Some great cutwork embroidery designs by Paula Heckmann is available for view at Keep Sake Cutwork. Paula was raised in a family of artists and needleworkers and has been in the field of drawing, painting and stitching since childhood. Cutwork, quilting and beading held a special fascination for her and she started teaching her art for the Embroiders’ Guild of America, Inc. One of her dreams on cutwork is to add a Gallery on some of her students’ work.

To reiterate on cutwork embroidery designs:

This is a beautiful form of needlework where portions of the background fabric are cut away and discarded, with the edges worked over in buttonhole stitches.

The simplest form of cutwork is that which contains small open areas, such as eyelets, with no connecting bars. Teresa de Dillmont calls Broderie Anglaise – openwork or “cutwork”. Renaissance embroidery is cutwork that needs stabilizing bars worked within the cut-away designs. The edges are connected by buttonhole bars, worked over a single thread and is the same width throughout, except possibly on the edges. Satin stitch fillings are used in the design, then the openwork is done, cutting away unnecessary background fabric to give a much lighter appearance. Richelieu embroidery is similar – only the connecting bars are ornamented with picots and occasionally worked rings are added to give it a studded look. Venetian embroidery is thickly padded buttonhole stitching. The high relief of the outlines is what makes this stand out. Plenty of surface embroidery is included in Venetian designs and open areas with lots of lace stitches! Reticella, or Italian cutwork, is the ultimate and most elaborate of all cutwork. It is just one step away from needlemade lace.

Paula’s works are intricate and disciplined and this reflects in the perfection of her designs. There is also a sense of beauty in the product as a whole. Take the example of the table linen beside this post – the cutwork design stands out prettily in the piece of cloth.