Why are male embroiders so hard to find?

Mar 25

Follow the threads of time back far enough, and the identity of the first weavers, knotters, embroiderers fades from view. Who made the very first needles? Were they male or female? Who laced the first pair of animal skins together to make something? Was it a man or a woman? Does it matter? It shouldn't. So why are male embroiderers and textile artists rarer these days than female ones?

In 17th century England, despite the fact that the most prominent embroiderers and pattern drawers in London were male, women worked as milliners and fought for their right to produce embroidered book-bindings. For women, both before and after the Civil War, embroidery was a pious activity, part of learning to run a good household, but some of these women turned it into an act of subversion.

The Woodfield Pavilion's exhibitions past and present have featured the work of male embroiderers - the current exhibition includes work by male embroiderer Leon Conrad; previously, exhibitions have included work by Nino Paulito. We even worked on line with David Manser-Mullin during lockdown. But we’d like to showcase more.

We caught up with Leon during the open Textile Exhibition in March 2025, who said, 'I learned blackwork embroidery from master embroiderer, Jack Robinson, and have benefited from the meticulous approach both he and female embroiderers like Marion Scoular take to the craft. Ultimately, I draw on the precision engineering approach typical of the pattern drawer and the creative approach which comes from a qualitative engagement with the material. All design comes from a combination of pattern and matrix. Where the threads of life meet, they form intersections. In woven fabrics, warp and weft threads cross over and under each other. Where two pairs interlink, they frame holes. When I work with counted thread or canvaswork techniques, I work in and out of the holes of the fabric. Whenever I pierce a thread with a needle, I create a hole. I work in and out of nothing. Ultimately, embroidery is about creating something beautiful from the beauty of nothing.' Would Leon encourage more men to take up embroidery? 'Absolutely. I find it relaxing, meditative, and it provides me with a precision-based creative outlet. I highly recommend it.'

Look out for more embroidery exhibitions at the Woodfield Pavilion in the future, where we hope to feature more great embroidery work by both male and female artists.

For more of Leon's commercial work, visit his Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LeonConradDesigns