A Stitch and a craft

Embroidery has long been part of human tradition, with historians dating the practice to 30000 BC. Though during relatively recent history (during the Common Era), it has been typically associated with femininity, it is an enjoyable hobby for just about anyone with a needle and thread. Yes, men too if they please, providing them a way of expressing emotions and embodying them into the intricate stitches on fabric. Similarly, Handicrafts is also an activity rich with history, and its sustenance and prevalence in modern culture is a testament to the art’s importance.

Embroidery came from tailoring or repairing clothing, where people discovered that while stitching or mending, you can just as easily add another layer of fabric, sow new thread into the clothing, or add on different embellishments altogether for decorative purposes. As a symbol of high status in Western, Asian, African, and Islamic cultures, the art of embroidering clothes, belts, calligraphy, and more with gold and silver thread became extremely popular – in Medieval England, this was termed Opus Anglicanum.

As most women in the past lacked a formal education but were often taught embroidery, today, it is specifically very pertinent in the study of women’s history over the ages. The women used their needlepoint talent as a unique tool for documenting their lives, which made it incredibly important in the study of primeval people whose history often was not documented in books.