Embroidery fans, assemble! We’re huge fans of creativity, art, and making things with your hands. We wouldn’t be Bored Panda if we weren’t. And the r/Embroidery subreddit never fails to impress us!
An online community of nearly 703k ‘stitchers,’ it’s a space that’s dedicated to hand and machine embroiderers to exchange tips, techniques, resources, and ideas. Not to mention share their incredibly impressive creations!
We’ve collected some of the most impressive recent projects that were shared and praised on the r/Embroidery subreddit to inspire you Pandas to give embroidery a shot. So scroll down and upvote the works that wowed you the most. And if you’re ever in need of some additional inspiration, check out Bored Panda’s previous features about r/Embroidery here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
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I Think This Is The Greatest Thing I’ve Ever Stitched
Morning On Mt. Sanitas, 8" Landscape. This Took Absolutely Forever!
My 9 Year Old Son Did This Free Hand And Wanted To Share
Truth time, Pandas. Yours truly is absolutely horrible with a needle and thread. I’ve certainly tried embroidery in the past, but I was pretty darn bad at it. I was impatient, clumsy, and the furthest you can get away from neatness without leaving Planet Earth. You should see me trying to sew in a button.
Embroidery certainly isn’t my go-to hobby (it’s painting and drawing!), but I really appreciate quality crafts with all of my heart. Especially when they demonstrate amazing results that I myself couldn’t aspire to without putting in years and years of dedication.
Whats The Best Quality Embroidery You’ve Ever Seen? This Cat Embroidery Is By Hiroko Kubota And The Attention To Detail Is Amazing
Lots Of French Knots On 9” Hoop
It Took Me Several Months To Finish This 8" Pet Portrait - I Even Ombré Dyed The Fabric Myself!
Like all skills and hobbies, embroidery requires a lot of patience, the ability to adapt on the fly, and the willingness to embrace your mistakes and move past them.
Learning any new thing or skill will certainly have its frustrating moments. Nobody truly enjoys failing. But developing a different perspective and seeing failure as an opportunity for growth is well worth it. In all aspects of life.
New Finished Embroidery
Coral Reef Day/Night
And It’s
Founded all the way back in early 2010, the r/Embroidery subreddit has enjoyed 12+ years of moderate success. It’s seen massive growth the past two years. The online community is slowly on its way to getting a solid million members. Since Bored Panda’s last feature about the sub, in June, the group has grown from 628k to almost 703k members.
Velociraptor Piece I Am Working On!
Thread Painting On 8” Hoop. This One Is Challenging, I Struggle A Lot On The Body
After Having Many Conflicted Thoughts About This Piece, It Is Finally Finished And I Am Quite Happy With How It Turned Out!!
A lot of the subreddit’s growth is down to the current moderator team, running the entire show. Previously, one of the moderators, u/kallisti_gold explained to Bored Panda that they asked to take over the online community via r/RedditRequest. Originally, the sub was created by a spam bot.
After clearing out all of the spam and doing a bit of spring cleaning, the new mod 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,” they told Bored Panda earlier.
The Four Seasons Of Homer Disappearing Into A Bush. What Do You Think- Are The Fabric Choices Ok?
First Time Entering A Competition
Mixed Material Embroidery. What Do You Think?
“[The] community is full of passionate hobbyists and enthusiasts, always ready with a compliment, constructive suggestions for improvement, or to answer any questions for folks who need some guidance,” the moderator said.
"We've seen huge growth in the community since early 2020. Being cooped up inside will make anyone frustrated enough to stab something a couple of thousand times, I guess,” u/kallisti_gold quipped, referring to the subreddit’s tagline, “Embroidery: When you don't know whether to make art or stab something.”
Made A 9” Thread Painting Landscape. Can’t Tell Which One Is More Time Consuming, French Knot Flowers Or Tiny Stitches Trees
French knots. It normally ends in tears. Treated myself to a beauty and the beast kit, to make the enchanted rose but i’m putting off starting due to the knots! It’s not something i’m skilled at, and my clicky joints and fingers that lock up can make it painful, but for some reason I love doing embroidery. It’s peaceful, and makes me shut the world out. Plus you get something (hopefully) pretty at the end to keep. Have found it helps with my depression, feels like you’ve made a small achievement each time you finish something.
Today Is World Mental Health Day And I Just Want To Say To Each And Every Person That Reads This, You Are Magical & Deserve To Be Here, Hold On And Always Have Hope
Pocket Full Of Posies
One of the other moderators, redditor u/Zesparia, created a fantastic FAQ page 10 months ago for new members and embroidery enthusiasts both new and veteran alike. In it, the moderator shares tips and tricks that any beginner will find useful. Meanwhile, it’s a nice refresher even for those embroidery enthusiasts who already have years or even decades of experience under their belts.
First Post, Make It Count
For the person who didn't get it, it's a reference to abortion. I gather, more precisely illegal/non medical abortions and how the law has changed in the US.
First Piece Ever. I Wanted To Share With Y’all Since I Have Nobody In Real Life To Share It With! This Thing Was So Frustrating
Another ~ Spooky ~ Design!
