If you’ve never picked up a needle before, you might not know that embroidery is a very appealing craft—it only requires a couple of tools, there’s no need for a studio, and no big mess to clean up after. Imagine the soothing process of watching the pieces coming together, stitch by stitch. The repetitive and rhythmic motions let you focus on what’s happening in the present moment, creating beautiful results along the way.

Bored Panda has contacted the moderators of r/Embroidery to learn a bit more about the subreddit and its community. The page was originally created 12 years ago by a spam bot and one of the moderators, kallisti_gold, was asked to take over the community through r/RedditRequest. 

They cleared out the spam, and let the community grow organically: "I wanted a place to talk about embroidery, and I've tried to foster that kind of environment for the community to flourish in."

It seems that the members of the subreddit (or stitchers, as the moderators named them) are a really kind and helpful group of people. The moderator said that the "community is full of passionate hobbyists & enthusiasts, always ready with a compliment, constructive suggestions for improvement, or to answer any questions for folks who need some guidance."

Most of the pictures people share on the subreddit are truly magical and inspiring. No wonder that so many wish to learn and master this craft. And it’s quite beginner-friendly since you need only a couple of tools to start. For anyone who wants to try out stitching, kallisti_gold recommended reading the getting started guide created by a fellow moderator Zesparia, which you can find right here.  

It seems that there have been quite a few beginners who joined r/Emboidery since the start of the pandemic. "We've seen a huge growth in the community since early 2020," the moderator told us. "Being cooped up inside will make anyone frustrated enough to stab something a couple thousand times, I guess."

People turn to old-fashioned crafts to calm their anxieties. Especially since the start of the pandemic, they want to turn away from the chaotic world around them and create something tangible with their hands. Even if there’s no precise message behind the piece, the act itself will provide you a safe haven from the noise around you and will let you reconnect with your mind and body.

There’s a study where researchers analyzed data from more than 19K adults in the UK about the impact of arts engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. They identified four main types of home-based hobbies during the pandemic: digital arts and writing, musical activities, crafts, and reading for pleasure.

It seems that new opportunities have emerged: arts and cultural providers came up with digital activities (like virtual museum tours), online groups (book clubs, virtual choirs and more), and streamed performances. "Further, many art forms became global lockdown trends, with viral videos of people singing from households and balconies around the world and a rapid increase in the sale of crafts materials such as paints and wools," the researchers wrote.

Although some of the participants engaged in the arts and crafts before COVID, for many people the pandemic was a sort of motivation to pick up a new hobby. One of the perks participants noticed was the value of arts as a coping mechanism for such stressful times. "All arts activities were used as approach and avoidance strategies to help people cope with their emotions, while digital arts and writing, crafts, and reading for pleasure were additionally used to help improve respondents’ self-development."

So if you also feel the need for a new creative outlet or wish to become more patient, focused, and persistent, you should definitely give embroidery a try. Just invest in a good-quality wooden hoop, grab some thread and a needle, and try out as many different designs as you like.