Crewel is an ornamental surface embellishment technique using a wool yarn and a variety of different embroidery stitches to apply a design to fabric, mostly cotton, linen or twill.The word "crewel" comes from an ancient word describing the curl in the staple, which is a single hair of the wool. Crewel wool has a long staple, is fine and can be strongly twisted. Modern crewel wool is a fine, 2-ply or 1-ply yarn available in many different colors.
This form of embroidery is at least a thousand years old. It was used in the Bayeux Tapestry, in Jacobean embroidery and in the Quaker tapestry.
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