Editing Embroidery (section)

=== 21st century ===
[[File:Japanese embroidery on festival cart.jpg|thumb|Japanese free embroidery in silk and metal threads, contemporary]]
[[File:Hardanger embroidery.png|thumb|[[Hardanger embroidery|Hardanger]], a [[whitework]] technique. Contemporary]]

Since the late 2010s, there has been a growth in the popularity of embroidering by hand. As a result of visual social media such as [[Pinterest]] and [[Instagram]], artists can share their work more extensively, which has inspired younger generations to pick up needlework. <ref>Kouhia, A. (2023). Crafts in the Time of Coronavirus: Pandemic Domestic Crafting in Finland on Instagram’s Covid-Related Craft Posts. M/C Journal, 26(6). https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.2932  </ref><ref>Mayne, A. (2020). Make/share: Textile making alone together in private and social media spaces. Journal of Arts & Communities, 10(1–2), 95–108. https://doi.org/10.1386/jaac_00008_1 </ref>

Contemporary embroidery artists believe hand embroidery has grown in popularity as a result of an increasing need for relaxation and digitally disconnecting practices.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lekadre.com/embroidery-modern-art-form/|title=History of embroidery and its rise in popularity|last=Elin|date=2019-06-11|website=Charles and Elin|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-25|archive-date=2019-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725210010/https://lekadre.com/embroidery-modern-art-form/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many people are also using embroidery to creatively upcycle and repair clothing, to help counteract over-consumption and fashion industry waste.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How a traditional craft became a Gen-Z statement |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240405-how-a-traditional-craft-became-a-gen-z-statement |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Modern hand embroidery, as opposed to [[cross-stitch]]ing, is characterized by a more "liberal" approach, where stitches are more freely combined in unconventional ways to create various textures and designs.{{fact|date=April 2024}}

Modern canvas work tends to follow symmetrical counted stitching patterns with designs emerging from the repetition of one or just a few similar stitches in a variety of hues. In contrast, many forms of surface embroidery make use of a wide range of stitching patterns in a single piece of work.{{sfn|Reader's Digest|1979|pp=1–19, 112–117}}