Top Needlework Artists on Instagram You Need to Follow

Instagram is a fantastic platform to discover talented needlework artists, from intricate embroidery to vibrant cross-stitch and hand-sewn creations. Whether you’re drawn to traditional techniques or modern, colorful designs, there’s a wealth of inspiration to explore. If you love needlework, here’s a list of top artists you need to follow:

We have started this list, but it is by no means finished. Do you know a needlework artist that should be added to this list? comment below and we will check them out.

@salt_stitches – 48.5k followers
Style: Modern and Playful
Salt Stitches offers a feast for the eyes with bright colors and fun designs. Known for bold, minimalist motifs and intricate stitching, her feed is packed with vibrant florals, quirky patterns, and energetic designs. It’s a great follow for stitchers at all levels, as she also shares tips, tutorials, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of her creative process.
Follow Salt Stitches

@kingsophiesworld – 12k followers
Style: Photography Meets Embroidery
Sophie’s unique work combines photography and embroidery, creating stunning visual narratives. Her embroidered prints, often featuring empowering rose designs paired with feminist quotes, merge traditional stitching with a modern, meaningful twist.
Follow King Sophie’s World

@sarahbethtimmons – 22.1k followers
Style: Hand-Stitched Badges and Textiles
Sarah Beth Timmons creates embroidered badges and textiles that often carry social messages. From political statements to playful humor, her work blends artistry with activism. Perfect for those who love socially conscious embroidery with a creative edge.
Follow Sarah Beth Timmons

@sophielou_stitches – 5.7k followers
Style: Embroidered Portraits and Textile Art
Sophie Lou captures personality and moments through her embroidered portraits. With intricate detail and bold stitches, her work feels both personal and evocative. Her feed is not only beautiful but also filled with insights into her creative process.
Follow Sew Sophie Lou

@theembroiderycoach – 23.9k followers
Style: Instructional with a Focus on Modern Techniques
The Embroidery Coach, run by Laura, shares tutorials, tips, and tricks for stitchers of all skill levels. Her clean, modern designs are perfect for anyone looking to learn new techniques and improve their machine embroidery skills.
Follow The Embroidery Coach

Instagram has become a hub for creative expression, and these talented needlework artists are leading the way with their unique styles and innovative techniques. Whether you love minimalist florals or bold, statement-making pieces, you’ll find plenty of inspiration by following these artists. Get ready to be inspired, learn new techniques, and watch their creative journeys unfold!

There are a lot of stories out there these days about AI use in the crafting space for everything from answering technique questions to writing patterns.

And there’s a lot of content about how to spot AI patterns, or even just photos on the Internet that people are claiming to have made but are clearly AI generated.

As the models get better, though, it can be harder to tell. Gone (mostly) are the days of AI sewing patterns with models who have too many fingers, but one thing it’s still hard for AI to replicate is individual stitches.

You’ll see this in knitting, crochet and cross stitch, where a project might look good from a distance but if you zoom in you’ll see there aren’t individual stitches, or they don’t look the way real stitches would look.

That’s part of the rationale behind a change at r/CrossStitch, the largest cross stitch community on Reddit, which now requires people to show a close up of their finished projects (lots of people seem to be showing off the backs, too) to prove their projects aren’t AI.

Lord Libidan reported on this news and I agree with them that I’m not sure why people in an online forum would be sharing AI “finished objects” when it’s a venue where you can’t sell patterns. But I understand their desire to keep the forum free of AI images. I wish Etsy had such a requirement so that people selling patterns had to prove they’d actually stitched them (though there are plenty of patterns that just show a chart and not a finished item, AI or not.)

Lord Libidan probably has a different perspective because he’s seen people selling kits made from an AI version of a free cross stitch pattern of his. Which is another layer.

I have my own feelings about AI and crafting but I just think it’s really interesting both the things people will do with AI without saying it’s AI and the lengths other people will go to in order to prove something is or isn’t AI. Or even calling something AI just because it’s really detailed and looks good? What times we live in.

[Photo via Lord Libidan, closeup of an image made by Google Gemini’s Nano Banana]

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