When Granny’s Crafts Take Center Stage
We couldn’t help but notice the best-dressed journalist in the office sporting a t-shirt featuring a hand-embroidered design. After a few innocent Google searches for “embroidery,” our cookies did their magic, and soon our Instagram feed was overflowing with dedicated embroidery accounts. The real clincher that turned our resident geek dad into a certified “embroidery is cool” evangelist? The opening credits of House of the Dragon season 2, which showcase a medieval-style embroidery in progress, straight out of the Bayeux Tapestry playbook.
“Embroidery never really disappeared, but now it’s everywhere,” says Audrey Demarre. “There’s a general comeback of traditional crafts like knitting, but there’s also this idea of recycling: embroidery isn’t just decoration. We use it to mend holes, hide stains, give clothes a new life—all while standing out from the crowd.”
Creativity, Identity, and a Dash of Feminism
Standing out is exactly what drove Noémie, a 25-year-old new mother, to make the most of her maternity leave by learning the basics of embroidery:
“At first I wanted to stitch some birth announcements, but I ended up making things for myself—on my clothes, my daughter’s, bits of fabric… I love embroidering, it relaxes me, and there’s something so poetic about the finished piece.”
Embroidery doesn’t demand a big investment or even much experience to start, but its sheer variety can feel overwhelming. For some, another textile art has become all the rage: needlepoint canvas. But don’t picture forests or kittens from your grandmother’s living room. A quick browse on the Canevas Fukuri website (a French needlepoint hotspot) makes it clear that this isn’t your grandma’s hobby. Or maybe, in a roundabout way, it is…
“When I discovered this site, I decided to get kits for all my girlfriends,” says Julie. “It’s really something I wanted to share among us.”
Embroidery: A Thread Between Generations
“The resurgence of embroidery definitely has something to do with feminism. For a long time, it was a women’s domain because girls had to learn it in school, whether they wanted to or not—training them to be good little wives… That’s why embroidery was long looked down on. But it’s also about sisterhood, about connection and passing things down from mother to daughter. You’ll often hear stories of lineage—no pun intended—among contemporary embroiderers, tales spanning three or four generations.”
Another dimension where embroidery and feminism intertwine: the concept of repair. Many pieces today address the liberation of women’s voices around gender-based and sexual violence—women seeking “repair” as much as justice.
“There’s a growing trend in embroidery: visible mending—fixing damage in a way you can see. You’re not hiding a flaw; you’re repairing it,” explains Audrey Demarre.
Traditionally, textile arts were not considered part of fine arts. But, as Demarre points out:
“Today, they are an art form in their own right. You can do with thread what you can do with a brush—all the women I mention in my book have their work in galleries.”
Tapestry: Grand Designs for a New Generation
At the other end of the long thread of textile arts, you’ll find tapestry. Much like its nimble little sibling, embroidery, the tapestry weaver is rediscovering the power of her craft. In Aubusson, France, the Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie has breathed new life into an ancestral tradition that was in danger of fading away. Alongside new training programs and public commissions to support the field, the Cité has launched several innovative projects that are revolutionizing tapestry for a new era.
After completing a series dedicated to Tolkien’s drawings—now on show in their entirety at Aubusson—the next chapter features six tapestries inspired by the worlds of Hayao Miyazaki. The upcoming creation, “Mei’s Nap” from My Neighbor Totoro, will be brought to life thanks to a crowdfunding campaign.
Tapestry is a long, complex, and collective labor needing almost industrial-level equipment, whereas embroidery is solitary and simple. Yet beyond their shared cotton threads, both are seeing a fresh wave of enthusiasm from a whole new generation of fans.
Jack Mercer is a writer with a passion for American culture and everyday style. After spending years exploring the country’s hidden gems and fashion scenes, he found his voice sharing stories that celebrate the authentic spirit of modern America. When he’s not writing, you’ll find him hunting for vintage denim or enjoying a good bourbon on his front porch.
