Whether it’s your initials on a towel or your team’s logo on a ball cap, embroidery is a great way to personalize clothing and other fabric. But do you know how this style of sewing got its start? It’s been around a long time, long before sports teams were even a thing. The guide below explains the history of embroidery throughout the ages.

How Embroidery Got Its Start

While it’s hard to pinpoint an exact start for embroidery because fabric doesn’t last as well as pottery and tools, visual records from Egypt indicate that clothes, hangings, and even tents were decorated with embroidery. The first surviving examples of embroidery date between the fifth and third centuries from Scythia, in what is modern-day Siberia. Around this time, China was also using thread to embroider robes and clothing. While it originated in Asia, embroidery quickly spread through trade routes. In the 11th century, the Bayeux tapestry was created, but unlike many other tapestries, it’s not woven—it’s embroidered.

Embroidery also played an important role in many religious functions, with ceremonial robes being embroidered with spiritual motifs. In many cases, even everyday clothing was embroidered with patterns that carried religious or cultural significance.

Embroidery in the Modern Day

While embroidery was long prized for its meticulous handcrafting, the industrial revolution made mass-production of embroidered garments possible—although it took a while for machines to mimic the fine craft of hand embroidery. Nowadays, utilizing a mix of computer software and high-tech machinery, an embroidery company can lay out a design and have it perfectly mimicked by the machinery as it embroiders shirts, hats, and more.

If you’re looking for custom embroidery for your sports team or workplace, you can count on Sports & Sports in Ashtabula, OH. They’ve been providing Northeast Ohio with affordable, custom merchandise and sports equipment for over 37 years. They can embroider everything from jerseys to jackets to snow bibs. To learn more about their products, visit them online, and call (440) 998-4664 to discuss your custom merchandise needs.