Embroidery is commonly used to embellish accessories and garments is usually seen onquilts, clothing, and accessories. In addition to thread, embroidery may incorporate materials such aspearls,beads,quills, andsequins to highlight texture and design. Today, embroidery serves both decorative and functional purposes and is utilized in fashion expression, cultural identity, and custom-made gifts.
A person who is doing embroidery is called anembroiderer. An archaic term isbroderer, derived from Frenchbroderie for 'embroidery'.[3]
Embroidery can be classified according to what degree the design takes into account the nature of the base material and by the relationship of stitch placement to the fabric. The main categories are free orsurface embroidery,counted-thread embroidery, and needlepoint or canvas work.[4]
In free or surface embroidery, designs are applied without regard to the weave of the underlying fabric. Examples includecrewel and traditional Chinese and Japanese embroidery.
While similar to counted thread in regards to technique, incanvas work orneedlepoint, threads are stitched through a fabric mesh to create a dense pattern that completely covers the foundation fabric.[5] Examples of canvas work includebargello andBerlin wool work.
Embroidery can also be classified by the similarity of its appearance. Indrawn thread work andcutwork, the foundation fabric is deformed or cut away to create holes that are then embellished with embroidery, often with thread in the same color as the foundation fabric. When created with white thread on white linen or cotton, this work is collectively referred to aswhitework.[6] However, whitework can either be counted or free.Hardanger embroidery is a counted embroidery and the designs are often geometric.[7] Conversely, styles such asBroderie anglaise are similar to free embroidery, with floral orabstract designs that are not dependent on the weave of the fabric.[8]
Detail of embroideredsilk gauze ritual garment. Rows of even, roundchain stitch used for outline and color. 4th century BC,Zhou tomb at Mashan,Hubei, China.
The process used to tailor, patch, mend and reinforce cloth fostered the development ofsewing techniques, and the decorative possibilities of sewing led to the art of embroidery.[9] Indeed, the remarkable stability of basic embroidery stitches has been noted:
It is a striking fact that in the development of embroidery ... there are no changes of materials or techniques which can be felt or interpreted as advances from a primitive to a later, more refined stage. On the other hand, we often find in early works a technical accomplishment and high standard of craftsmanship rarely attained in later times.[10]
The art of embroidery has been found worldwide and several early examples have been found. The earliest surviving embroidered cloth comes from Egypt. The Egyptians were skilled at embroidery, usingappliqué decorations with leather and beads.[11] Works in China have been dated to theWarring States period (5th–3rd century BC).[12] In a garment fromMigration period Sweden, roughly 300–700 AD, the edges of bands of trimming are reinforced withrunning stitch, back stitch, stem stitch, tailor's buttonhole stitch, and Whip stitch, but it is uncertain whether this work simply reinforced the seams or should be interpreted as decorative embroidery.[13]
Depending on time, location and materials available, embroidery could be the domain of a few experts or a widespread, popular technique. This flexibility led to a variety of works, from the royal to the mundane. Examples of high status items include elaborately embroidered clothing, religious objects, and household items often were seen as a mark of wealth and status.
