural path or is
there something more to it than that? As
Julian Steward stated in his article, Cultural Causality and Law, that “It is more important that
comparative cultural studies should interest themselves in recurrent phenomena
as well as in unique phenomena,” (1949:2) While cross stitch is not something
that is seen as something large or unique in culture, but has developed in
different cultures at different periods of time. While there are some stitches
that were developed in some cultures but not in others. There are also motifs
that are seen in some cultures but not in others. But this isn’t that Steward believes that
there is a pattern, as so called step ladder that is seen with culture, but
something that has regularities to the nature of the cross stitch. His first
rule for a cultural universal is that “There must be a typology of cultures, patterns, and
institutions.”(1949:3) In Cross
stitch, there is a pattern seen with unformed stitching, the importance of
symbols, though their meaning across cultures may be different. The cross shape, a small x, is first stitch,
while others build upon it. Cross stitch can also be part of an institution as
seen with the Caucasus, as they used it to relate folklore stories that would
pass on moral lessons to the viewer. It acts as a short hand for those looking
upon it. This can also be seen with the British stitchers that contain the
biblical figures. The cultural patterns are enacted in these pieces of material
culture as it shows what is important to these people.
The second thing that must be taken into
account according to Steward is, “Causal interrelationship of types must be
established in sequential or synchronic terms, or both.” (1949:3) Cross stitch,
viewed across the board, is a way to view information about the creator
themselves. Cross stitch, as in the case with samplers, shows the stitcher’s
skills in how well they can stitch, as well as what information that is
important to the culture that they do know. This can be seen with the use of
biblical quotes and the lettering practicing seen within samplers as well. This
can be seen in the discussions of these different works by looking at the
portrait of Charles the First, as it make sure that a historical figure was
captured at the time within this form of folk art. In the Caucasus it
acts as a way to tell stories and keep the stories in order.
Third, we need to
understand how “The formulation of the independent recurrence of synchronic
and/or sequential interrelationships of cultural phenomena is a scientific
statement of cause and eject, regularities, or laws.” (1949:3) With cross
stitching, it started off as part of a need. Lacking clothing, humans in areas
with changing weather had to stitch clothing together. As this tended to be
done by women, they learned as young girls, they passed down the knowledge of
each stitch and built upon it. Understanding different types of stitches, and
the ability to know when to use what stitch, has to come with practice. Over
time the styles of flowers were developed and the building blocks of cross stitch
began. It worked moral systems, as seen with the samplers and the use of color
in the Caucasus for their folklore stories.
Cross stitch also has interlaced
itself with other bits of culture, as stated with the use of samplers and how
it passes on cultural information. Steward viewed things such as cross
stitching as something that would appear in a cultures period of time he coined
as the formative era. He stated that this period is where “the
patterns of community culture took form at this time. It was an era of population growth, area expansion of
cultures and peoples, comparative peace, and wide diffusion of culture between
centers of civilization.” (1949: 11) While there isn’t a clear evolutionary
path on which culture would have taken place to grow, it is clear that it does
come from a period that there is more idle time than a community that is
working harder to create food production. When looking at the break downs of
goods used by people, it is clear that, “These technologies soon came to be
used for two kinds of goods:
first, objects that served the simple, domestic-that is, essentially
biological-needs of the common folk; second, highly elaborate, stylized goods
that served the socially derived needs as well as the more basic needs of the
theocratic class.” (1949:11) This can be sight when looking back at figure one
verses figure two. Figure one, the portrait of Charles the first has been made
on silk with much finer thread, and clearly has had much more time spent on it,
than the sampler that has been made by the artist Steotch, which is done on
Adia cloth, something worth much less than silk. It can be thought that the
person who made the portrait would have been someone of a higher class in their
period of time because of the materials that are being used. Another thing that
connects cross stitch to the universal idea of culture is the relationship that
is seen in a lot of western cultures with the sampler and biblical quotation.
Steward addressed religion as something that, in later periods of a cultures development,
“evidence of religious domination of society, for example, ceremonial centers,
such as mounds and temples, and a large number of religious objects.”(1949:11)
The samplers comes off as something that connects both religion and the
instruction of young girls.
As it can be seen, cross
stitching can be seen as something that is a cultural universal for the
cultures that make their own clothing. While it has more importance with
different ethnic groups, as seen with the Caucasus, and not with the
Americans, it still has a place within these cultures that it appears. It fits
all the ideas of cultural universals, and we can see that areas that have more
idle time for longer periods of time, has much more stitches and styles that
are used. But in the end, cross stitch is used for the same thing, which is to
express the culture in which the creator is living, and what the creator wants
to reflex from that culture, be it natural or biblical to express them.
Works
Cited
Hunt, David. Chenciner, Robert. 2006. Colour
symbolism in the folk literature and textile tradition of the Caucasus.Optics
& Laser Technology, 38. No 4-6:458-465.
Reiss, Julie. 2009.
English Embroidery from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1580-1700: Twixt Art
and Nature. Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture. 7, no. 3: 350
Steward, Julian. 1949. Cultural Causality and Law:
A trail Formulation of the Development of Early Civilizations. American
Anthropologist. 52, no. 1:1-27
Photographs from:
Figure
1- Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture.
Figure
2- www.Steotch.com
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