The “Four Renowned Embroideries of China” were regional in their origin. Su embroidery originated from Suzhou, Jiangsu province, Yue embroidery originated from Guangdong province, Xiang embroidery originated from Hunan province and Shu embroidery originated from Sichuan province.

Su Embroidery is most famous and popular in China, it is noted for its beautiful patterns, elegant colors, variety of stitches, and consummate craftsmanship. There is one distinctive features of Su embroidery i.e. some pieces are both-sided embroidery. That means the picture look exactly the same one one side of the fabric as it does on the other. The stitching is done with silk threads that have been divided until the actual thread is almost impossible to see, through the repetition of stitches a very dense embroidering occurs. Double sided embroidery usually mount on a traditional carved wooden frame which can be rotated so both sides could be showed to customers.

A good embroidery makes not only great house decoration but also a valuable collectible.

How to select a good Suzhou embroidery product?

Due to Su embroidery are 100% handmade, the price can vary dramatically depends on its size, technique and quality. Therefore, we must have some basic knowledge how to check the quality of embroidery.

Normally we can check the embroidery product through three aspects, the design of embroidery, fineness of needlework, color variation and whole effect.

First, a good embroidery product must have a beautiful pattern which different from an ordinary one; the silk portrait is usually the most expensive hand embroidery, then it would be landscape, still life, animal and floral pattern.

Secondly, the needlework should be dense and on some specific area, the thread should be very thin so the image will become vivid. To create a good quality embroidery, an artist must split a single silk thread upto 64 thinner strands - depending on how fine the embroidery work should be. The artist then stitches layer after layer using various color of threads to reach the final wonderful effect.

Lastly, the color sense of a good embroidery is bright and gradual color change is natural, whereas the color of ordinary embroidery is not very harmonious.

Hu Xueping

If you are into embroidery, you surely know that hand embroidery is the oldest embroidery known in this industry. It was used in the ancient days as designs in tapestries and in lady’s samplers. Most hand embroidery projects are used to decorate pillowcases, wall hangings, table runners and quilts. And there are several types of hand embroidery and one of them is ribbon embroidery.

Ribbon embroidery is basically done using ribbon rather than the standard six-thread string. Most ribbon embroiderers use silk ribbon or a combination of silk and organza ribbon. Practiced for years, this type of embroidery is considered as the most elegant hand embroidery. Ribbon embroidery projects are also considered to exude a certain level of romantic and antique quality; thus, this is known as the most romantic form of embroidery.

Learning the Basics of Ribbon Embroidery

If you are new to this kind of embroidery craft, you should first learn the basics;

* Fabric - this is important since I’s where you are going to stitch on

* Needle - you need a wide eye needle which can accommodate the ribbon you are using

* Ribbon - choose the kind and type of ribbon that perfectly suits the project you are working on

* Your own sense of adventure - yes, this is important. You should not be afraid to try variations of the designs and stitching styles. Who knows, you can be an inventor of new stitches and techniques.

Among the basics of ribbon embroidery that you have to familiarize yourself are the supplies, techniques and materials used in a project;

* Stitches - there are various stitches used in ribbon embroidery in order to create designs

* Chenille - this is the needle use in ribbon embroidery * Silk - mostly, ribbon embroidery is done using silk fabrics

In creating your project, you also need to know the different styles of ribbon embroidery that you might encounter along the way. These are as follows;

* Woven rose
* French knot
* Fly stitch
* Feather stitch
* Fly stitch fern
* Lazy daisy
* Looped petal flower
* Couching stitch
* Straight stitch
* Split stitch
* Stem stitch rose
* Japanese ribbon stitch

Most of the above stitches are taught to beginners so you can surely do them even if you are a novice on this kind of embroidery. You just need someone to tell you how to it properly. If you don’t have someone, then you can always look for tutorials and step by step guides on how to do it. Here are places where you can get guides;

* Books and Magazines - most embroidery books and magazines offer tutorials on different embroidery types. You may chance upon a tutorial on how to make ribbon embroidery project.

* The Internet - if you don’t have books or magazines or can’t find any from your collections, you can always resort to the Internet. There are lots of websites where you can find tips and guides on ribbon embroidery. You may find one or two of them useful.

