National Embroidery Month
Posted on February 05 2024
February National Embroidery Month may have started in 1992 to promote commercial embroidery and monogramming. It is unclear how and who started this observance. What is very clear is that it honors and promotes this by-hand ancient art.
Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. It has a tremendously rich and varied history spanning thousands of years, and it is still widespread and popular today. In fact, of all our world’s ancient traditions, it is one of the longest surviving.
Historically, stitches have always been the fundamental techniques of hand embroidery, appearing on clothing, accessories, religious garments, household items, etc. A variety of stitches including chain stitches, blanket stitches, running stitches, satin stitches and cross stitches are still fundamental to hand embroidery today.
The word embroidery comes from the French word broderie, meaning embellishment. Early embroidery can be traced back to 30,000 B.C. Archeological discoveries from this time period reveal fossilized remains of heavily hand-stitched and decorated clothing. The oldest surviving pieces of embroidered material date from approximately 2,000 B.C.E. and were found in Egyptian tombs. Works in China have been dated to the 5th–3rd century BC and in Sweden roughly around 300–700 AD.
In countries all over the world embroidery is regarded as a medium of expression, culture and fine art. Both men and women practice the art of embroidery; and motifs are often highly detailed and have meaning. In some cultures, the elder women pass down special family designs to their daughters as a way to continue a specific tradition. Embroidered patterns often communicated great symbolic significance. Found fragments illustrate the high status of embroidery as a revered art form that commemorated important events and ceremonies. The embroidery style and design often indicates the time period and the place where it was created.
Embroidery has evolved, using computerized design and machine stitching. However, hand embroidery is still greatly valued for its authenticity and aesthetics.
Embroidery is a great way to give an older shirt a new look. Whether it's creating a new design on a solid color shirt or embroidering on top of an existing design, this is artistic self expression, rewarding, and a sustainable practice which prevents the garment from ending up in a landfill!
To celebrate February is National Embroidery Month, T Shirt Atelier will ship one mini embroidery kit per order per customer to encourage this sustainable art form.
SHOP T Shirt Atelier Collections and get your mini embroidery kit!
Resources
- Embroiderers' Guild of America
- 15 Stitches Every Embroiderer Should Know
- Embroidery | Needlework, Stitching & Patterns | Britannica
- Embroidery : History and Significance of the Rich-Art of Design
- Embroidery from Around the World: An Introduction – the thread
