Needlework

Needlework is the craft of making or decorating textiles by hand with a needle. It includes sewing, embroidery, quilting, and related techniques.

Sewing needle: A slender tool with a pointed end and an eye for carrying thread through material. Its shape and eye determine how thread passes through cloth.
Running stitch: A basic hand stitch made by passing the needle in and out of fabric at regular intervals. Its repeated path is a foundation for seams, gathering, and patterned work.
Garment construction: The process of assembling fabric pieces into wearable clothing. Hand sewing joins and finishes garment parts, especially where machines are unsuitable.
Paleolithic sewing needles: Early eyed needles made from bone or ivory, used by prehistoric people to stitch hides and other materials. They provide archaeological evidence for ancient sewing technology.
Sewing machine: A machine that uses mechanical motion to form stitches and join or decorate fabric. It performs many sewing tasks mechanically rather than by hand.
Thread: A long, thin strand of fibers used for sewing, weaving, or embroidery. Thread forms the visible and structural lines made by needlework.
Backstitch: A hand stitch in which each new stitch returns toward the end of the previous one. Overlapping thread segments make it a strong hand-sewn seam.
Darning: A mending technique that repairs holes in fabric by weaving thread across the damaged area. It restores worn textiles by rebuilding their structure with a needle.
Embroidery: The decoration of fabric with stitched designs made using needle and thread. It is one of needlework’s oldest and most widely practiced branches.
Weaving: The formation of fabric by interlacing lengthwise warp yarns with crosswise weft yarns. Weaving constructs cloth from yarns, while needlework acts on or joins textile material.

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Judy ChicagoRelated: Chicago used embroidery and related crafts to challenge their exclusion from fine-art traditions.