Since ribbons are now available in different colors, textures and designs, you’d be really able to create ribbon embroidery with romantic designs. You can use your finished projects to design pieces of clothing like scarves, bonnets and even purses.

To embellish pillowcases, towels, quilts and framed artworks are other uses of ribbon embroidery

Nupur das

Embroidery on clothing is a great way to show your style and separate yourself in a fashionable way. This is a great idea for a business owner, and it is effective whether you have a small, medium, or large workforce. It can pay dividends by having a focused look and a logo embroidered on a collared polo shirt or a button down Oxford shirt. Embroidery is an economical way to dress your workforce up and at the same time promote and brand your business.

You can find just about any color of Polo shirt to have embroidered. You need to have a logo or some artwork to have embroidered. You would be able to use a logo or just a slogan which if it were just letters then that process is called monogramming. Just about anything can be digitized. However, the more intricate the design then the more stitches it will take to sew that pattern. Stitch count is the factor that determines the cost of the job – the more the stitches then the higher the cost.

Today most embroidery is done by machine hence the term machine embroidery – this is a basic form of embroidery. The process in which a design is embroidered starts with a concept that is perfected and “digitized” utilizing software that tells the machine exactly where and what to stitch. The patterns can be simple or fairly intricate, but make no mistake embroidery is a classy way to express yourself whether it is personally or professionally.

Jason Duke

Printed duvet covers are the ideal solution for bringing a bedroom a new look. There are many different and unusual designs available, traditional or contemporary designs are brought right up to date with expert use of faux fabrics to provide practical, fashionable and very affordable duvet covers to suit all interior design styles and colours.

Reversible printed duvet covers give the added bonus of having the opportunity to chance the appearance of a room effectively and efficiently. The reverse sides of a duvet cover are available which uses the same print design, a plain contrasting colour, checks or stripes. Printed duvet covers which utilise the print pattern look equally effect whichever side is used uppermost and typically have a darker and lighter side. The beauty of dark and lighter alternative sides is that they provide a look which remain complimenting the room’s decoration yet providing a new twist to the room’s appearance.

Duvet covers which are printed on one side and plain on the other offer a choice of interior design styles which compliment the rooms decor, crisp plain colours are the perfect solution in providing a clean line and the illusion of order within the room, whereas a printed duvet cover can inspire moods with funky swirls, leaf patterns and other fashionable and trendy prints.

With the vast range of different colour designs and patterns available there are suitable choices for all individual tastes and preferences. Bold geometric patterns offered in a huge range of colours suit contemporary and modern homes, while checks and stripes are suitable for both traditional and modern homes brightening a room’s interior and providing an illusion of a larger room.

Children’s bedrooms which include favourite sporting designs and sports teams, particularly football teams, are extremely popular for a young boy’s bedroom, girls who prefer a more ‘princess’ approach with whites and pinks will not be disappointed with duvet covers which depict their favourite television or film stars. As duvet covers and bedding set are very affordable it is possible to swap and change them as the child moves on to another fashion trend or chooses to support a different team! For an impartial look to a child’s room plain or printed duvet covers in deep primary colours offer a great alternative.

Many people chose to save money by buying affordable, yet stylish duvet covers to bring a new lease of life to a bedroom without the need to completely redecorate. The finishing touches of matching or coordinating curtains and scatter boudoir cushions will transform a room’s appearance instantly and without any hassle.

Ever popular whites and creams with delicate, yet durable embroidery patterns and embellishments of sequins and small faux beads are becoming increasingly popular. These duvet covers are as sturdy as printed or plain covers as most are machine washable. These luxurious duvet covers are suitable for guest and principle bedrooms offering a romantic yet crisp clean look.

Both plain and printed duvet covers are available with matching pillow slips, typically two slips are provided with double and king size sets and one with single bed sets. Made from durable cotton blends duvet covers offer a practical solution to laundry and maintenance of bedding.

Rakesh Gaikwad

Paper-cutting and embroidery are both folk industrial art forms of China, they both are indivisible parts of Chinese folk culture. As a wonderful art miracle of Qiang nation culture, Qiang embroidery, in terms of design, color, form or stitch styles, are all imbued with rich deposits of the ancient Qiang nation’s millennium culture and Qiang people’s ideas for life.

