Embroidery, one of the most common kinds of folk art, originated in an era when early humans began to sew clothes from animal skins. At the same time people began to decorate their clothing in any pattern or image, because it was not diversity in the materials from which they made clothes, and using embroidery could make an apparel  special, different from other.

Materials for embroidery in those days were the veins of animals, plant fiber, animal fur, shells. A little later came and ornamental designs for embroidery - these patterns were associated with the image elements of the symbolism of the various ancient cults, or depicting local flora and fauna.

Therefore, the different tribes (and later - in different peoples) formed their own (local) clothing decoration and home furnishings traditions - so a traditional folk embroidery sprang up, which the culture in different countries maintained until the present day. The whole world is aware of traditional Chinese embroidery, Slavic (Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian) embroidery, Norwegian Embroidery (Hardanger), and many other varieties of the folk embroidery. In the embroidery there were most of all used colored cotton and linen.

Later, the embroidery was used not only to decorate clothing or household items. For example, through the embroidery could be told about any event and thus perpetuate the memory of him, to glorify a ruler or to demonstrate the status. . To do this, a variety of materials were used for the embroidery: people embroidered not only with linen or woolen threads, but threads of gold or silver, used the pearls and precious stones, beads and coins, metal plates. The way to embroider fabrics by threads of different colors was invented in Babylon, which was also famous for its colorful embroidery with silk or wool, as precious Babylonian tablecloths and carpets adorned the Roman emperors’ homes. Except ancient Babylonian embroidery Egyptian embroidery were also very valued. As in Egypt the cotton clothes were mostly worn, it was a current to embroider mostly in linen fabrics with woolen threads. The oldest preserved to our days embroideries were created on the territory of ancient China. Silk fabrics was served as the
base, the drawing was done with hair, raw silk, silver and gold threads. In the East, household items - carpets, cloaks, pack bags - were traditionally decorated with embroidery. Great Silk Road promoted the embroidery spread in Europe
It was the way that Greece and Rome learned a silk and the silk became to be applied in the European embroideries. However, it was the essential difference between East and European (in particular, Greek) embroidery: East embroidery is a magnificent pattern, variety of applied colors and complexity of the ornament filling all fabric field, and the Greek embroidery presents graceful and unostentatious elements which did not cover a fabric entirely, but only underlined its beauty.  Often in the Ancient Greece and Rome clothes were decorated by embroideries from gold and silver threads. All Roman-Hellenic traditions have evolved in the Byzantine Empire, whence embroidery art has extended across all Europe. The earliest examples of Byzantine embroidery date back to the III century AD, and to the XI century embroidery was made with gold drawing, that is a thin metal wire that only by places was sewn to the fabric. After the XI century drawing of gold starts to be replaced with gold spinning, in which instead of a metal wire there is a linen thread twisted with a thin metal strip. Part of the Byzantine embroideries has been taken out by crusaders to Europe after Constantinople conquest. And embroideries which were first brought from the East began to be made throughout Europe. In embroidery were engaged both peasants and noble ladies for whom embroidery became one of the basic employment at leisure. Very often for embroidery religious or historical subjects were used. . The tapestry of Bayeux, embroidered by Queen Matilda, William the Conqueror wife, in honor of England conquest by Normans in 1066 and representing a linen measuring 70 meters by 50 centimeters is world-famous. In the XV century in fashion are embroidered clothing - both male and female, as a result in this period the first workshops, manufacturing embroidery to order, have flowed.
In the XVI century there was a transition from embroidery religious to embroidery secular. The most common in all European countries is cross-stitch, which simulates expensive tapestries of that time. Embroidery subjects became more various. Besides folk embroidery the city embroidery which had no strict traditions, developed also, and varied depending on the fashions. Very often bed curtains were embroidered with either the hunting scenes or scenes from fables, or flower compositions. Flowers become one of prevailing motives in embroidery, beginning just from that time. The fashion on embroideries extended at this time from France, where the court employed a number of professional painters and embroiderers. It is to this period belongs the honor of further spread of floral ornament, which literally covered the furniture, curtains, tablecloths, napkins, cushions).

In 1749 in England a first lady's magazine "Ladies" was issued, in which female readers were offered embroidery drawings too (including counting schemes). Since 1770-ies embroidery on canvas is on the first place among women's handicrafts, it is the result of the invention, is known in the embroidery history as Berlin wool, which received the widest circulation in Germany and in Victorian England.
The first counting schemes have been published in 1804 or 1805 in Berlin by A. Filipson. In 1849 he already produced about 14 000 different drawings. In the second half of the XIX century embroidery on canvas "scrappy style" became popular. Completed in this manner, the works represent the separate elements in the form of patches connected into one large mural.

At the end of XIX century in France a thread appeared, without which it is impossible to imagine modern embroidery - floss. Created specifically for embroidery, they produced a variety of shades, were easy to work, well lay down on a fabric, had a nice shine and did not burn out. To date, most needlewomen use floss for thread embroidery and they continue with their works the chronicles of favorite needlework of millions people around the world - embroidery.