The latest upsurge of hand embroidery in the indie craft community has brought the art back to the forefront of popularity.  I remember the wall hangings from the 70s well.  The lions, owls, mushrooms, Holly Hobby, etc.   As a child of the 70s, I like to put a little bit of the 70s in my work with a modern twist.  The purist in me will only do crewel embroidery with 2 ply wool and raw linen.  That is the beauty of taking a vintage craft and making it your own aesthetic.  I like to copy my child's art on linen and transform it into an embroidered piece of art.  I also like to hand embroider their silhouettes and frame them up for family gifts.  Hand embroider has opened up a whole new outlet for my creativity as well as a form of relaxation.  One of my favorite mixed media artists uses hand embroidery in her work - Laura McCafferty.  Another artist who uses hand embroidery in her work is Tilleke Schwarz.  I love how these artists put a lot of thought, time and details into their work.  And yes, embroidery is NOT an instant gratification art.  It does take a lot of time to complete a project.  So that is why home ec. is going to start small.  Take a class and see what it is all about.  We have a large collection of vintage embroidery literature as well as new Japanese patterns!