The author believes that the merits and meanings to dig out the Qiang nation’s folk embroidery and paper cutting art are not only exists in art scope, for us it’s undoubtedly valuable and significant to learn more about the history of this nation and be aware of the relationships between the Qiang folk art and that of other nations.

Qiang nation, also be called “the nation stay in clouds “, mainly live together in the Mao county of Aba prefecture, Wenchuan county and Li county, as well as the Beichuan autonomous county of Qiang nation in Mianyang city in Sichuan province China. “Qiang Embroidery” is a subsistent heritage of Qiang nation culture that most lively so far and closest to Qiang nation people’s life, it also is the best art communication bridge to the real-world, its forms, color matching and stitching styles are featured with significant ethnic characteristics.

Qiang nation people’s costume are gorgeous as well as simple, and whether men or women in Qiang nation are all prefer to wearing headscarves, they are accustomed to wear long linen gowns that woven by themselves, wear long cloth gowns, coats, sheepskin vests too, and “Yunyun shoes” (a sort of Qiang nation’s embroidered cloth shoes) on feet. A variety of geometric patterns of embroidery are familiar on Qiang women’s clothes and they usually wearing silver jewelry such as earrings, silver plates and so on, and wearing embroidered shoes with sharp hook toes. Men in Qiang nation generally tie hanging knives and leather wallets on the waist, they wearing fabric shoes or straw sandals, and wrapping wool puttees, also with waist belts tied on. Today, in areas close to the cities and towns of Han people, affected by the Han people’s clothing, Qiang people mostly wearing Han apparels and only wearing Qiang costumes in holidays.

Through the changes of history and turns of times, with the developing of Chinese cities, modern people favorite for going after changes and curious about adventures, as life styles and aesthetic concepts transformed, traditional folk embroidery appeared in cities from the countryside gradually, not only the sentiments and aspirations of citizen members have been infiltrated with embroidery art, but also thousands of families effected by and began to practice the skill of embroidery together.

Qiang folk art could switched to response the times, thus naturally to regain a new life. In particular, as in this prosperous millennium, people greet the occasion and are all eager to be rich, the embroidery art should to catch the popular fancy and focus on displaying the connotations of people’s hopes that praying for rich, profit, good luck and safety. So, as served as a national product, Qiang embroidery could be descended and developed at the same time. Therefor, we can conclude that there is potential large market for the national folk art’s enhancement and development.

In 21st century the most promoted idea we referred is innovation, we believe that based on maintaining the Qiang embroidery’s traditional essences and integrated with our rich and profound culture deposits and modern styles, thus produced works combined with modern fashion elements, we are able to obtain a broader space for development and display Qiang embroidery art’s unique charms.

Krista QQ

Qiang’s ethnic folk art are rooted in China’s ancient history and folk culture, applied with colorful silk threads and cotton color threads, Qiang nation’s peoples created various embroidery patterns and images such as flowers and fruits, fowls and beasts, pines, bamboos, plums, chrysanthemums, a mass of blossom, Harmony in Water and Fish and so on. In those simple artistic forms, rich connotations are contained and displayed out.

Women in Qiang nation are all good at embroidery work, which is one of essential skills that Qiang nation women experienced, and it’s also a main rule to measure whether a Qiang nation girl is intelligent, dexterous and diligent or not. Women in Qiang are often be taught by their elderships to practice embroidery skill hardly when they are still a little girl. When they are in their 6 or 7-year old, the mother will began to teach her daughter to learn the embroidery skill, so when the daughter grew in her marriage age, she usually has become a skilled embroidery master, and when a man in Qiang nation going to pursue for a wife, the basic requirement is the girl should having grasped the embroidery skill well, if the girl are not skilled with embroidery work, the man would not like her. As a result, no woman in Qiang nation could not do embroidery job.

Women in Qiang nation commonly according to the intention person to choose the embroidery image pattern, for example, image patterns of “Fu”, “Lu”, “Shou” and so on are mostly designed for the elderly, and hereby to wish good health and longevity of the elderly; For children, images to against evil spirits would be picked mostly, and thus to bless healthy growth of children, and flower patterns would be choose also to imply children’s good health and favorable growth.

