Modern men enjoy a craft that wasn’t always thought of as “women’s work.”
These days if you want to do some showing sterility. A small white skull sports a mass of yellow off, you can just cover yourself from head to Shirley Temple ringlets; a bare femur bone pokes toe in Burberry plaid and call it a day. A few out of a field of wildflowers. The unique combina-hundred years ago, people did things a bit differently. tions humanize not only the X-rays, but the stitched
Say the local feudal lord was dropping by for tea images as well. How did the owner of this ankle with and you wanted to make sure he was duly impressed. the embroidered tennis shoe get hurt? A trampoline
First you might have some decorative stitching done trick gone wrong, or just a routine jogging injury? on that cunning little cap you just bought. And what Another fan of unorthodox canvases is Steve about those drab draperies in the grand chamber? MacDonald, who has embroidered on everything Better have those embroidered as well. from skateboard decks to cuckoo clocks. With an
But who did you call for the job? Grandma? Not likely. Up until the mid-19th century, it was primar- Up until the mid-19th cen- ily men who were in high demand as professional embroiderers for folks who wanted to show a bit of tury, it was primarily men bling. More likely you’d have commissioned Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandpa! who were in high demand as
During the Industrial Revolution, machines were invented that made it easy to embroider on a professional embroiderers. massive scale. The demand for individual artisans dropped, and with it the prestige associated with owning fine embroidered goods. In short order, the practice became relegated to the realm of “women’s work,” its long association with men all but forgotten. These days you can imagine Grandma stitching away while watching Lawrence Welk, or maybe you know some hipster girl who just finished an embroidered portrait of Peaches. But a hipster guy with a needle and embroidery floss?
Luckily, there are some men who are willing to defy modern gender stereotypes by continuing in the steps of their stitchy forefathers. Matthew Cox emphasizes the connection between stitching and healing by embroidering directly onto medical X-rays. His portraits add humanity and even humor to items that are generally associated with unfeeling
old Singer sewing machine, Steve stitches mad mélanges of tigers, deer, bike tracks, and sprawling cityscapes. The resulting work looks futuristic, and at the same time brings to mind the magical style of an antique Japanese ukiyo-e print.
MacDonald and Cox are quite literally holding onto the threads of history, albeit with some very modern twists of their own that make it clear: this is not your grandpa’s embroidery. ×
Steve MacDonald: ramblinworker.com
Matthew Cox: jonathanferraragallery.com, packergallery.com, and finerthingsgallery.com
Anna Dilemna is a doll maker and writer. See her work at annadilemna.typepad.com.
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