zemmer:

Lately on tumblr I’ve been seeing a lot of embroidery that seems to be done ironically. Now, maybe this isn’t the case for everyone, but whenever I see a very simply-done embroidery piece of an “edgy” slogan or a bit of generic swearing, I feel like the intention of the piece is a juxtaposition…

And this one, too.

It’s like there’s this belief that embroidery is intrinsically an out-of-date medium, so if you try and do anything “modern” with it it’s automatically ironic because of this perceived juxtaposition. But there is no juxtaposition, and if your sewing is intentionally crap it’s still just crap sewing. There’s nothing ironic about an embroidered “fuck you”, no matter how well or poorly it’s stitched. That’s not to say there’s nothing *good* about such a piece (though honestly, by now I think it’s a little over done. Those types of pieces that think they’re “subversive” to me just seem a little childish - like a kid who’s just learned a new naughty word and wants to use it all over the place because that makes you cool and rebellious).

My personal art/craft work in embroidery often deals with words. When done well, and properly, embroidery is a time-consuming process, so it’s fascinating to see and learn what I, and others, are prepared to put the time into embroidering. The fact that you’re prepared to spend x amount of time sewing that message speaks about the value you think that message has - it’s like old Entish, to use a Lord of the Rings reference - it takes a long time to say anything in old Entish, so you don’t say something unless it’s worth taking a long time to say. This belief that sewing certain things is somehow “ironic” irritates me. For me, the ironic thing to do would be to collect things that you think AREN’T worth taking the time to embroider, and then sewing them anyway. But is that even possible? Are you bestowing the very value you think is absent when you choose to embroider them? I’m not sure, but I’d certainly find it more interesting than another cuss.  

zemmer:

I just get really angry about people treating embroidery like a joke medium because the only reason embroidery is not just as respected as painting and sculpture is because it’s traditionally a women’s medium and therefore is not often shown in museums or taught in art schools. Like seriously the…

Also: In my personal experience, embroidery by men gets taken more seriously, because oh my gosh, they’re working in a “traditionally female”* medium and isn’t that just AMAZING?

*Even though it wasn’t, originally.