Cross stitch and needlework can be found in the earliest history, as far back as sixth century BC. Needlework has existed as long as there has been cloth to work it on. Pieces of embroidery and needlework have been found preserved in ancient Egyptian tombs and in Medieval churches all over the world.

Where did cross stitch originate?

1. Traces of cross stitch have been found on cloth fragments dating all the way back to the 6th century. Not only did cross stitch exist long before the Middle Ages, traces have been found in China and India before it arrived in Europe. One of the earliest samplers, discovered in Egypt, dates from the 6th century.

When did cross stitching become popular?

It is known that cross stitch embroidery flourished during the Tang dynasty in China (618-906 AD), when it may well have spread westward along the trade routes. By the eleventh century, the most famous of all early embroideries, the Bayeux tapestry, was being worked.