The art form is thousands of years old and so, its exact origin is hard to trace. However, evidence of its existence has been found in the Bayeux Tapestry, which is so old that it holds records of the Norman conquests (England) of 1066. Crewel art has been in existence roughly since the 11th century. The tapestry is as long as seventy meters and entirely hand embroidered, using crewel. But, apart from the Bayeux art, it is also believed to have been a favourite with Queen Elizabeth, who was a connoisseur of all types of embroideries in her era. 

By now it is evident that the tale of crewel embroidery is a rather long one- but what’s interesting is, how it followed a pathway to reach the hills of Kashmir. 

As the tale goes by, this craft was brought in by the traders of “Damascus”- a city in the centre of the “Silk Road”. This city was a junction between many routes, one of which lead to India. Amongst the trade of various arts and crafts from around the world, luckily the crewel embroidery landed in India. The craft was further patronaged by the Mughal rulers. As a result, it quickly became a popular and indigenous art form of Kashmir – used by both the European and Indian nobility.

Even though crewel embroidery is tedious and intricate, the steps involved in the making are basic. All you need to create this is a strong crewel needle, woollen threads, a firm base fabric and tracing paper. The process starts with the selection of a design. Locally known as, Zalakdozi in Kashmir, the traditional designs include the Tree of Life and Chinar leaf patterns that Kashmiri craftsmen swear by. 

Once the design is finalized, it is drawn on a tracing paper by professional tracers called, Naquashbands. The design is then, printed on the base fabric, using ink. After the design is imprinted, the fabric is sent to the craftsmen, who start embroidering. In this embroidery, some of the conventional stitches used are stem, chain and padded satin stitches- made with a hook needle or, Aari. 

Crewel yarns are stiff and can be firmly turned and twisted into shapes. Depending on the intricacy of the design, the embroidery can take up to several weeks to finish. In the Kashmiri craft community, it is said that a person requires sixteen years to master the craft. That’s why small children of the community are trained from the age of eight to ten years. 

The art of crewel hand embroidery is centuries old. It has been associated with 17th century England, when it came to be known as “Jacobean embroidery” because of the application of designs from the Jacobean period. Embroidery was a part of the English aristocratic society, as sophisticated women made these on pillow covers, curtains and upholstery fabric. 

Crewel art-form also became a part of the Arts & Crafts Movement of late 19th century Britain. This movement holds enough historic significance, as it is one of the oldest protests against industrialization and an effort to revive decorative craftsmanship.