With examples of embroidery decoration dating as far back as they do, it seems almost as if as long as clothing has been around, people have felt the need to decorate it! It is interesting to look back at how embroidery has been treated throughout history when so much of what we wear is decorated these days. Embroidery didn’t always used to be so easy to come by...

In the Middle Ages, embroidery acted as a sign of wealth and luxury. In a time when many clothes were plain, it was easy to stand out by wearing fancy attire instead. Only the most affluent members of society were able to afford the luxury of embroidered decoration. (One need only look at Unique Embroidery's prices to see that this is no longer the case!)

Although embroidery had been practised for many years before, it was only in the late 1800s when embroidery machines began to gain popularity.

The embroidery world has progressed a lot since the original hand embroidery machine, which simply consisted of a base holder and still required much of the work to be done by hand.

Commercial embroidery only came to North American in 1848, along with Swiss embroiderer Jacob Schiess. However, at that point, his embroidery was still manufactured by hand! When you think about the number of stitches that go into the embroidery we produce now (approximately 6,000 individual stitches for a typical 1 by 4 inch logo), that’s incredible.

Commercial embroidery was really revolutionized by the invention of the “schiffli” style embroidery machine. Basically an emulation of the sewing machine, a schiffli embroidery machine works by the simple means of a continuously threaded needle, and a bobbin shuttle. Similar to the type of machine we use to manufacture our products, the schiffli style allows for much more efficient and professional looking artwork than the outdated machinery of the past.

We really have come a long way from the tediously hand-sewn embroidery artwork of the past. Keep checking back for more history of embroidery posts.

Until next time,

Tom