Stumpwork

[2] Traditionally stumpwork depicted a scene which might contain a castle, stag, lion, birds, butterflies, fruit, flowers, and several figures sometimes positioned beneath a canopy.

[1] Stitches can be worked around pieces of wire to create individual forms such as leaves, insect wings or flower petals.

Other shapes can be created using padding under the stitches, usually in the form of felt layers sewn one upon the other in increasingly smaller sizes.

The process involves putting down, typically, a layer of foam rubber larger than the intended shape on top of the target material to be decorated.

Puff embroidery generally lacks the intricate design characteristics obtainable with true stumpwork techniques and is primarily seen on leisure wear, such as baseball caps, sweatshirts and jackets.

Stumpwork picture worked in silk and metal thread on silk, with pearls and beads, 17th century.
An anatomical embroidery of the lungs using stumpwork to give depth
Mrs Maggie Dunne wearing bodice with raised embroidery 1909