Aw, HUCK work

♥ From My Collection ♥ (Which, is just another way of me saying I spent some time cleaning out closets and drawers this weekend.) But look at this! Behold! This is simply too gorgeous to languish in a chest. This is a pillowcase that I no longer recall from whence it came (I don't know who did it.) And, I'll admit that, like most needleworkers, I immediately looked at the backside. Not to see how neat it is, but to see if the back will offer any clues to the technique.

What did I see on the backside? Nothing. I mean, it was blank. Or, almost blank. So, my eyes popped out of my head, and I looked at the front of it again. I finally realized that all of the floss had been woven, meticulously, perfectly, again and again, only on the topside of the fabric, by taking up counted stitches here and there. 

Oh, wise and wonderful internets! Tell me what this is!

"Huck Work"

• It's Swedish in origin
• Was very popular in the 30's and 40's.

Aaand, not much else. What do you know about it? If you notice the visible "weft and weave" (the fabric's texture -like a waffle), this is a characteristic of the cloth used for doing Huck work. I would think any type of cloth that has a visible, even weave could be used for this type of needlework. Don't you? It's just so pretty! And pretty psychedelic, too. There's something almost Mayan about the motifs. 

Hold it! Even though you (and I) might not be taking up Huck work in the next five minutes, nothing says we can't enjoy looking at it. I mean, isn't' that the other half of enjoying embroidery? Doing it and then, looking at it? I think so. That's why:

✓ I've attached a large version of my photo below so you can set it as your wallpaper! 

When someone asks you "Hey- what's that?" you can say "It's Huck work! It's Swedish! Don't you know? It was popular in the 30's and 40's. It's a weaving technique." 

UPDATE: Some real-live Swedes have so generously weighed in with more thorough info in the comments! 

x - x - x 

(Yes, yes. I know. I need to add this to my languishing, little Decorative Needlework Dictionary)

Previously From My Collection: Embroidered Map