Inspiration: Hand Embroidery

I'm seriously digging hand embroidered decoration at the moment. I think it first started when I saw a t-shirt in Topshop with "Oui" and "Non" embroidered on it, and thought to myself - Hey! I could do that myself! I'm no embroidery expert, but I think you could achieve great results with some very basic stitches. It would take time to build up a more complicated pattern, but I actually find embroidery very therapeutic. Here's some pictures of hand embroidery that are inspiring me at the moment.

Pictures, clockwise from top right: Tea, Yoke, Aztec Patterns, Stars, Freestyle, Slogan

You could personalise a jumper, a dress or even a beanie hat. You could choose a slogan, a motif or even a pattern. This is open to so many options, the embroidery world is your oyster. It would also be a great option for gifts too, personalising a plain item you bought to make a truly unique item.

I'll be off now, to embroider a little something onto all of my plain t-shirts. Have you ever hand embroidered onto an already existing piece of clothing?