50 Embroidery Enthusiasts That Deserved To Be Applauded For Their Art Online

Emillie's work, although mostly fueled by her passion for needlecraft, draws inspiration from wildlife and the British countryside. Our longtime readers might remember her feature here on Bored Panda from back in 2016. She stunned us with incredibly realistic pet and animal portraits and had many readers wanting their own stitched portraits of their four-legged best friends.

Eight years later, Emillie now offers tutorials and courses for people who want to hone their embroidery skills and those who just picked the hobby up. She has been featured on numerous websites, including This Is Colossal, the Design*Sponge blog, and Frankie Magazine. Emillie's needlework has also been featured in magazines such as Vogue Brazil and Town and Country Magazine.

Emillie says that her journey to become a master embroiderer began during her university years. In her second year of university, she missed the countryside and the slower pace of life it brought with it, and in 2013, she began her embroidery journey. "Little did I know, when I had finished embroidering my first hoop, what a wonderful impact it would have on my life and career," she now reflects.

Emillie tells Bored Panda that romanticized paintings depicting women doing needlepoint by windows or in the countryside first inspired her to pick up a needle. "I was particularly obsessed with Tumblr (weren't all us girls back then?), photography, and the pre-raphaelite movement at the time."

Two paintings in particular caught Emillie's eye and ignited the spark to try fiber art. 'I Am Half-Sick of Shadows,' Said the Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse and An Afternoon Embroidering by Madeleine Jeanne Lemaire.

"I loved the idea of using this ancient craft to connect with these talented women from the past," Emillie explains her inspiration. "But mostly, I longed for a hobby that didn't require technology. I was doing a lot of digital creative work for my university degree, e.g., graphic design, photography, and videography. I longed for a low-cost, portable hobby I could take anywhere with me. After trying crochet for a week, embroidery quickly became an everyday passion of mine," Emillie tells Bored Panda.

Emillie tells us that she didn't expect her hobby to turn into a career. For her, it was just a passion that turned into a business. "It was something that progressed naturally through Instagram and through time. I would post photographs of my creations on Instagram purely for fun and encouragement, and from there, I started to receive a lot of emails and requests (to my surprise) from people wanting to purchase them!"

Since her start in the early 2010s, a lot has changed. "My business has since grown from creating custom pet portraits to helping thousands of others learn the craft of needle-painting," Emellie tells us. "I now have a following of over 200,000 people, and this still blows my mind today. I am very grateful to those who have supported my work and to my past self for trying something new."

Emellie tells Bored Panda that there aren't any prerequisite skills one must have to start embroidering. "The only trait I can think of is the will to try something new and perhaps be a bit bad at it to begin with!" For those waiting for the right time to take up a hobby, Emellie says: "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

"Don't hesitate, don't doubt yourself, and just go for it!" Emellie encourages aspiring needlers. "Once you start embroidering, you will only wonder why you didn't start earlier. The materials are inexpensive and easy to get a hold of." She recommends embroidering projects you are truly interested in: nature, films, quotes, or anything else. "Be inspired by others, but remember to be your truest authentic self and don’t directly copy other artwork," she adds.