Art, Needle and Thread
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Embroidery, the art of decorating material with a needle and thread, has been around for thousands of years. If you looked around in an ancient Egyptian tomb, you'd probably find paintings of embellished clothes, couch covers, hangings, and tents.
The earliest surviving embroideries are Scythian and dated between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE.
So, since we humans have had that much time to practice, it shouldn't be a surprise that we've gotten pretty good at this craft. And there's a Facebook page that has all the proof! It shares the most creative and well-executed works it can find on the internet and has 1 million people following its feed. Below, you'll find our hand-picked selection of their most popular posts.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
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PeeledPotato PeeledPotato Community Member Follow
its so delicate like it could float away any second
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#2
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Linden Linden Community Member Follow
Beautiful colours!
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It's not just the enthusiasts who have been reviving embroidery in recent years. Modern fashion brands have been using it to give their products a unique and artistic look, too. Stella McCartney, for example, stitched performance materials such as Aertex with swirling squiggle motifs in orange, blue, and yellow. Jumpers and jackets at Christopher Kane came with scrawls of free-hand thread doodles. In his Americana-themed collection, Marc Jacobs embroidered jumpsuits with schoolbook sketches of broken hearts and roses. Gucci’sfondant-pink show invite arrived in a gossamer pouch stitched with delicate flowers– paving the way for models dressed in cardigans with trompe l’oeil bows and flowers.
#3
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trollingergirl trollingergirl Community Member
I see goose, I upvote!!! ❤️
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#4
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Meghna Mohan Meghna Mohan Community Member Follow
Where do I learn this it is so stunninghhh
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#5
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Sue Wade-Walters Sue Wade-Walters Community Member Follow
All those French knots! Such skill and patience!
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London-based Australian designer Louise Markey, aka LF Markey, is known for her no-nonsense sporty jersey and denim separates but disclosed that her embroidered Skylar T-shirt dress was one of her bestsellers. "It's been popular with people going to weddings," she said. "I think they are looking for something easy to wear that looks special." ADVERTIsem*nT The Swedish sneaker brand Eytys has produced shoes embroidered in designs inspired by Afghan war rugs – a tradition of weaving the apparatus of conflict into traditional carpeting. Proceeds were donated to UNHCR and Refugees Welcome. Many designers once hailed as masters of print are exploring their knack for creating exuberant surface embellishments.
#6
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David David Community Member Follow
Think out of the circle
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#7
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Verinder of the Valley Verinder of the Valley Community Member Follow
Do one with stars in it, so you have stars in your pocket, then you can save it for a rainy day!
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#8
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HelluvaHedgehogAlien HelluvaHedgehogAlien Community Member Follow
That is better than anything anyone could DRAW
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#9
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Pterodactyl in Disguise Pterodactyl in Disguise Community Member Follow
I adore the textures and adore the adorableness of the llama
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"Along with the growth of social media and the presence of the internet, people find themselves increasingly stressed," artistic couple and embroidery lovers Charles and Elin wrote in their blog post. "No wonder ... We're constantly connected and 'available.'" "Thus, embroidery has gained significant attention partly due to the growing awareness of mental health."
#10
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PeeledPotato PeeledPotato Community Member Follow
just keep swimming, just keep swimming.-Dory
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#11
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Nancy T Nancy T Community Member Follow
Love this!
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#12
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Take me to dinner first Take me to dinner first Community Member Follow
i'd buy it
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#13
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Sue Wade-Walters Sue Wade-Walters Community Member Follow
So creative!
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"Modern hand embroidery is an incredibly relaxing and meditative art form. Stitch by stitch, you’re able to disconnect and concentrate on the growing embroidery piece in your hands," Charles and Elin explained. They think that creating things with our hands is human nature. "Whether it was to create tools for hunting or clothes to wear. To be a good craftsman and 'handyman' had huge benefits for your survival." "As a result, our bodies have developed award systems through the release of happiness hormones whenever we perform acts that are beneficial for survival. It may sound far-fetched, but our bodies and brains haven’t had time to adapt to our modern industrial and technological societies. Thus, they’re still reacting to stimuli related to survival mechanisms," the couple said.
#14
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HelluvaHedgehogAlien HelluvaHedgehogAlien Community Member Follow
It. Is real.
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#15
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trollingergirl trollingergirl Community Member
I see Bag End, I upvote.
