By: Maria Farah
Embroidery has long been intertwined with femininity. Needle and thread have been placed in the hands of women throughout history as one of the few acceptable activities they could participate in. But when we look beneath the fabric of written history, we can uncover that embroidery was more than just a simple pastime—it was a medium for expression, storytelling, and revolution.
This International Women’s Day, we celebrate embroidery as more than decoration, recognizing the voice it gave women as we explore its powerful role in history.
Female voices have been left out of written history. Historical records fall short of depicting the lives of women, and a majority of their stories were left undocumented—but not necessarily forgotten. Embroidery was one of the few avenues women used to document their lives and one of the few artifacts we have that give insight into women's history. Needle and thread became women's ink and paper, making women's history interwoven with the very fabric of embroidered pieces.
“Mary Pearsey Aged 9 the year 1842” - McCord Museum
The piece above only gives us a glimpse of the life of Mary Pearsey and to the lives of young women and girls of the past. Embroidery carried the name, age, and location of where these women lived and, at times, detailed milestones that would otherwise not have been written down on official records.
While we know embroidery was a tool for record-keeping and self-expression, around the early 1900s, it also became a tool for revolution. During women's fight for the right to vote in England, we see how women used embroidery as a form of protest in their fight for the right to vote. Embroidery was a sort of "double-edged needle," both reinforcing social norms of feminitity and domesticity while challenging those same ideas simultaneously.
Janie Terrero's embroidered handkerchief. Photo from the Museum of London (Image # 218153).
While on hunger strike in Britain's Holloway Prison, Janie Terrero stitched her story onto a handkerchief. In 1912, Terrero was among the 200 other women arrested for protesting the rejection of a bill that was supposed to give women the right to vote. For four months, Terrero continued her strike and documented her experience, having been denied writing on paper in prison, but "needle and thread seem to have escaped unnoticed." With each stitch, she turned the tide on embroidery, transforming it from a feminine hobby to a tool for rebellion.
In 2003, Betsy Greer coined the term “craftivism,” describing the use of traditionally feminine crafts as mediums for societal change. Today, embroidery continues to be a symbol of feminism, used to challenge gender norms and spark conversations about societal change.
Today, embroidery exists on a massive industrial scale, used for various apparel decorations for a variety of different industries. However, it is important to understand the rich history of where embroidery comes from, especially from a female perspective. Today, we not only celebrate women but also the tools that gave them a voice—as embroidery is not just decorative but a way of storytelling and a testament to women's power and creativity.
