Handmade vs Machine

Stitches are different

Not surprisingly, a major difference between handmade Silk Art and machine made embroidery is in the stitching process. Handmade Silk Art allows for a variety of stitches in varying thicknesses of thread, every work is unique. Machine made embroidery is completely uniform; every piece is virtually identical to the next.

Handmade Silk Art begins with stretching the fabric tightly over a wooden frame. The artists use a fine needle and colorful threads to sew each stitch by hand. Machine made embroidery is computer generated and fabricated. Pre-made patterns are input into the computer that controls the sewing machine to make the embroidery.

Our handmade Silk Art process

The machine made embroidery process

Appearance are different

High quality handmade Silk Art looks alive because each artist creates it with a personal touch. These artists are masters of their craft. A machine cannot make decisions or infuse passion into its work. In comparison, machine-made embroidery looks dull and lifeless.
Each piece of handmade Silk Art is unique, even when using the same pattern; artists have the discretion to vary color and stitches. You will never find two completely identical pieces; every piece is one of a kind. Machine-made embroidery is just like a print, all the copies looks exactly the same, the color, the stitches, the final product are all exactly the same!

Our handmade Silk Art

Machine made embroidery

Thread are different

Pure silk thread is used to make handmade Silk Art . Silk thread cannot be used in machines because it breaks too easily. King Silk Art uses silk thread that can be divided into 16 individual strands, impossible with a machine. The thinner the thread, the more detail and definition are possible, making higher quality and more valuable handmade Silk Art.

Embroidery machines must use thicker thread, commonly polyester, rayon, or metallic. Artificial thread looks and feels artificial. Machines can not use divided thread, so the thickness of the thread used in machines is also completely uniform, flattening the final image.

Our handmade Silk Art thread

Machine made embroidery thread

Backgrounds are different

One very easy way to spot the difference between a handmade Silk Art and machine-made embroidery is to look at the back of the canvas. The back of handmade Silk Art is irregular and loose. You can see and feel the knots. Each piece of thread is no more than two feet long and so there are knots when a new piece is started or when the artist changes colors. The stitching at the back of machine-made embroidery is very tight and neat, every stitch is perfectly identical to the next. There are no knots on back of machine-made embroidery, because they don’t need to change thread. Machine thread is very long; each spool is a few miles long.

Collectible Value are different

Because handmade Silk Art is very time consuming, and requires real workmanship, it is inherently more valuable than mass produced, machine-made embroidery.

High quality handmade Silk Art is collectible while machine-made embroidery is not. With the highest quality pieces, the value of the handmade Silk Art should be estimated by experts. A true Silk Art masterpiece is a crown jewel in any art collection.

Our High valued handmade Silk Art

Cheap machine made embroidery