| Most people associate embroidery with a boring | | | | threads on a white canvas. This embroidery is so |
| way to fill up a housewife's daily life. The | | | | sophisticated that even nowadays the modern |
| uninteresting procedure of producing a stitched | | | | technologies have difficulty doing it the same way. |
| picture on a cloth may seem to many uninitiated | | | | Another type of finest quality was the Chinese |
| a sheer waste of time. But, once you learn more | | | | silk embroidery, known as the two-sided |
| about it, you may come to discover how | | | | embroidery. It is amasingly intricate and it takes |
| incredibly fascinating it is. | | | | years of hard efforts to complete. Also famous is |
| To begin with, embroidery has a long history, | | | | the "raised" embroidery, practiced in the 16th |
| which dates back to more than 3000 years B.C.It | | | | century. It is better known as the Elizabethan |
| is probably the first form of art, as man has used | | | | embroidery. It involved stitching decorations like |
| decoration with aesthetic purposes as early as the | | | | butterflies, leaves and other beautiful designs with |
| invention of the needle and thread themselves. | | | | the usage of wool, leather and wood padding. Still |
| What is more: you may not be aware but actually | | | | popular today is the Western European |
| embroidery was a man's not a woman's invention! | | | | embroidery called crewel. This technique uses |
| In ancient cultures from every part of the world, | | | | two-ply wool stitching on linen twill and is practiced |
| embroidery and needlework was regarded as a | | | | when making decorations on different household |
| priority only for the chosen and talented boys. | | | | cloths, such as counterpanes, wall hangings, |
| The embroiderers-to-be had to study the fine | | | | draperies, chair coverings. |
| craft under the supervision of a master. It took | | | | What strikes most in these embroidery styles is |
| them more than ten years' apprenticeship until | | | | that they are incredibly difficult to produce and |
| they were approved to practice on their own. | | | | many people lose their patience before completing |
| Embroidery has not only a long history. The most | | | | one canvas. Nowadays, embroidery has |
| amazing fact is that it had evolved simultaneously | | | | developed so far, that even the clumsiest novice |
| in almost every part of the world where people | | | | can try and stitch something beautiful by using |
| practiced sewing. Different cultures formed | | | | computer software or high-tech sewing machines. |
| different embroidery types. The development of | | | | That makes things more pleasant for the new |
| needlework also depended on the various | | | | beginner. Despite the available technology, artistic |
| materials used by a certain culture. The styles of | | | | embroiderers prefer authenticity and still spend |
| embroidery, which different nations invented, | | | | their time doing everything themselves. The finest |
| were passed on generations to generations and | | | | details cannot be produced by |
| many of them have survived till nowadays. | | | | technologically-based machines, because |
| We know of the embroidery work practiced by | | | | embroidery is most of all a kind of art, and all art |
| the ancient Egyptians. It was done with white | | | | needs its talented artists. |