Cutwork & stumpwork

Openwork or ‘cutwork’ embroidery is a delicate form of needlework which involves cutting away portions of the background fabric and binding the edges with embroidery stitching. In addition to reinforcing the edges, resulting holes may be filled with embroidery or needle lace.

Stumpwork, on the other hand, is a raised form of embroidery. It is created on one backing fabric and transferred to another, ‘ground fabric’. The software allows you to visualize all components of a stumpwork design in a single design window. At the same time, it lets you edit each stumpwork piece individually and output to machine.

Both cutwork and stumpwork designs are created with a common set of tools. Stumpwork can be made from cutwork pieces which are sewn onto the base design, usually with the addition of a wireline for extra stiffening.