Makers
Domestic embroidery, made for sale or personal use, accounted for a large percentage of all textile production in the Ottoman Empire. Both men and women embroidered. Men worked in workshops, mainly with expensive materials such as pearls, gold, or semi-precious stones. It is thought that they embroidered large objects made of heavy materials, since a great amount of strength was required to work the needle.

Women worked in the haremliks (women's quarters) of their homes. Confined by social customs to their homes, embroidery was a way for women to pass time. It was a major part of the upbringing of a young girl, many of who would become as skilled as their professional counterparts, and would be able to earn money as well as to furnish their own homes. Professional women embroiderers were often engaged in cottage industry work.

Designs
Ottoman embroidery designs reflect the political and social times under which they were produced.

17th to 18th century
Embroidery from the 17th to the 18th century shows preferences for clear forms, distinct compositions with a defined direction, precisely rendered motifs, and a small number of bold colors. These compositions had three important characteristics:

1. Every composition was framed with a border without regard to the shape of the ground fabric, thus creating two parts to the composition, a central field and a border.
2. The border could be narrow or wide; wider ones were decorated with floral scrolls that were usually a simplified version of the motifs used in the main field.
3. The overall design in the central field was an infinitely repeating pattern, which created the illusion that design continued beyond the framing borders.

Ottomans loved flowers, so floral forms and designs are common in Ottoman decorative arts. Tulips, carnations, hyacinths, pomegranates, arched flower branches and leaves of the Oriental plane tree were most often used for design inspiration from the 16th to the early 18th century. During this time the floral motifs and compositions often appear stylized. Although certain flowers were depicted naturally enough to be identifiable, the ways they were put together are unnatural. Flower filled medallions, large serrated leaves, huge blossoms, çintemanis (three balls and two wavy lines), crowns and cloud bands are other motifs frequently seen on embroidered textiles from this period.

Red, blue, green, yellow, white, and black were the six colors used most frequently in Ottoman embroidery from the 17th to the mid-18th century. Among these colors, black was used for the outlining of white motifs or for minor highlighting. Each motif was represented with a single bold basic color and there was no highlighting or shading.

18th to 20th century
Interest in European art and technology spread rapidly in the second half of the 18th century and continued through the 19th century. Changes in the culture and the lifestyle of the Ottomans are clearly reflected in their embroidered textiles. As Ottoman artists combined designs and motifs from the European style called Rococo with the classical Ottoman style they created a new style later termed Ottoman, or Turkish Rococo.

After the mid-18th century, compositions on embroidered textiles began to change as well. Individual motifs became smaller. Rather than being decorated with overall patterns, textiles were embroidered around the edges or at two ends.

While flowers remained the most prominent motif in all Ottoman art forms, their form gradually changed. Under the influence of the European Rococo style, floral sprigs eventually became lavish floral sprays or flower bouquets in the 19th century. Large motifs of flower and leaf garlands were enhanced with metallic threads and became more exuberant. While the repertory of floral motifs continued to expand, representations of these motifs also changed, becoming more and more naturalistic in appearance. A vase with a large spray of flowers started to appear in both pictorial and textile arts around this time. This period also marked the introduction of landscape designs depicting scenery and architectural features generally related to gardens. Yalis (seashore houses), mosques, mescids (small prayer halls), türbes (tombs), pleasure tents, and ships are all new additions to a growing motif repertory.

Beginning in the mid-18th century, the color palette also expanded. Strong colors waned in popularity while pastel tones such as pinks, light blues, light greens and soft browns became the fashion. Not only did embroiderers begin using more colors, they also began using variations of the same color to represent shading or to create depth. Some embroidery was done with 10 to 15 colors. Embroiderers also began using shades of the color used on motifs to create outlines rather than doing this in black colored thread.

Materials
Flax, cotton, and silk were the three major fibers used in Ottoman embroidery. Flax and cotton were spun at home, while silk was generally purchased in bazaars. Beginning in the 18th century embroiderers started to use more expensive and more metallic threads to create luxurious textiles. This is probably because the growing middle class, as eager consumers were now able to purchase goods once only affordable to the Palace.

Functions
Embroidered textiles were an integral part of Ottoman daily life, used for home furnishings and clothing. Textiles played a role in daily activities and were used as gift-wrappings, room decorations, daily linens, and clothing. Embroidered textiles were also used for more ceremonial purposes, such as weddings, births, and circumcisions. Handmade textiles were symbols of status and illustrated not only the wealth of a woman's family but also her skill as an embroiderer. Learn more about the various functions of embroidered textiles during the Ottoman Empire.