The subreddit only has three rules. First of all—don’t be a jerk. That one’s pretty straightforward. Just treat others like you’d expect to be treated. Follow the Golden Rule and suddenly the internet becomes a far friendlier place.
Secondly, you should always strive to give credit where it’s due. If you aren’t the original embroiderer of a particular project, you have to mention the original artist. And finally, self-promotion ought to be limited to mod-posted mega threads.
Portrait For A Friend Who Lost A Child. This Was His Favorite Hiking Trail
My Third Attempt- Very Much A Beginner So Please Be Kind!
A Tale As Old As Time…
The best way to start embroidering is to get some supplies. The basics include a hoop, a needle, some fabric, and some 6-stranded embroidery floss. A pair of scissors is also useful.
The FAQ notes that “a very good way to start from the absolute beginning is to order an embroidery kit. It will have your thread, a needle, a hoop, and a design already worked onto the fabric provided. No analysis paralysis as you stare at the 60+ shades of red, wondering which one might be the best.”
My Beautiful Octopus Ready To Go Back To The Ocean
Fox For My Housemate On Her Jacket
Don’t Believe Everything You Think
What’s more, these embroidery kits also explain what stitches you should be using in what section. “Once you complete your kit you then have a hoop and needle to use for other projects as well. When finding a kit, it's a good idea to buy from and support a small business rather than purchasing off of Amazon. Almost all of the embroidery kits on Amazon contain stolen patterns from other embroidery artists,” moderator u/Zesparia writes.
I’ve Been Working On This For A While And I’m Happy To Finally Be Able To Put It Out There. The Last 1.5 Years Have Been Rough, With Multiple Life Changing Events, And Stitching Kept Me Sane. Worked On The Back Looking Better Too. Design By Trish Burr
My Grandpa Wrote This To Me On My Wedding Day (To Be Read On Our First Anniversary). He Passed Away Suddenly Two Months Later So I Embroidered This Note To Memorialize Him
Giant Jungle Update! Come A Long Way Since Last Post
Have you ever given embroidery a shot, dear Pandas? How did you enjoy it? Perhaps you’re an embroidery grandmaster with tons of experience? We’d love to hear your thoughts about the hobby as a whole, as well as the works we’re featuring in this list, so drop by the comments and share your two cents. Meanwhile, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a couple of buttons to try and sew on… Go on without me, this might take a while.
First Time Embroidering A Sweater! It's Far From Perfect, But I'm V Proud
the hungry hungry caterpillar is putting his skills to good use it seems
Bleached Out Coral Reef Embroidery This Has Been A Stop, Start Piece Of Work. I Have Found It A Conflicting Piece To Work On. I Have Made Some Good Progress This Week And Am Determined To Finish It
Detailed Pet Embroidery Portrait. It’s Really Challenging Fo Do A Such Realistic Portrait
So, After A While I Made A Post Asking For Help Here, And I Finally Finished My First Embroidery, What Do You Guys Think? I Need Some Feedbacks
All The French Knots In The World Haha
My 2-Year-Old’s First Embroidery Piece! She Calls It “Sprinkles”
Starling Work In Progress
Gift For The Vet Who Spent Four Hours With An Endoscope Extracting Embroidery Needles And Bits Of Pincushion From My Idiot Dog's Stomach
This is why all my sewing items go back into a drawer if I am done with them - or even if I am walking away from sewing for a sec just to use the restroom. XD I have two cats and I do not want to risk an obstruction or a linear foreign body. Cats and doggos are too clever for their own good XD
First Embroidery Piece
A Sunday Afternoon, 6” Hoop
Sophie From Howls Moving Castle In A 12 Inch Hoop!
Just Finished! Any Advice On How To Keep Definition When Working On Small Details?
"Grasses Of Great Britain" - A Winner From The Designer Bookbinders Competition
First Attempt Shoe Embroidery - Regretting Choosing * White *, Dirty Way Too Easily
Peony And Butterfly
Just Finished This Jean Jacket!
I Like To Take Photographs Of Plants After It Rains. So I Decided To Try And Make An Embroidery Mimicking Those Photographs. Here's My First Sample
Progress Update - Almost Complete
My New Mixed Media Embroidery
Patty And Selma
I wish I had a fraction of the patience and talent that these people do.
My mother taught me when I was young. I think that you would have them if you were taught while still a child.
Load More Replies...I'm thinking about taking this up as my new hobby. I still have a few pieces of amazing embroidery my mom did more than 50 years ago. :)
Load More Replies...Wish BP had not shortened this post to the top 50. The top 50 voting system seems flawed to me because people will upvote the first couple of posts and not scroll to the later posts so some amazing submissions don’t get votes. Maybe some fairness is restored if posts are originally posted in order of submission?
I wish I had a fraction of the patience and talent that these people do.
My mother taught me when I was young. I think that you would have them if you were taught while still a child.
Load More Replies...I'm thinking about taking this up as my new hobby. I still have a few pieces of amazing embroidery my mom did more than 50 years ago. :)
Load More Replies...Wish BP had not shortened this post to the top 50. The top 50 voting system seems flawed to me because people will upvote the first couple of posts and not scroll to the later posts so some amazing submissions don’t get votes. Maybe some fairness is restored if posts are originally posted in order of submission?