Young girl usually embroidered cigarettes bag for her lover, there are two pattern designs are most familiar, one is “The Mandarin duck plays with Water”, the other is “The Swallows flying wing to wing from winter to spring”. Both the two embroidery patterns are implies to love each other forever and stay together forever, and that is so-called “loves are contained in the sachet”.

Served as a part of Qiang’s ethnic culture, Qiang’s ethnic embroidery bearing Qiang nation’s people’s love to the nature, their yearns for a better life, which are all displayed on their embroidered apparels, to show their rich regional culture and folk customs from one glance side. It can be said that the Qiang’s folk embroidery and paper-cut art are visual carriers of Qiang’s ethnic culture, they are direct and aesthetic symbolic expressions of this age-old ethnic groups’ customs and lifestyles.

Qiang nation’s “Yunyun shoes” is the most characteristic embroidered shoes, which are made with fabric and in a boat shape, with a little raised shoe toes and thicker soles, clouds images embroidered on the shoe uppers, it’s durable and wearable, is a typical lyric-by embroidery.

Not only with spirit appeal, but also actual practicality, this kind of art form congealed Qiang nation people’s simple desires of blessing an auspicious future and a better life, and its culture characters extended whereby. This character is not only belongs to the Qiang nation, but also belongs to all

Krista QQ

Qiang ethnic minority is one ancient nation in our Chinese ethnic family. For thousands of years, together with the other members of our big folk family, the ethnic minority of Qiang have created the Chinese nation’s great splendid civilizations.

From the nomadic times to the farming times, from ancient times until today, The Qiang nation has experienced countless glory and honor, also suffered from hardships and tribulations. They always keep the Chinese nation’s fine qualities of hard-working, kind-hearted, simple and unadorned. In the mountains on the northwest Sichuan, between the canyons, they spread over and descended toughly from generation to generation, to retain a special, ancient folk culture gene in China.

Embroidery is a kind of traditional Chinese handicraft that using needles to draw various color threads go between fabrics and created drawings on it. The various embroidery patches and embroidered image patterns on Qiang nation people’s apparels are all belong to the traditional Qiang’s ethnic folk arts and crafts, which has a long history.

As to the production means, Qiang’s ethnic embroidery were produced by various individual families, also is through this method to achieve following and continuation traditionally. It is a unique art created own by Qiang nation’s people, which is imbued with their wisdoms and originalities.

Qiang’s ethnic embroidery works full of free imaginations and followed regular norms at same time, it is a sort of art creation that featured with merits of spontaneity, amateurism and self-entertainment. In the long history of development, Qiang’s ethnic embroidery formed its unique aesthetic styles, color specifications and functional forms naturally, also folk and self-embodied with national folk art rules which has aesthetic values.

As to the function, Qiang’s ethnic embroidery mainly used for decorating people’s coats and skirts, shoes, head towels, belts, ribbons, bands, straps, cuffs, pants, trousers bodies, shoe-uppers, insoles, pillowcases, handkerchiefs, clothing edges, sleeves and sachets, from these art patterns we can view the history line of Qiang’s ethnic costume culture.

As long as to do a bit statistics, we can learn that there are over 100 kinds of embroidery patterns merely in Qiang’s ethnic apparels, that is really colorful! Containing Qiang nation people’s fine aspirations for a better life, these exquisite embroidery works created by fine techniques are simple, rigorous, arranged ingenious and reasonable, also using moderate colors, thus to integrate the aesthetic forms and functional forms naturally: Not only for wearing beautiful, but also wearable, and the use lift extended consequently.

As per to Qiang’s ethnic embroidery, the aesthetic and practical functions of which could not be separated sharply. The reason is referring the practical function, to increase its wearable quality only is a primary step; in a deeper sense, those gorgeous and colorful image patterns on Qiang’s ethnic embroidery actually congealed Qiang nation people’s praying and blessing for life, which reflected their dreams of beyond reality.

As the image patterns they selected: fishes, flowers and birds, worms, fowls and beasts, figures, fruits and melons, flowers, ‘Fortunes smile upon and Favor you’, Treasures Fill the Home, Hundreds of birds visit Phoenix, all these designs are profound and lifelike. Although done with some geometric or other forms of transforming treatment, but are closely related to their reality all along, and the starting point of their ideas for a better life is just existed in such a reality of survival.

