Fun fact about me: I was homeschooled all the way through until I went to college. When I’ve shared this info, I’ve gotten surprised reactions.
Once people recover from the shock that I (a relatively normal individual) didn’t attend kindergarten, elementary, middle or high school, they usually ask if I liked it. I didn’t just like it — I loved it.
Being homeschooled gave me some control over which subjects to study (patchy American history, lots of time and lessons on the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers), but it also gave me time to indulge in hobbies.
I discovered at a pretty young age that I listened to lessons and retained more information when I kept my hands busy on a mindless task than when I sat with them folded in my lap gazing off into space (maybe if Thales had taken up crafts he wouldn’t have fallen into that well).
I worked my way through many projects during middle and high school, and one of my favorites was embroidery. Unlike my origami phase, embroidery is a hobby to which I repeatedly return.
Until recently, it felt like a bit of a stodgy hobby — not super cool. But lately, to my delight, I’ve noticed a lot of other folks enjoy spending many hours making tiny decorative stitches for fun.
My friend Linda told me embroidery and cross stitch were all the rage in the 70s and 80s. She said there were shops selling supplies and patterns everywhere.
She and her friends collected pattern books and magazines — she stitched many pieces, and noted it was a meditation practice. Then, Linda said, they all stopped stitching in the 90s.
But now, needle craft is on the uptick again.
Since humans began creating cloth they also used wool, silk, linen, and other materials like beads to embellish clothing. Ancient Egyptians embroidered, as did the Chinese and many other cultures worldwide. Migration and invasions spread embroidery techniques and designs, stitches and patterns.
In modern times, printed pattern books have universalized embroidery. Linda noted she loved to challenge herself at a young age with learning new ways to wield her needle by studying Mary Thomas’s Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches – a classic guide which I’ve referenced a few times.
These days, with a surge in stitching popularity, there are lots of readily available resources. Angie Miller, owner of Stitch in Westover, teaches beginner and intermediate embroidery classes (her next beginner class is scheduled for Aug. 11, with limited seats due to COVID-19 precautions).
Angie has been embroidering since she was a kid, and said she loves the portability of the craft, and the fact it’s easy to get started without a big investment. Angie said although there are old fashioned patterns available, people have kept embroidery patterns up to the times.
There are patterns which follow décor trends, and even socially topical embroidery, with crafters using the art to express support for the Black Lives Matter movement. “Anything relevant socially you can get on and find an embroidery pattern for it,” Angie said.
When I asked Angie if she has a favorite stitch, she said “I really like the woven wagon wheel that makes the little rose. It’s not difficult at all, but it’s just so cool.”
Visit Stitch for embroidery supplies, or find kits for needlework at Hoot and Howl downtown.
If you haven’t tried embroidery, crewel, needlepoint or other related sewing techniques, go pick up a needle and thread and start stitching — all the cool kids are doing it.
ALDONA BIRD is a journalist, exploring possibilities of local productivity and sustainable living in Preston County.
