Embroidery

Nowadays, it's hard for me to find a good quality of embroidery. Especially hand made embroidery. I knew, to make this, it takes several times to finish. It takes a embroiderer over one month of work to finish one garmet, so intricate and fine is the pattern.There is no sewing machine involved, everything is hand done!! oh gosh! that's hard isn't it?

Last holiday, I went to Indonesia, n found these handmade embroidery blouses..... They sell it at a reasonable price, and they are beautiful. These really suit my style... : ) : ) *wink wink *. I also have a plan with my mom to find a good tailor that could do this unique needlecraft and able to supply us beautiful blouses to sell to people who wants to look good in a great dress... I wish i could supply it with are top quality completely hand-sewn and hand embroidered on the finest gauze cotton with cotton and/or silk thread, they are pure art! InsyaAllah, I wish this dream will come true.... Whatever it is, I will update about this again.

BUT, There's something I have been wondering about something and maybe you can enlighten me. The different between embroidery and cross stitch. Why do (some) people think of embroidery and cross stitching as separate things? I see people talking about how they used to do cross stitching, but then got into embroidery. Huh? To me, cross stitch is sub-category of embroidery, not a category in itself. I know, there's counted cross stitch, but I would still put that under the Embroidery umbrella - and it wouldn't even stick out at the side and get wet!

Then there are other people who, when you tell them you do embroidery, will say "oh so you do cross stitch?"

What is going on? To some they are two different things and to others one is the same as the other. Am I missing something?

The way I look at the hierarchy is:
Needlecraft
Embroidery
Various embroidery variations
Cross Stitch
Various cross stitch variations
Odd leftover categories, like Needle Punch

I think people look at embroidery and cross stitch as different because, though they are similar, they are very different styles of creating an image.

When I started crafting as a child, I learned counted cross stitch first. On the one hand, the stitch was somewhat simpler than embroidery stitches, and the fabric gave me clear indicators where the floss was supposed to go. On the other hand, I didn't have the attention span to count the stitches very carefully, I confused which hole I was supposed to go in when, and I didn't like the way cross stitch looked.And worst of all (to my young mind), it took forever to finish a piece. When I saw video in Youtube to learned how to do embroidery, it was like a whole other world opening up. It was a more fluid, very open to interpretation, and goshdarnit if you don't want to use a pattern you make it up as you go. It feels so different to embroider, in comparison, that it seems like a totally different sport to me.

As to people who say it the other way, it seems to me they are probably uninitiated to needlecraft.

( I will Upload my cross-stitch picture LATER....)

( Please click at the picture for enlargement. So, you could see it in clear the art of embroidery :) )

Alright, Here's the picture that i promise to upload.

This actually a mobile phone key chain cross stitch. I've made it in a shape of butterflies and flowers...

Taadaaaa! I decided to put this chain at my cute little ring note book....

I took off the mobile stripe and pin the silver ring to the book ring... : )

Maybe next time, I should do this some more.......!