Techniques
Embroidery Techniques
刺绣技法
Embroidery is not one technique but a family of them. The same motif worked in different stitches will differ in lustre, in thickness, in the sharpness of its edge. Learning to read the stitch is the first step in reading the object.
Stitches
The direction of the needle, the spacing of the stitches and the twist of the floss together decide how the finished surface catches light.
Chain Stitch
锁绣 · suoxiu
One of the earliest systematic stitches in China, worked as a series of interlocking loops. Embroideries from the Warring States and Han periods are dominated by it: the line it makes is crisp and springy.
Rolling Stitch
滚针 · gunzhen
Each stitch is laid back over half the previous one, producing an unbroken fine line. Used for outlines, stems, whiskers and hair, it turns corners without breaking.
Seed Stitch (Peking Knot)
打籽绣 · dazixiu
The thread is wound into a small knot and anchored, grain by grain. Packed closely, the knots build a dense granular surface, used for flower centres, fruit and wherever a raised texture is wanted.
Counted-Thread Work on Gauze
纳纱 · nasha
Worked on an open gauze ground, counting the holes. Because the holes govern where the needle can go, outlines run square or at forty-five degrees, giving the design an almost geometric character — the readiest way to recognise the technique.
Couched Gold
盘金绣 · panjinxiu
The gold thread is not taken through the ground but laid on the surface and tacked down with fine silk at intervals. Because it stays on top, none of its lustre is lost — the usual method for dragons on court dress.
Coloured Couching
彩色盘金 · caise panjin
Couching in which the tacking threads are coloured, so that they form a second pattern over the gold. The result carries more depth than plain couching: a regular coloured figure floating on a gold ground.
Appliqué
栽绫绣 · zailingxiu
Shapes cut from figured silk are laid on the ground and stitched down at the edges. Cloth does the work of thread: quicker and cheaper than solid embroidery, with clean, decisive outlines.
Subjects
The same subject worked in different stitches looks entirely different — which is one of the clues to where and when a piece was made.
Flowers
花卉 · huahui
Peony, lotus, chrysanthemum and plum each have their own conventions of drawing and colour. The grading of tone across a petal is where the embroiderer’s skill shows most directly.
Leaves
叶子 · yezi
Whether a leaf faces towards or away, whether it curls, where its veins run — all of it is carried by the direction and tone of the floss. Done well, a single leaf shows both of its sides.
Butterflies
蝴蝶 · hudie
The wings are symmetrical but never identical; the antennae are picked out in the finest rolling stitch. The word for butterfly puns on a word for great age, so butterflies among flowers carry a wish for long life.
Figures
人物 · renwu
Faces are worked in the finest floss, split and worked in stages; the fall of the clothing is carried entirely by the direction of the line. The difficulty of figure work is that the smaller it is, the more it exposes.
Cloud Forms
云纹 · yunwen
The proportion of a cloud’s head to its body and tail changes markedly across the Qing reigns, and is among the most commonly used grounds for dating.
Symbolic Programmes
Auspicious motifs come in fixed sets with rules of composition; they are not arbitrary decorative choices.
The Eight Treasures
八宝纹 · babao
A set of auspicious objects that appear together, with fixed rules for how they are arranged and combined.
The Hidden Eight Immortals
暗八仙 · an baxian
The eight immortals represented by their attributes rather than by themselves. The figures are absent yet present — a characteristically Chinese way of standing one thing for another.
The Twelve Symbols
十二章纹 · shier zhang
Twelve emblems reserved for the emperor, fixed by statute in both placement and number. They are the most reliable indicator of the highest rank of dress.
Regional Traditions
Different regions developed their own systems of stitching and their own aesthetic preferences.
Xiang Embroidery
湘绣 · xiangxiu
The embroidery of Hunan, known for its blended stitching: layers of floss are interleaved so that the pile and sheen of animal fur can be rendered convincingly.
Source and Credit
The framework of techniques set out here follows the teaching materials of the “One Needle, One Thread” training programme (2022, organised by the China Women’s Development Foundation), written by Professor Li Yufang.
The descriptions above were written separately for this archive. Plates from the course materials will be added once permission has been confirmed in writing, and credited as the rights holder requires.