Xueyi xiupu 雪宧繡譜

Xueyi xiupu 雪宧繡譜, also called Wuxian Shenshi xiupu 吳縣沈氏繡譜, is a book on embroidery written by Zhang Jian 張謇 according to oral instructions of Ms Shen Shou 沈壽. It was published in 1919 by the Hanmolin Shuju 翰墨林書局 in Nantong 南通, Jiangsu.

The book consists of eight chapters expounding on eighteen rules for the use of needle and yarn to create beautiful embroideries on silk fabric. The first chapters deal with the preparation of tools and materials (Xiubei 繡備), dealing with the yarn (Xiuyin 繡引) and mastering the needle (Zhenfa 針法).

Figure 1. Image of embroidery frame (xiubeng 繡綳) and table (xiuju 繡具) in the Xueyi xiupu 雪宧繡譜

The chapter Xiuyao 繡要 "Important issues of embroidery" is the longest, and central part of the book. It describes how to pay attention to the material and motif (shenshi 審勢), select and adapt colours (peise 配色; with a long table Xianse biao 線色表, with main colours, zhengse 正色, and secondary colours, jianse 間色), reaching brillance (qiuguang 求光), rendering spirit (xiaoshen 肖神), handling with wisdom (miaoyong 妙用), and achieve fineness (zhenxing 縝性).

Figure 2. Table listing shades of various colours

The shorter chapters towards the end of the book are classes of embroidery (Xiupin 繡品), effects of embroidery (Xiude 繡德), rhythms of embroidery (Xiujie 繡節), and a general summary (Xiutong 繡通).

The text can be found in the series Xiyongxuan congshu 喜咏軒叢書.