Man doing embroidery on the train

[PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle]

Never before, either in public or private, have I known a man to do embroidery. But here he is, across the aisle from me, with his family all occupied with reading, games, colouring in and he’s busy doing the most intricate piece of cross stitch. Looks beautiful! And he’s not what you would call the artistic type. American, built like a lumberjack, bearded.
Anyone else know men who can embroider?

my eldest son can sew pretty well and is great with doing hairstyles. very proud and encourage him every step of the way.

My son, in his 20's, is a dab hand with a needle and thread. When he was at uni and skint, he used to buy clothes off the 50p rail in the charity shop, and customise them brilliantly. His dearest wish for Christmas was a sewing machine. He is amazingly creative.

Andhowcould - the Lecherous Lecturer in Love in a Cold Climate?

And don't forget Georgie Pilson (Mapp and Lucia)!

My DH used to embroider his denim jackets back in the day and he still does any sewing needed in this house as I am rubbish at it!

@BroomstickOfLove what is a xstitch business please? Is it selling supplies or actual completed pieces?
What I’m asking is could I turn it into a legitimate job (fingers and toes crossed)

WWll Servicemen were issued with these, so it looks as though they were all expected to be able to do very basic sewing and darning.
www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30016350

My grandad was very talented At embroidering. Sadly the skill wasn’t inherited by me, I’m a disaster when it comes to any kind of needlework 🙈

A man I know, now in his 80's, used to make the most incredible wedding cakes. He was also a dressmaker. Made coats, dresses, suits, you name it. He used to make his wedding cakes for free as well. 😊. Some people are so very full of goodness. I think those domestic arts are wonderful. We need a real revival of them.

My grandfather was a sailor - he & his brothers (burly Scotsmen) all stitched! I went to an embroidery workshop a couple of months ago & it was about 50:50 women & men. The only one of my kids who has no interest in learning is my younger dd - eldest dd & both sons all sew pretty well for their ages (dd1 ran an embroidery club at school - no boys unfortunately).

King George Vl and the duke of Windsor both did embroidery. George Vl embroidered 12 chair covers. Queen Mary taught them.

I can barely thread a needle. In awe of all the talented people here.

We all did tapestry as children dm dd dbs and me. My dd also used to do those weird things with bits of cotton wrapped around nails!? And oil paintings too.
I miss the tapestry a bit, maybe I will give it another go.

My husband, middle aged burly tattooed rugby fanatic does tapestry whilst watching TV.

I have a male friend that does heraldry embroidery mostly but other stuff as the mood takes him. His work is stunning.

Thanks for all your responses. It's been very interesting to read your storiez.
As an update, when we got off the train eh told me he had leaned over to get a better view. Turns out he was embroidering a 4 letter word beginning with F!
This with 2 children around8 and 10

My son in law has been known to cross stitch in the evening. Also have a man or two in our stitch and sip group. In other countries it isn't such an unusual thing.

My uncle learned to crochet in the navy
He could make dresses, embroidery etc as well as being a fantastic artist

He leaned over to get a better view of what? And embroidering swear words?

Dh leaned over to examine the needlework and saw that he was embroidery the word
FUCK
What I thought was a border of flowers was the same word in different colours!

My grandfather was an embroiderer by trade. He specialised in ecclesiastical work, particularly work using gold thread. He died before I was born but my grandma insisted we all learn handicrafts in his honour - which is why all three of my brothers are brilliant at knitting

Oh right your Dh leaned over and Sweary embroidery

I used to work in a craft supply shop where my manager would say how many men we had come in to buy things for themselves to make. I worked there 5 days a week and there were 3 men who came in with any regularity (so hardly any really)

A quilter, some sort of interior decorator and my favourite, a really sweet guy who did birds of prey embroidery

I crochet and some of the groups i am in seem surprised when men join

Thank you dapple and Godrestye

Great update OP

I met a terribly interesting chap through work once... The big, beardy, burly type, if you looked up 'lumberjack stereotypes' in the dictionary his picture would be there.
He took up cross Stitch to relax from his job in bomb disposal. The fine concentration needed was a bonus :)

A friend of mine embroidered a lovely scarf for his girlfriend.