Why you should practice hand-embroidery: Versatility

As somebody who struggles to commit to one pastime or hobby, what has sustained my interest in embroidery is the endless list of items I can embroider on. Embroidery is an artform that can be used to both, embellish and create. The former involves less commitment, and is a great way to upcycle old items which you have grown bored of or scraps that would otherwise be discarded. The latter involves much more planning, time (and an audiobook or show playing in the background) but always feels like more of an accomplishment in the end. While creating embroidered works is very enjoyable and satisfying, embellishing random items around the house has a different and exciting appeal, and adds a very distinctive personal touch.

10 items (out of an inexhaustible list) that you can embroider on:

1. Headwear (such as berets, caps, hats, beanies and graduation caps)

2. Footwear (embroidered Converse shoes are all the rage right now)

3. Clothing (the list of clothing items on which you can embroider are endless)

4. Bags (for personalisation and also because they make for great summer fashion)

5. Masks (hopefully there won’t be much need for these soon)

6. Book covers (great for gifting purposes)

7. Cards (also great for gifting purposes)

8. Canvases (a perfect introduction to mix media)

9. Plastic scraps (make art not waste)

10. Toilet paper (I'm not entirely sure what the point of this is or why it has caught on but some of the puns are creative)

However, for hand-embroidery beginners, starting on linen scraps using small hoops is the most accessible and easy choice. This is one of my first attempts:

If the art history or psychology interests you, check out my blog post - Embroidery as therapy: the psychology and World War history behind it

If feminism is something you advocate for or are passionate about, check out my blog post to see why embroidery is great for you - Reclamation of Embroidery as a symbol: Female Suppression to Expression