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#16
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Take me to dinner first Take me to dinner first Community Member Follow
omg i would love to have this, whoever did it is super talented
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#17
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HelluvaHedgehogAlien HelluvaHedgehogAlien Community Member Follow
Stunning
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The right time to try out the craft is whenever you feel like it. For our earlier piece on the subreddit r/Embroidery, whose members have also created an impressive collection of works,Ania Jakubisiak, who has been stitching stuff since she was a child, toldBored Pandashe has learned everything through trial and error and Pinterest. "Embroidery is my way to pay tribute to people I love, characters I admire, and relax during long studying hours," Ania said. "It's not difficult to start. Invest in a good quality wooden hoop and try out many techniques," she suggested. "You will find the style that fits your hand and aesthetic."
#18
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Take me to dinner first Take me to dinner first Community Member Follow
it looks like a drawing!
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#19
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Verinder of the Valley Verinder of the Valley Community Member Follow
Subtle majesty.
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#20
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Judy Reynolds Judy Reynolds Community Member Follow
I am so impressed with the hair!
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#21
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Gator Gator Community Member Follow
Finger looks real
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A very good way to start from the absolute beginning is to order an embroidery kit. It will have your thread, a needle, a hoop, and a design already worked onto the fabric provided. ADVERTIsem*nT That means no analysis paralysis as you stare at the overwhelming number of shades of red, wondering which one might be the best. Kits also have the benefit of explaining what stitches you should be using in what section. They come in many styles, and after you complete one, you have a hoop and needle to use for other projects as well.
#22
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nancthetank@gmail.com nancthetank@gmail.com Community Member Follow
Beautiful!
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#23
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Bethany Heller Bethany Heller Community Member Follow
This scene is always super striking, and the embroidery is stunning!
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#24
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Rwby Couch Rwby Couch Community Member Follow
Oh. My. Gosh. EVERY. SINGLE. DETAIL. MUST. HAVE. TAKEN. FOREVER. seriously, good job. I love landscapes.
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#25
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and_a_touch_of_the_’tism and_a_touch_of_the_’tism Community Member Follow
So prettyyyy
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#26
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Take me to dinner first Take me to dinner first Community Member Follow
wow a tattoo like this would look amazing
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#27
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Christina Keenan Christina Keenan Community Member Follow
Love embroidery. It takes patience, imagination and creativity. Also liked this episode of "the Simpsons".
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#28
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Rwby Couch Rwby Couch Community Member Follow
I wish the OP would say how long these amazing embroideries took to create. Like, months and months, or multiple years?
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#29
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Brocken Blue Brocken Blue Community Member Follow
What… Is that embroidered on air? 🧐
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#30
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HelluvaHedgehogAlien HelluvaHedgehogAlien Community Member Follow
Awww
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Note: this post originally had 131 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
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Rokas Laurinavičius
Rokas Laurinavičius
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Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 235 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.
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Ilona Baliūnaitė
Ilona Baliūnaitė
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I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place
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Hey pandas, what do you think?
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Olivia Lisbon Olivia Lisbon Community Member Follow
I went to the Textile Museum yesterday, and the amazing embroidery there, coupled with this post, means I am now very insecure about my half-finished Peeking Jesus cross-stitch. Though it was no coincidence that I picked a design that gets better the more crappy it looks 😅
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Queen Jackson. Queen Jackson. Community Member Follow
Yeah, my half finishes cross stitch collection is gets bigger every month.
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Osprey Osprey Community Member Follow
Now i want to learn embroidery.
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Joyce Ramage Joyce Ramage Community Member Follow
I only wish I had half of the talent that the contributors of the various pieces have, they are all so incredible
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Olivia Lisbon Olivia Lisbon Community Member Follow
I went to the Textile Museum yesterday, and the amazing embroidery there, coupled with this post, means I am now very insecure about my half-finished Peeking Jesus cross-stitch. Though it was no coincidence that I picked a design that gets better the more crappy it looks 😅
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Queen Jackson. Queen Jackson. Community Member Follow
Yeah, my half finishes cross stitch collection is gets bigger every month.
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Osprey Osprey Community Member Follow
Now i want to learn embroidery.
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Joyce Ramage Joyce Ramage Community Member Follow
I only wish I had half of the talent that the contributors of the various pieces have, they are all so incredible
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