Lu Dui Random Stitch Embroidery

Lu Dui Random Stitch Embroidery

　　"Lu Dui Random Stitch Embroidery" originated from the traditional folk embroidery techniques of the Li-Xia River area in northern Jiangsu. Later, it incorporated the characteristics of "Su Embroidery," "Xiang Embroidery," and "Yang Embroidery," gradually developing a unique style where "emotion is conveyed through the needle and meaning expressed through the thread." It has become a rising star in the art of embroidery.

　　In the second half of the 19th century, Yang Mosh of Lu Dui boldly innovated traditional pillowcase, vest, and embroidered shoe designs, incorporating motifs such as zodiac animals and flowers to enrich the content of traditional embroidery. Her daughter, Pan Hezhen, further expanded the decorative scope of embroidery by using random stitches as the foundation, achieving realism amid apparent chaos, making the embroidered pieces more vivid and lifelike. Later inheritors, such as Mo Xuechun, were adept at learning from other traditions. Traveling to places like Suzhou and Changzhou to study under masters, he integrated the characteristics of embroidery from Baoying’s water towns and continuously innovated, infusing the aesthetic sensibilities of simple and genuine rural maidens. With the technique of "random stitches closely layered and threads neatly arranged," the craftsmanship achieved an effect that was "chaotic yet not messy, dense yet not piled up." The themes of the works expanded from single floral and landscape motifs to over 10 varieties, including portraits and world-famous paintings and photographs. Lu Dui Random Stitch Embroidery evolved from small workshops into an industrialized craft. The town has over 3,000 female embroiderers, and the products are exported to more than 10 countries and regions, including Europe, America, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, earning widespread acclaim both domestically and internationally.