In the past embroidery, or hand stitching, was identified by long, tedious hours spent bent over canvases while crafting breathtaking and intricate designs. While the embroidery of today is still breathtaking and intricate, the use of machines in embroidery has helped speed up the creative process and has also allowed people who never thought they could embroider at all embroider like the pros.

The history of embroidering with machines started with the invention of the sewing machine and continues today into this high-tech world of computers and software programs.

In the beginning, machines did little to help create embroidery designs but aided in the speed of creating them on canvas. The deigns were still pretty much planned, drawn and approached as they would have been if they were going to be hand stitched. The sewing machine only helped out in the stitching process. The colors of thread were changed manually and the designs themselves were stitched with a great deal of hands-on operation from the embroiderer.

With the introduction of the Cam, though, embroidery with machines grew by leaps and bounds. The Cam allowed more stitches than the conventional sewing machine could produce on its own and even included some embroidery stitches into its functions. But still embroidery required a lot of skill and hands-on applications to create even the simplest designs.

The birth of a specialized sewing machine and design cards changed all of that forever. These machines can be used by anybody who wants to embroider even if they have no skill at all. All you have to do is insert an imprinted design card into the sewing machine and it does all of the work automatically. All you have to do is change the colors of thread.

Computers have also revolutionalized the world of embroidery. In fact, the biggest change experienced in machine embroidery has been the result of the invention of computers and specialized embroidery software. Digital software now allows embroiderers to design their own patterns to be completed by embroider machines. And these machines are unbelievable when it comes to creating the finest embroidered patterns. Some even make elegant lace.

With embroidery being this easy for everyone to master no matter what their skill level, it is no wonder that embroidery has become increasingly popular over the past few years. In fact, many people who never believed that they could create anything as beautiful and intricate as embroidery have given it a shot and are hooked. From baseball caps and T-shirts to samplers and wall coverings, embroidered designs have never been easier to accomplish, and we owe it all to the embroidery machine.