Embroidery

Embroidery is an embellishment of a fabric in which colour threads are sewn onto the fabric to create a design. It generally involves non-lettering designs, but can also include lettering and/or monograms. Evidence of embroidery exists during the reign on Egyptian pharaohs, in the writings of Homer and from the Crusaders of the 12th century. It evolved from hand work to manual sewing machines and from hand-looms and schiffli machines with hundreds of needles to high-speed, computerised multi-thread machines.

There are several Embroidery Guilds operating in Australia that have informative websites of interest.

• New South Wales
  
• South Australia
  
• Victoria
  
• Western Australia
  
• Queensland

For additional links and information covering a vast range of other crafts and arts activities of interest, visit the Culture and Recreation Portal. This Portal is run by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Another excellent online resource is The Australian Craft Network, which provides a directory of craft suppliers around the country for all types of crafts.