A grandmother dawdling back and forth on her rocking chair and carefully crafting together an intricate piece of embroidery with her old stash of colourful floss is an image many of us have seen as children. This creative needle and thread art, which was once associated with grannies and nostalgia, is making a comeback today. Customised hoop arts and embroidered portrait pieces have become great gifting and décor options. Many millennials passionate about this art have not only perfected it and turned it into a lucrative business, but have also given it a hip makeover by threading concepts, dissent and ideas into it.
Anupama rediscovered embroidery during her semester break in 2018. Prior to it, she had stumbled upon several embroidery artists on online platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest. “I knew little embroidery as a child. I used to do it, but I had lost touch. I happened to come across this old stash of embroidery floss, which my mom had stored somewhere,” recounted the Delhi resident. “I was really interested in trying my hand at it because I felt I could do it. When I started, I instantly knew I was going to do more of it,” she added.
However, little did she know that she could actually earn from it. “I used to make art pieces for my friends for their birthdays just because I really enjoyed making them. I had no intention of selling them initially,” said Anupama. However, the 24-year-old started earning a living out of it after meeting a community of artists who sold their work online. “All my initial sales were through Instagram only. Mostly by word of mouth. I sold it to my friends and then their friends wanted to get it and so on,” she added.
Sandhya, an HR professional, chanced upon the online embroidery industry after she was bored with the monotonous work-from-home routine. Though she had very little knowledge of embroidery, she depended on online sources to learn more about it. Unexpectedly, her new- found interest became more than just a hobby in a matter of months.
“The first picture I had done was line art. When I posted that on Facebook, I got a call from a friend who wanted to gift her husband a portrait of her and him and their little one,” said Sandhya, alluding to the beginning of her journey in the creative world. Today, the 32-year- old is busy supplying customised embroidered products to customers through her social media
page. Having mastered the needle and thread art, Sandhya is looking for new ways to make it more challenging and creative. “I am searching for multiple mediums where I can apply embroidery creatively. I am now using collar canvases. I don’t think anybody does embroidery on collar canvases,” said the mother of one.
Naushin Kaipally found her way into embroidery during the grim lockdown days. Unable to cope with her anxiety, the textile designer turned her attention to the needle and thread art. “Embroidery for me is very therapeutic. It used to calm me down and when I am into it, I forget the rest of the world. So, it is quite the best therapy for me,” said Naushin from Malappuram, Kerala.
Threading ideas
However, instead of creating age-old familiar designs and patterns, she decided to use embroidery to smash the stigmas and stereotypes she grew up with. “I am a little chubby and I have faced many taunts because of that. Many things are said against your body, whether it’s stretch marks or being overweight or body hair. So, these taunts were eating me from the inside,” said Naushin. With this in mind, she began her embroidery projects titled “Breaking Stereotypes and “One Art at a Time.” The thread work that explored issues relating to mental health and body positivity garnered a lot of attention online. Consequently, it paved the way for many orders and inquiries. “I wanted to do something different. Even if it changes one person’s day, my job there is done. I wanted it to be influential and useful to someone who sees it,” said the artist, who also organises online embroidery workshops.
These artists have managed to establish a loyal customer base across the country within a limited period of time. While social media has a role to play in the growth of these small-scale ventures, the increasing admiration and demand for handmade products among the public is another major factor. “No, it wasn’t much in demand initially, but over the past two-three years, a lot of people have appreciated my art,” said Maleka Shah, an artist from Mumbai. She added, “Now there are more people who actually convert the inquiry into an order and they have started realising the hardwork that goes behind such handwork in general.”
Moreover, everyone is looking for something special to gift their dear ones. “There is a huge effort everybody puts into embroidery art work. It takes hours of dedication to complete a work,” says Sandhya. Indeed, the efforts and time given to each piece by a single artist adds more value to such small-scale handmade ventures. “What differentiates a handmade small business from other kinds of business is the human touch it holds within. When you know a real person is behind the effort, that very knowledge tends to add that X-factor,” says Anupama.