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The art of embroidery dates back several thousand years. No one knows for certain when or where it originated, but it was an important part of early Chinese culture. Embroidered silk garments have been found in the tombs of wealthy Chinese aristocrats who died before the Common Era. Ancient examples of custom embroidery have also been uncovered in Egypt and Turkey. Early Origins In the early days, sewing was a purely utilitarian discipline. People needed clothes to protect them from the elements. Decorative sewing, or embroidery, began when these clothes wore out and had to be repaired. Patches were applied to cover the holes and reinforce heavily worn areas. These repairs required a high level of skill, which lead to the development of new sewing techniques that were later used for decorative purposes. Where Are We Now? Elaborate, embroidered clothing has long been considered a mark of wealth and social status in numerous cultures, including China, Persia, India, and Japan. These specialized sewing techniques were passed from generation to generation, typically on the distaff side, i.e., the female family members. Most of the techniques and materials that were used remained more or less unchanged for hundreds, even thousands, of years. All of the early and classic examples of the art, such as the Bayeux Tapestry, were made with a needle and thread. Then mass production changed everything. During the Industrial Revolution, machine-made clothing became increasingly popular with the masses. Because the growing middle class could not afford decorative sewing that was made by hand, they turned to machines. The materials changed as well. Although silk, wool, and linen are still used, more affordable synthetic fabrics like rayon are more widely available these days. Machine-Made Patterns When it comes to commercial sewing, the days when patterns were made entirely by hand have long since come and gone. The labor-intensive process has been streamlined with the use of free-motion and computerized machines. The former is often used in small mom-and-pop shops that do decorative sewing, while the latter is needed by larger service providers. How do computers help? No manual or free-motion sewing machine can compare with the precision of new computer/digitized models. Although they are often quite pricey, these units are specifically designed for custom embroidery, rather than just stitching, and are controlled by pre-programmed digital patterns. Depending on the model, these machines require a varying degree of user input. If, for example, the model only has a single needle, the user must change thread colors as needed. But because many modern units have multiple needles, it may not be necessary to manually change thread colors during the decorative process. As such, the machine will pretty much do all the work. In other words, we've gone from hand to hand-free stitching in the span of a few thousand years. Talk about progress! Custom embroidery has gone through many significant changes in its long history. When looking for custom embroidery, Grand Rapids, MI residents turn to ImageQuest. Learn more about our services at http://www.iqink.com/home.
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