Hand embroidery 'recovered' through women's fashion workshop

Fast fashion is gradually losing its appeal in modern life, giving way to elegant, nostalgic handcrafted products like hand embroidery. Responding to this trend and the needs of fashion enthusiasts, many hand embroidery classes are being organized by artisans, craftspeople, and fashion designers.

Opened in embroidery workshops, cafes, or fashion shops, hand embroidery workshops dominate both in terms of numbers (classes, students, compared to other fashion workshops) and popularity, naturally becoming a "cradle" for nurturing the passion and creativity of modern women.

The online course by artisan Nguyen Thi Hang ( Hanoi ) has no limit on the number of lessons. Here, students learn basic embroidery techniques, practice many patterns and motifs on various materials, and can confidently decorate dresses and shirts or create simple paintings.

PHOTO: ARTISAN NGUYEN THI HANG

Inspire and connect.

To meet the demand for embroidery lessons among male and female enthusiasts, many workshops have been opened at very affordable costs (only a few hundred thousand VND per course or per practical session). Some organizations even offer free workshops simply to spread the beauty of embroidery and connect with enthusiasts who love hand embroidery art, such as Tú Thị Design...

The hand embroidery classes of artisan Nguyen Thi Hang (Lac Long Quan Street, Tay Ho District, Hanoi) are very lively. If learning online, the learning materials are sent directly to the students' homes; students simply join the group to access the available videos and practice. If learning offline (at the showroom, with 5-15 people), each session focuses on only one pattern, practiced on the dresses, shirts, or fabric that the students bring. With meticulous guidance from choosing needles and threads, stretching the fabric, to the first embroidery stitches like the cross stitch and border stitch, students complete their embroidery at the end of the session and can wear it immediately.

Many places that offer embroidery classes also have shops selling pretty, inexpensive embroidery supplies. Embroidery kits, instruction books, and videos cost only around 100,000 - 300,000 VND. Some shops even sell pre-printed fabric, making it easy and beautiful to embroider over the design.

PHOTO: TAILOR GENERAL STORE

Comprising a diverse range of ages and professions, the students—young female university students, office workers, housewives, healthcare workers, police officers, and court officials (all from stressful professions)—are busy moving their needles, their eyes intently focused on the patterns, their mouths chatting cheerfully about beautiful embroidery designs, fashion trends, and household matters. The classroom atmosphere is therefore very friendly and intimate.

Artisan Nguyen Thi Hang said: "With the heavy pressures of life, many people turn to embroidery as a way to relieve stress and find something new. By focusing on the stitches and patterns, embroiderers can forget about trivial worries, balance their lives, and hand embroidery is actually a very effective form of active meditation..."

Through workshops, women learn to embroider dresses, blouses, and cute accessories like mirrors, bags, headbands, face masks... and even notebooks, purses, and wallets...

PHOTO: ARTISAN NGUYEN THI HANG

Ms. Huong, an accountant in Hanoi, said that her professional work is quite monotonous. To change the atmosphere and make friends outside the office, she initially joined marathon running events (as recommended by her company). Later, with the rise of fashion workshops, she registered for online courses and attended offline networking events.

The vibrant embroidered colors, elegant floral patterns, and hand-embroidered garments with a nostalgic feel captivated her. She said, "Showing off my embroidery patterns to friends and decorating my own dresses and clothes brings me new joy. Learning embroidery has helped me make many new friends; we chat about fashion, and we join communities to learn together, which is a lot of fun..."

An offline embroidery class by artisan Nguyen Thi Hang.

PHOTO: ARTISAN NGUYEN THI HANG

"Of course, not everyone who learns embroidery can do it beautifully, but we can 'help' each other. In the group, whoever is good at embroidering pictures does it, whoever is good at embroidering flowers does it. The price for 'helping' with embroidery is 'internal,' essentially a cheap 'service' for decorating items without the hassle of searching. Many of the skillful women in our class have even taken on professional embroidery jobs after graduation, earning quite a bit of money," Ms. Huong recounted.

Traditional hand embroidery art is becoming more accessible to modern life through workshops.

In recent years, hand embroidery classes have become an inspiring destination for enthusiasts of traditional clothing decoration. They participate in workshops to learn new skills, explore their creativity, refresh modern outfits, and even find a side hustle to earn a living. Driven by a passion for handicrafts and a desire to find joy in hand embroidery, students have revived the art of hand embroidery and its unique patterns.

"Embroidery workshops both impart techniques and inspire a love for handcrafted fashion, revisiting classic yet sophisticated traditional fashion values ​​in the modern fashion world," Ms. Hang said.

PHOTO: ARTISAN NGUYEN THI HANG

Embroidery artist Nguyen Thi Hang said: "Seeing the trend of women wanting to learn embroidery, I opened an embroidery class. Many women have responded positively. Besides making it easier to take care of their families, each tiny stitch can be said to be a connection between classic and modern styles, bringing unique personalization to each item..."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thoi-trang-tre/theu-tay-khoe-lai-qua-workshop-thoi-trang-cua-chi-em-185240928015756315.htm