Women had become accustomed to seeing the latest fashions in periodicals during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, increasing demand for sewing patterns yet more. As sewing machines became more affordable to the working class, demand for sewing patterns grew. Sewing underwent further developments during the 20th century. For example, a method of reverse appliqué known to areas of South America is also known to Southeast Asia. However, there are instances of sewing techniques indigenous to cultures in distant locations from one another, where cross-cultural communication would have been historically unlikely. European imperial settlements also spread embroidery and sewing techniques worldwide. The Silk Road brought Chinese embroidery techniques to Western Asia and Eastern Europe, while techniques originating in the Middle East spread to Southern and Western Europe through Morocco and Spain. The stitches associated with embroidery spread by way of the trade routes that were active during the Middle Ages. Some examples are the Cretan Open Filling stitch, Romanian Couching or Oriental Couching, and the Japanese stitch. Although most embroidery stitches in the Western repertoire are traditionally British, Irish or Western European in origin, stitches originating in different cultures are known throughout the world today. ĭecorative embroidery was valued in many cultures worldwide. From the Middle Ages to the 17th century, sewing tools such as needles, pins and pincushions were included in the trousseaus of many European brides. Decorative needlework such as embroidery was a valued skill, and young women with the time and means would practise to build their skill in this area. The many steps involved in making clothing from scratch (weaving, pattern making, cutting, alterations, and so forth) meant that women often bartered their expertise in a particular skill with one another. Once clothing became worn or torn, it would be taken apart and the reusable cloth sewn together into new items of clothing, made into quilts, or otherwise put to practical use. Clothing that was faded would be turned inside-out so that it could continue to be worn, and sometimes had to be taken apart and reassembled in order to suit this purpose. Clothing was an expensive investment for most people, and women had an important role in extending the longevity of items of clothing. Sewing for the most part was a woman's occupation, and most sewing before the 19th century was practical. An example was Robert Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Sussex who was appointed Lord Sewer at the coronation of Henry VIII of England in 1509. The vital importance of sewing was indicated by the honorific position of 'Lord Sewer' at many European coronations from the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, Europeans who could afford it employed seamstresses and tailors.
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