Embroidery
Embroidery is an ancient variety of decorative needlework in which designs and pictures are created by stitching strands of some material on to a layer of another material. Most embroidery uses thread or wool stitched onto a woven fabric, but the stitches could be executed in, for example, wire or leather strands, and embroidery can be worked onto many materials. Non-woven traditional materials include leather and felt, but modern textile artists embroider on many non-traditional materials such as plastic sheeting.
Embroidery has traditionally been used to decorate clothing and household furnishings including table linens, tray cloths, towels and bedding, but you can literally embroider anything as long as it is made out of an evenly woven fabric and can be held firmly in the hand or in a special embroidery hoop or tapestry frame. The art of hand embroidery is a painstaking and laborious process, but today garments are often decorated with machine embroidery instead.
Embroidery has also been used as a form of art and for decoration, through the creation of embroidered or cross-stitch samplers, tapestries, wall-hangings and other works of textile art. Some types of patchwork also incorporate embroidery as a form of extra decoration. Annemieke Mein is one example of a contemporary textile artist who creates embroidered work.
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2 Embroidery Styles and Techniques 3 Famous Works of Embroidery 4 Famous Embroiderers |
Embroidery uses various stitches and combinations of stitches. Each embroidery stitch has a special name to help identify it, and although they are mostly simple to execute, when you put them together the results can be extremely complex.
Some embroidery styles include:
One of the world's most famous pieces of embroidery is the Bayeux Tapestry, made in the 11th century to commemorate the Battle of Hastings.
Other notable embroideries on public display:
Common Stitches
Embroidery Styles and Techniques
Famous Works of Embroidery
The Royal School of Needlework is often involved in the design and/or execution of major embroidery works.