In medieval England,Opus Anglicanum, a technique used by professional workshops and guilds in medievalEngland,[14] was used to embellish textiles used in church rituals. In 16th century England, some books, usually bibles or other religious texts, had embroidered bindings. TheBodleian Library inOxford contains one presented toQueen Elizabeth I in 1583. It also owns a copy of The Epistles of Saint Paul, whose cover was reputedly embroidered by the Queen.[15]
In 18th-centuryEngland and its colonies, with the rise of the merchant class and the wider availability of luxury materials, rich embroideries began to appear in asecular context. These embroideries took the form of items displayed in private homes of well-to-do citizens, as opposed to a church or royal setting. Even so, the embroideries themselves may still have had religious themes. Samplers employing fine silks were produced by the daughters of wealthy families. Embroidery was a skill marking a girl's path into womanhood as well as conveying rank and social standing.[17]
Embroidery was an important art and signified social status in the Medieval Islamic world as well. The 17th-centuryTurkish travelerEvliya Çelebi called it the "craft of the two hands". In cities such asDamascus,Cairo andIstanbul, embroidery was visible onhandkerchiefs, uniforms, flags,calligraphy, shoes,robes, tunics, horse trappings, slippers, sheaths, pouches, covers, and even onleatherbelts. Craftsmen embroidered items withgold andsilver thread. Embroidery cottage industries, some employing over 800 people, grew to supply these items.[18]
His majesty [Akbar] pays much attention to various stuffs; henceIrani,Ottoman, andMongolian articles of wear are in much abundance especially textiles embroidered in the patterns ofNakshi,Saadi,Chikhan,Ari,Zardozi,Wastli,Gota andKohra. The imperial workshops in the towns ofLahore,Agra,Fatehpur andAhmedabad turn out many masterpieces of workmanship in fabrics, and the figures and patterns, knots and variety of fashions which now prevail astonish even the most experienced travelers. Taste for fine material has since become general, and the drapery of embroidered fabrics used at feasts surpasses every description.[19]
Embroidery was often perceived primarily as a domestic task performed by women, frequently viewed as a leisurely activity rather than recognized as a skilled craft.[20] Women who lacked access to formal education or writing implements often used embroidery to document their lives through stitched narratives, effectively creating personal diaries through textile art, especially when literacy was limited.[21]
In marginalized communities, embroidery has also served as a tool of empowerment and expression. For example, inInner Mongolia, embroidery initiatives arose in response to economic pressures intensified by climate change, including desertification, allowing women to express themselves and preserve cultural identities through traditional embroidery skills.[24] Embroidery has also preserved the stories of marginalized groups, particularly women of color, whose experiences were historically underrepresented in written records. In South African communities, embroidered "story cloths" have captured and preserved critical perspectives and events otherwise missing from historical narratives.[25]
Since the late 2010s, there has been a growth in the popularity of embroidering by hand. As a result of visual social media such asPinterest andInstagram, artists can share their work more extensively, which has inspired younger generations to pick upneedlework.[26][27]
Contemporary embroidery artists believe hand embroidery has grown in popularity as a result of an increasing need for relaxation and digitally disconnecting practices.[28] Many people are also using embroidery to creatively upcycle and repair clothing, to help counteract over-consumption and fashion industry waste.[29]
Modern canvas work tends to follow symmetrical counted stitching patterns with designs emerging from the repetition of one or just a few similar stitches in a variety of hues. In contrast, many forms of surface embroidery make use of a wide range of stitching patterns in a single piece of work.[30]
Embroidery portrays a large function of representation in many literary works. Hobbies in regards tostitching,dressmaking, orquilting have learned to be acquainted with women through the 18th to 19th century.[31] Embroidery alters itself in literary contexts to perform as a symbol instead of a depiction of culture and rooted history. Novels byJane Austen capture a depiction where women are riddled with silent productivity and installs certain societal norms within a specific gender.[31]
InGreek mythology the goddessAthena is said to have passed down the art of embroidery (along withweaving) to humans, leading to the famed competition between herself and the mortalArachne.[32]
This is adynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help byediting the page to add missing items, with references toreliable sources.
The fabrics and yarns used in traditional embroidery vary from place to place.Wool,linen, andsilk have been in use for thousands of years for both fabric andyarn. Today,embroidery thread is manufactured incotton,rayon, andnovelty yarns as well as in traditional wool, linen, and silk.Ribbon embroidery uses narrow ribbon in silk or silk/organza blend ribbon, most commonly to create floral motifs.[40]
Canvas work techniques, in which large amounts of yarn are buried on the back of the work, use more materials but provide a sturdier and more substantial finished textile.[41]
Asewing needle is the main stitching tool in embroidery, and comes in various sizes and types. The tips may be sharp or blunt, depending on the type of material the needle needs to be drawn through. Tapestry needles are blunt and larger than a chenille needle which is sharp and shorter than a standard embroidery needle.[42]
In both canvas work and surface embroidery, anembroidery hoop or frame can be used to stretch the material and ensure even stitching tension that prevents pattern distortion.[43] Frames can come in a square or rectangular shape and prevent the canvas from distorting. The two types of frames used are scroll and artist's stretcher bars.[42]
Beeswax is often used to treat thread. It smooths and strengthens threads, especially silk and metallic threads.[42]
Brother Innov-is V7 computerised Sewing/Quilting/Embroidery machine embroidering onto cloth held in a hoopCommercial machine embroidery inchain stitch on avoile curtain, China, early 21st century
Mass-produced machine embroidery emerged in the early 20th century. As embroidery shifted from personalized craft to mechanical output during theIndustrial Revolution, the craft developed into a structured industry centered on large-scale production.[44] The first embroidery machine was thehand embroidery machine, invented in France in 1832 by Josué Heilmann.[45] The next evolutionary step was theschiffli embroidery machine. The latter borrowed from the sewing machine and theJacquard loom to fully automate its operation. The manufacture ofmachine-made embroideries inSt. Gallen in eastern Switzerland flourished in the latter half of the 19th century.[46] Both St. Gallen, Switzerland andPlauen, Germany were important centers for machine embroidery and embroidery machine development. Many Swiss and Germans immigrated toHudson county, New Jersey in the early twentieth century and developed a machine embroidery industry there. Shiffli machines have continued to evolve and are still used for industrial scale embroidery.[47]
Contemporary embroidery is stitched with acomputerized embroidery machine using patterns digitized with embroidery software. Inmachine embroidery, different types of "fills" add texture and design to the finished work.Machine embroidery is used to addlogos andmonograms to business shirts or jackets, gifts, and team apparel as well as to decorate household items for the bed and bath and other linens, draperies, and decorator fabrics that mimic the elaborate hand embroidery of the past.