Krista QQ

Embroidery is one of traditional Chinese folk industrial arts styles, is an integral part in China’s folk culture. Qiang’s folk embroidery art is the image carrier of Qiang nation’s culture, it is a direct and aesthetic symbolic performance of customs and lifeways of the minority nation with a long history.

Qiang people’s folk embroidery art has passed down from generation to generation for its own traditional folk style, rich exotic moods and sophisticated artistry, which combines the practicality and beauty in one, is one of people’s favorite articles used for decorating and beautifying the life.

When the new China founded, the Qiang people’s folk art developed further, become more attractive and dazzling. In July 1959, embroidered waist belt created by Mrs. Wang Yuhua named “Happiness Ocean” from Wenchuan County in Sichuan province was sent to Chengtu city to attend the State Industrial Art Exhibition and won the first prize.

Containing simple and rich ancient rustic flavors and superb artistry, in 1978 Qiang people’s folk costumes won lot of national academic reputations at home and abroad. At the end of same year, Japan’s National Museum of Ethnology purchased the Qiang nation’s folk apparel for collection.

In 1980, carpets produced by factories in Aba county were exported to the United States, Canada, India, Nepal, the Philippines and other countries, thus Qiang nation people’s folk art won wide reputations and praises.

To the Ming and Qing Dynasties, embroidery has become very popular in the region of Qiang minority. Qiang nation’s embroidery art has 16 kinds of embroidering stitches, there are pick embroidery, ‘Nahua’ embroidery, fine flower embroidery, chain clasp embroidery, emboss finish embroidery, jacquard embroidery, applique embroidery, crocheting embroidery and hand embroidery mainly.

Among them, the pick embroidery is the most favorite technique practices used by Qiang nation’s women. The pick embroidery’s images drawn from the reality life in nature, such as flowers, birds, fishes, animals, and so on, which are familiar in people’s daily life. These natural beings full with rich biological spirits, through skillful pick embroidery processing, have been created into various colorful patterns and images, they mostly symbolizes people’s blessings of auspicious fortunes, fine aspirations for bright future, such as “Bouquets of Flowers and Piles of Brocades “, “Harmony in Water and Fish”, ” Phoenix Flying in Peony.”

Pick embroidery also called “cross embroidery”, is a sort of embroidery technique which strictly in accordance with the fabric’s latitude and longitude lines, through a set of tight embroidery stitches and bring out cross patterns in equidistance and same length, thus embroider out a variety of patterns of visual forms, which have regular, symmetrical, distinctive features. Through this method, images of all natural beings are formed of cross right angles and cross straight lines, and formed unique styles of geometric deformation, it’s fancy and interesting.

Qiang minority nation’s women mostly using cotton threads in their embroidering work, sometimes silk color threads applied too, the colors in which mainly are black and white in vivid contrast. Colors in embroidered image are commonly bright and varied to create clear, simple and generous visual effects.

Qiang nation’s embroidery patterns are clean, exquisite, and contained rich implications. For example, the colors in flower design embroidery and fine flower embroidery are distinctive in great contrast, while flying belts’ patterns have very strong decorative impressions, coupled with the embroidery techniques of chain clasp and so on, the Qiang people’s wild, uninhibited but delicate characters were open out fully with rich connotations.

Krista QQ

Once the basic crochet stitches are mastered, beginning crocheters can try more advanced stitches. These may look intimidating but are made up of stitches you have already learned like single crochet and double crochet. The advanced crochet stitches begin with a foundation chain like a multiple of five chains plus one. This means you will chain like 60 and then one more chain to make 61 chains for a starting chain. The stitch also may repeat a number of rows. If you feel ambitious, here are some advanced crochet stitches to try.

Afghan Stitch

The afghan stitch resembles knitting but actually crocheted. It uses a special needle called the afghan hook that has a stopper on the end. The background makes a perfect surface for cross-stitch designs. To practice the afghan stitch, use a size G afghan hook and worsted weight yarn. The afghan stitch begins with a foundation chain followed by two rows. Chain twenty like you would for normal crochet. Row 1: Insert hook in second stitch from hook. Draw up a loop and repeat across. Yarn over and draw yarn through first loop. Yarn over and draw through two loops across. Row1: Draw up a loop in each vertical bar across. Row2: Yarn over, draw through one loop. Yarn over and draw through to loops across. Don’t turn.

