World Embroidery Day 30/07/2026.

The 30 July is World Embroidery Day and there is also Nation Embroidery month in many countries, which happens in February each year. I would love to be able to spend a large part of day doing some embroidery, maybe working on several projects that I have in progress but unfortunately, I am teaching so instead I will pick up my embroidery in the evening and enjoy slow stitching time. It will provide the perfect cut off between the working week and the start of my summer holiday. Yippee two weeks with no work!

Embroidery is an ancient art form, and there is evidence of hand embroidery dating back to 30,000 BC. Historically, it was used to decorate garments, indicate social status, tell stories, and preserve cultural traditions. Depending on where you are in the world there are many different types of embroidery which represents the cultural heritage of the area. I really enjoy trying different types of embroidery from different cultures and eras.

Today I thought would be a good day to look at different pieces of embroidery I've made. Lets start with cross stitch as this is a form of embroidery that I learnt when I was still at primary school.  For Christmas 1999 John gave me a Millenium sampler cross stitch kit. I started it early in the new year and managed to get a fair amount done but I got a little tired of the half and quarter stitches, plus the repetative stitching action made my right wrist and arm sore. Over the years I would pull it out during the winter as it was a delightful activity whilst watching TV and come spring it would go back into storage. I knew I would complete the piece but there was no hurry. It was eventually finished in December 2019, 20 years after it was started. I had it framed and it hangs in our entrance hall. The only photo I have of the sampler is before it was framed. I am really happy with how well this piece worked. I wished I'd kept a log of how many hours work it took to finish it.

More recently I stitched the Noah's Ark pattern by Lynette Anderson. I increased the size of the patterns a lot to make the quilt a standard baby quilt size. Older grandson loves his quilt.  The frog quilt I'm currently sewing the binding to is for his younger brother. The picture is just as the quilt top was finished.

A strong favourite stitching project was run as a sew along by Barbara from Cat Patches. Twelve quilting bag ladies, stitching one a month for a year. What's that you're asking? Did I finish them all in a year? Of course not but they all eventually got finished and sewn into a quilt. We are currently doing some work on our stairs and then this quilt can go back on the wall. I love these ladies, they all have so much character. Thank you Barbara for running the stitch along. The patterns are by Chickadee Hollow Designs. 

More recently I tried sashiko and I've found this a very satisying embroidery style. This is the first piece I tried and it forms the centre of my Japanese style quilt I'm making. Since then I've used sashiko to add a bit of fun to my jeans. 

My mother taught me how to embroider but as a child I was more into playing outside and annoying my older brother. I learnt how therapeutic slow stitching can be when I was a student nurse. The hospital I trained at was predominately a cancer hospital so after a day at work it was important to reset and relax. My mother liked to create patterns and this one hangs in our living room. I am very happy to have several pieces of her stitching in the house.

This little piece of sweet peas I stitched while I was a student. I hadn't learnt how to do the shading properly but I'm very happy with it and it hangs in our bedroom.

My son started this cross stitch when he was 10 or 11 but I ended up having to finish it as he became interested in something else.

Finally I stitched this from a kit and once it was framed I gave it to a friend who had just had a baby. The baby is now in her thirties but still has the cross stitched bears.

There are so many different styles of embroidery. I went on a study day last year to find out more about Jacabean embroidery, which was fascinating. In the morning the tutor talked through the style of the embroidery and the stitches and who would be wearing the clothes as they were very expensive to make. She showed us pictures of beautiful waistcoats and bodices from the period and then we got to create a small piece to take home. I really enjoyed the day. I went on a study day many years ago about goldwork and that reminds me I must get on with my goldwork seahorse. I have also made a cushion cover using hardanger embroidery. I really liked that style. I have a list of different styles of embroider I would like to try which includes, smocking, crewel embroidery, candlewick embroidery, blockwork, drawn thread, chicken scratch, stump work and cut work. Unfortunately there isn't enough time in the day to work through the list. I will retire at some point so I'll then have more time. This is the conundrum I have at the moment, carry on at work in a job I love and enjoy doing or retire and spend more time playing with fabrics and threads, a game I really enjoy playing!

I hope you enjoy World Embroidery Day and if embroidery is part of your skill set I hope you had time to add stitches to whatever you are working on.

Take care

Lyndsey