Machine embroidery is most typically done withrayon thread, althoughpolyester thread can also be used.Cotton thread, on the other hand, is prone to breaking and is avoided.[48]
There has also been a development in free hand machine embroidery, new machines have been designed that allow for the user to create free-motion embroidery which has its place in textile arts, quilting, dressmaking, home furnishings and more. Users can use the embroidery software to digitize the digital embroidery designs. These digitized design are then transferred to the embroidery machine with the help of a flash drive and then the embroidery machine embroiders the selected design onto the fabric.
The practice of slow threading and repetitive motion ensues a calming process within a persons mind. Therapists portray the process as getting to regulate certain emotions, allowing patients to reminisce on memory. As embroidery holds a rich history, this invokes a calming and grounding state where people learn to regulate emotions as they embroider. It is an activity where the mind is able to think on its own and encourages strong reflection on identity, memorabilia, and culture.[49]
Englishcope, late 15th or early 16th century. Silk velvet embroidered with silk and gold threads, closely laid and couched. ContemporaryArt Institute of Chicago textile collection.
^Marie Schuette and Sigrid Muller-Christensen,The Art of Embroidery translated by Donald King, Thames and Hudson, 1964, quoted inNetherton & Owen-Crocker 2005, p. 2.
^Needlework. Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. January 2018.
^Harriet Bridgeman; Elizabeth Drury (1978).Needlework : an illustrated history. New York: Paddington Press. p. 42.ISBN0-448-22066-0.OCLC3843144.
^Caviness, Madeline H. (2001).Reframing Medieval Art: Difference, Margins, Boundaries. Medford, MA: Tufts University.;Koslin, Desirée (1990). "Turning Time in the Bayeux Embroidery".Textile & Text.13:28–29.;Bertrand, Simone (1966).La tapisserie de Bayeux. La Pierre-qui-Vire: Zodiaque. p. 23.et combien pauvre alors ce nom de broderie nous apparaît-il!
^Werner, Louis (July–August 2011)."Mughal Maal".Saudi Aramco World. Vol. 62, no. 4.Archived from the original on 2016-02-22. Retrieved2011-08-11.
^Fowler, Cynthia (April 25, 2019).The Modern Embroidery Movement (1st ed.). London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts.ISBN978-1350123366.
^Barber, Elizabeth Wayland (April 1, 1994).Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years: Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times (1st ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.ISBN978-0393035063.
^Kouhia, A. (2023). Crafts in the Time of Coronavirus: Pandemic Domestic Crafting in Finland on Instagram’s Covid-Related Craft Posts. M/C Journal, 26(6).https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.2932
^Mayne, A. (2020). Make/share: Textile making alone together in private and social media spaces. Journal of Arts & Communities, 10(1–2), 95–108.https://doi.org/10.1386/jaac_00008_1
Levey, S. M.; King, D. (1993).The Victoria and Albert Museum's Textile Collection Vol. 3: Embroidery in Britain from 1200 to 1750. Victoria and Albert Museum.ISBN1-85177-126-3.
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