Embroidery, not knitting: Why do you enjoy embroidering? (no advertising)

Dear users, dear authors,
what is special about embroidery?

I enjoy embroidering (though only cross-stitch) because I can “paint” with thread—that is, you can embroider any image you want onto fabric. This makes for very beautiful greeting cards, for example, but also tablecloths or wall hangings if you have the necessary patience, since embroidery is a time-consuming process.
Unfortunately, in the age of digital embroidery patterns, hand embroidery seems to have gone completely out of style. Elaborate hand embroidery isn’t highly valued when you can achieve the same result in a flash with a sewing machine. There are also relatively few patterns available (I usually painstakingly design my own embroidery patterns), and the selection of fabrics isn’t exactly thrilling either. So I wanted to make a damask Christmas tablecloth with Aida panels for my daughter-in-law so I could embroider it, but I didn’t find suitable fabric until long after Christmas, after a lengthy search. Oh well, now I have the whole year to finish it by next Christmas.

I’m really enjoying embroidery right now, too. Yes, it’s actually like painting with thread, just as ruthk wrote above. 

Right now, I’m embroidering designs that I’ve sketched out beforehand—for example, traced from a coloring book or sewing patterns. So I embroider the design and then sew something out of my fabric. I embroider all kinds of fabric—linen, old tablecloths, and old jeans.







For a short while, I was interested in embroidery machines, but to me, that has nothing to do with embroidery as I know it. They create beautiful embroidered designs—I’m still thrilled by them—but the machine does the work, not me. It’s a completely different kind of embroidery. 

I embroider with a machine and digitize the images. It’s like coloring in.
It makes me proud when I manage to create another image and it looks good once it’s embroidered.
I give away a lot of embroidered items as gifts, and it brings me joy when others like them too. 

I’m currently embroidering (by hand) a cross-stitch picture based on a photo of my two grandchildren that I received as a Christmas gift:

I used to really enjoy embroidering by hand; these days, I only embroider by machine, which opens up a whole different range of possibilities

Here are a few of my hand-embroidered pieces: I once embroidered a table runner with a patchwork pattern during rehab, then this wall hanging for one of my daughters to hang in the stairwell, and I’ve also embroidered several 80cm x 80cm tablecloths, such as these silver thistles.

Using the machine, this is one of my most time-consuming projects—I could never embroider something like this by hand. I’ve shown it before: my geisha

I’m passionate about embroidery and have been doing it by hand for over 40 years. It’s fun, and for me, it’s also therapeutic. I’ve given away almost all of my work, which has brought a lot of joy to others,
because a hand-embroidered tablecloth, table runner, pouch, or whatever it may be, is still something special—because it’s one-of-a-kind.

I also really enjoy embroidering—though these days, I mostly just do cross-stitch borders on towels. I used to embroider greeting cards with floral or Christmas motifs, but nowadays I have a bit of trouble with the fine counted fabric. I admire Ruth for her perseverance and am looking forward to seeing the result.

Embroidery is also one of my old hobbies. I could actually pick it up again sometime. I’ve had an embroidery piece of Norway waiting to be finished for years. It’s such a delicate piece. Someday.

Here are my works from days gone by. Very finely embroidered.

That little boy is really adorable. Did you use cross-stitch for that? 

Petra, yes, it’s all embroidered with cross-stitch, but very finely (using only 2-strand embroidery thread). I had lots of those A4 cross-stitch booklets. But I have no idea where the pattern with the boy came from. It’s been too long.
Your angel looks interesting, too.

So delicate—just two threads. Your patience is incredible. But it was worth it.

My angel was traced from a picture and embroidered using the step stitch (is that what it’s called?) with three threads.

I found the pattern. It’s in the magazine “Dein Kreuzstich,” issue 2/2008.

It’s always good to keep your “old” treasures. I still have some very old magazines, and I keep finding something interesting in them. This is my oldest pattern book, and I still often pick it up when I’m looking for a new pattern

[image removed]

I enjoy embroidering and have already made lots of things, including pictures; now I’m limiting myself to small doilies or designs for cards. Lately, I’ve been ordering embroidery kits for doilies from Margaretha.

Welcome, Hilde,
Your sign turned out absolutely beautiful—very inviting.
Was it entirely from one embroidery pattern, or did you put together your own design from several patterns? I really like it—especially the holidaymaker in the camping chair; that would be my favorite motif.

Best regards
Andrea

I still have this “treasure.” First edition, 1987, Verlag für die Frau

Oh, what a treasure. Great!

I’m always trying to snag old books at flea markets. I’ll have to check in a few days to see if there’s one on embroidery.

Hilde, your picture is great. Is it hanging in your RV? It makes me want to enjoy a cozy drink to kick off my vacation.

Yes, it was a complete set—I left out one chair because my mom was alone.

There are now lots of great patterns available there.

Petra, no, it was for my mom; now a neighbor has it at their place.