Shell Stitch

The shell stitch is a popular crochet stitch for clothing and household items. There are many variations to the shell stitch. Some shell patterns use two or three double crochets with a chain or two in between and others use groups of solid double and triple crochet. A common foundation chain is six chains plus 7.For practice, chain 37 and double crochet in fifth chain from hook. Skip two chains. Five double crochet in next chain. Skip two chains. Single crochet in next chain. Skip two chains and five double crochets in next chain. Repeat across skipping two chains and a single crochet in between each shell.

Bullion Stitch

The bullion stitch has recently been re-introduced as the roll stitch. Actually, the bullion stitch isn’t new at all. It started as an embroidery stitch done with fine sewing needles. The height of the stitch depends on the number of times the thread is wrapped around the hook. A crochet hook with a tapered end is recommended but it can be made with any crochet hook. For practice, make a row of single crochet and any number of chains. Wrap the yarn around the hook for or five times. As you get used to the stitch you can add more yarn overs .Yarn over and pull thread through all loops.

Now you have more stitches to improve your crochet skills. These crochet stitches will take some practice. You may have to do them over and over before you get them correct but they are worth the effort.

Amanda Roddy

Embroideries refer to embroidery decorations that can be taken personally, such as pouch, fan cover, perfume (spice) bag, handkerchief bag, purse, etc. Cross-stitch has a unique status in the development history of Chinese embroidery, with a long time of existence, a wide scope of popularization, fancy styles, wide applications, exquisite workmanship and rich and varied stitches.

Needlecraft in the form of cross-stitch has captured human attention since times immemorial.

From tacking two plies of fabric together, cross-stitch has grown into a chic medium of expressing personal style. Cross-stitch, which treats every visual in a graphic way, is so right in a season that talks of ideas flagged under a vision of geometry. From garments to fashion accessories, from bed liner to made-ups, cross-stitch is topping the style charts.

Pay attention to the four elements

Graph. This is the pattern or design you chose to stitch. There are thousands to choose from.

Needle. A tapestry needle is used, usually a size 24 or 26 (size 26 is smaller than size 24). This type of needle has a blunt point and a large eye. Use a size 24 for stitching on 14 count fabric; use a size 26 for fabric with a stitch count greater than 14.

Embroidery hoop. A plastic embroidery hoop is helpful to hold the fabric while you stitch. Remove the fabric from the hoop when you are not stitching to keep from getting ‘hoop marks.’

Scissors. You can start out with any pair of scissors, but pretty soon you will want to get a nice pair of small embroidery scissors. Get a good quality pair with sharp points. A good pair of scissors makes stitching a lot more fun.

Development and Prospect of Cross-stitch

With improvement in the living standard of the common people, they long for cultural, fashionable and individualized consumption. Because of wide range of application of embroideries and cross-stitch, Aimai Qite has continuously conducted research on workmanship and application of cross-stitch through exploring traditional Chinese cultures and taking into account the ideas and lifestyles of the present society, and has developed cheap products suitable for lives of the common people, such as tens of varieties of cross-stitch slippers, cushion, perfume bag, handset chain, tablecloth, handset case, auto seating, etc.; introduced new ideas in terms of designs, such as Christmas series, constellation series, twelve animals series, cartoon series, animal series, scenery series, home decoration series, Chinese folk custom series, etc. It has achieved combination of the traditional workmanship with modern idea, as well as of fashion with practicality. The Chinese folk custom series has had certain competitiveness in the world, and other fashion series are preponderant in the domestic market.

Cross-stitch is a sunrise industry, which adopts traditional workmanships but uses high technologies. With support from the allies across the country, this sunrise industry will become a competitive industry with long-term prospect

Cross-stitch has passed through vicissitudes of varied forces accommodating different ideas, motifs and designs. Age-old art of this needlecraft has reached out towards newer horizons, finding a high rank this season.

Janey Yang