The r/Embroidery online community was created all the way back in February 2010. Over the past decade and a half, the group has grown by drawing in embroidery enthusiasts—amateur and veteran alike—from all corners of the world. Currently, the subreddit is home to a whopping 893k members.

Originally, the community was created as a place for embroiderers to share tips, techniques, resources, and ideas, whether they work by hand or use machines.

The moderators are very light on the rules, all of which are straightforward and common sense.

Broadly speaking, they expect all members to respect each other, give credit where it’s due if they’re sharing projects that aren’t theirs, and keep self-promotion to a minimum. If you want to promote yourself and your embroidery, you can do so either in the moderator-posted mega threads or share your work in other online communities.

According to married artist couple Charles and Elin, embroidery is an ancient art form that traces its origins back to somewhere around the year 30,000 BC. Embroidery has been practiced across different cultures and classes throughout the ages. For the nobility, decorative embroidery was a pleasurable pastime.

Meanwhile, the members of the working class would use their needle-and-thread skills mainly for mending clothes, quilting, and marking things like sheets, napkins, and tablecloths with letters and numbers.

As per Carrie Brummer, fossilized clothing from around 30,000 BC (the Cro-Magnon era) shows decorative stitching in clothing, boots, and hats. Advanced Printwear notes that examples of embroidery have been unearthed by archeologists pretty much everywhere around the globe. Of course, different cultures had different attitudes to embroidery that changed over time.

However, it was only in the mid-1800s that embroidery took on a drastically different scale. The very first embroidery machines made in France automated part of the work and changed the process. In the late 20th century, cultural attitudes to embroidery changed, too, and it became an activity that even men of high social standing gladly took up in public.

Starting any new hobby can be tough, but a growth-oriented mentality can make the entire process more pleasant. People tend to enjoy doing the things they’re good at and shy away from stuff they’re not skilled at. It’s only natural.

So, it can be daunting to pick up a needle for the very first time. But if you focus on having fun and the process itself rather than the end result, you can avoid a lot of anxiety.

To get started with embroidery, all you really need is a basic kit that includes a hoop, some fabric, a needle, and thread. But more than all the physical equipment, the most important things are having a bit of patience, the willingness to experiment, and reframing ‘failure’ as a learning opportunity, instead of something to be ‘ashamed’ of.

Add a dash of research and a willingness to be part of the vast community of embroiderers, and you’ve got a good start.

When you’re part of a community of like-minded hobbyists, it’s far easier to move past any failure, burnout, and roadblocks. Not only can you get emotional support when the going gets tough, but you can always rely on veterans to share some bits of advice that helped them deal with the challenges that you’re now facing.

No matter the art form, no matter the issues you’re facing, you’re never really alone. And that’s an inspiring thought in and of itself. If you genuinely enjoy the hobby and it fulfills you, with a bit of persistence (and a helping hand!), you’ll get back in the swing of things. It’s human to be disappointed in your results once in a while. But don’t let that demotivate you or push you away from doing something you love.

Which of these embroidery projects impressed you the most, Pandas? Which of these did you love so much that you’d be happy to hang it up on the wall at home? Have you ever tried your hand at embroidery? If so, how did you enjoy it? Do you still find time for your hobby? On the flip side, maybe you’ve tried a similar hobby like crochet?

We can’t wait to hear from you. Let us know what you think in the comments! And for awesome new embroidery pics, be sure to follow r/Embroidery.