50 Times People’s Embroidery Was Too Stunning Not To Share (New Pics)

For Leung, taking up the craft has been beneficial since her days as a young fashion graduate. It has so far opened multiple doors for her. 

“Embroidery offered me the opportunity to work with some of the most famous designers I idolized, so yes, it was life-changing!”

We also spoke with Hannah Gomez, PhD, a senior editor at Kevin Anderson & Associates. She has been cross-stitching since the fifth grade in 1999 and has kept it as a hobby ever since. Gomez admits to initially seeing it as a “silly” hobby, but eventually learned to appreciate how it brings “joy and beauty.” 

“This is a hobby that is good for nothing except joy and passing the time. The most useful it gets is maybe if you cross-stitch a bookmark or the edge of a dish towel,” she said.

For Gomez, cross-stitching, in particular, is a “soothing” practice because of the “math element.” As she explained, it involves rules, grids, and counting without the need to be fluid with a paintbrush or “agonize over the swoop of a curve.” 

She also enjoys how it encourages her to avoid screens and instead engage with enriching materials like audiobooks or podcasts. “That's refreshing and probably good for eye health,” she said.

Gomez brought up another good point: a hobby like cross-stitching not only makes you less dependent on technology, but it can also be a source of happiness, both for the person doing it and the people enjoying the final products. 

“I think it is so valuable to have a hobby that doesn't require a screen and that you can't really do anything with except make people smile, because our lives are too often subsumed by survival or monetization.”