| Embroidery applique, the stitching of specific patterns | | | | clothing come from the effort of machines, not of |
| or images into clothing, began in ancient civilizations as | | | | individual people. Computers are able to create many |
| old as that of ancient Egypt and Zhou Dynasty China. | | | | patterns over and over again, duplicating the same |
| It makes regular clothing look much fancier and far | | | | image and using machines to embroider them into the |
| more interesting. It has remained popular for both its | | | | clothing. This method saves time, money, and |
| ability to stitch intricate patterns and images into | | | | manpower, but it also distances the art of embroidery |
| clothing as well as its value as a pastime. From the | | | | applique from its humble, simple beginnings. Instead of a |
| activity's origins, the poorest peasant to the richest | | | | person seeing a finely woven image or design on a |
| queen has had the ability to embroider clothing as long | | | | shirt and knowing that a master craftsman made it, |
| as they have time, needles, cloth, and string. | | | | we see mass-produced designs and dismiss the |
| For this reason, some of the most beautiful clothing | | | | images as a simple function of computers. Embroidery, |
| has been crafted by the incredibly destitute. Like many | | | | over time, has lost its human element. |
| artistic crafts, the greatest work comes from an | | | | With fewer people knowing how to embroider and |
| individual's determination, patience, and practice. Many | | | | even fewer finding any reason to learn, we are |
| people have found themselves sitting down for hours | | | | coming to see fewer and fewer hand-woven |
| and whiling away the afternoons with needles and | | | | masterpieces. In a culture so obsessed with saving |
| cloth. Embroidery applique takes time, patience, | | | | time and making the most of time, it makes sense that |
| diligence, and practice, but the final result is gratifying to | | | | fewer people are willing to learn and interested in |
| the person who spent all that time to create such an | | | | learning. Additionally, our society is being saturated with |
| intricate image. Those who embroider take satisfaction | | | | thousands of copies of the exact same images and |
| from the fact that they are able to take something | | | | patterns because of the cheapness of |
| usual and normal, such as regular clothing, and then | | | | mass-producing clothing with duplicate images. |
| improve upon it and make it their own through hard | | | | Embroidery the applique began with unique patterns |
| work and skill. | | | | being created by individual people, and because it was |
| Embroidery applique relies upon someone knowing a | | | | people who embroidered, the clothing itself varied |
| variety of different stitches with which to create an | | | | according to the individual embroiderers. The clothing |
| image or pattern. Amazingly, some of the most | | | | we wear today becomes less and less a symbol of |
| common and popular types of stitches today were | | | | our own individuality and more and more a symbol of |
| used just as often in the activity's first years, as | | | | society's ownership of us. And with fewer people |
| evidenced by surviving relics of the period. Students of | | | | even aware of how to embroider, we are more than |
| the craft learn the different stitches one by one, and | | | | likely to see this trend continue. Another ancient craft |
| through muscle memory, eventually master them. Soon | | | | begun by humans will be taken over by machines in |
| enough, the ambitious embroiderer will be able to use | | | | the name of cost and convenience. Individuals who |
| many different stitches for the same cloth, allowing | | | | choose to learn and practice this craft will feel |
| them to create more and more intricate designs. | | | | empowered by their ability to modify and create, and |
| Today, virtually all patterns and designs in store-bought | | | | feel more in touch with their inner selves. |