Needlework (trope)
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| Tropes and genres | |
|---|---|
| Related tropes/genres | Domestic |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
Needlework is a trope involving textile crafts such as crochet, embroidery, and knitting. It is common in domestic-themed fanworks, with sewing in particular often serving as an expression of care, love, or creativity.
Textile-based crafts including spinning, weaving, and needlework have traditionally been female-coded.[1] This has lead to proficiency in textile arts being used as a signifier of feminine virtue in older or period-based works.[1] For example, in several old European fairy tales and folk stories, peasant girls prove worthy of rich suitors by spinning, weaving, or mending clothing.
Example Characters
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
- Astarion of Baldur's Gate: The in-game item description for Astarion's default camp outfit describes his shirt as having weathered "years of cuts, tears, and careful repairs." His underwear are also described as featuring an embroidered message suggesting anyone reading it must have been "lucky" enough to "bed or behead" him. Fanworks commonly depict Astarion mending his own clothing or articles belonging to his companions.
- Radagon of Elden Ring: Another character headcanoned as a proficient sewer based on in-game text describing a gold sewing needle and tailoring kit as among the possessions he brought into his first marriage.[2][3] Fanworks sometimes portray him as mending or making clothing for his children.
- Sansa Stark of ASoIaF/Game of Thrones: Canonically depicted as skilled at embroidery, in contrast to her more tomboyish sister Arya. Some fanworks feature this trait to emphasize Sansa's resourcefulness and femininity, or feature her mending or creating items for people she loves.
Fanworks
Astarion
- repairing his dignity by doyasprout (fanart – bare back)
- Astarion repairing Clive by atelierlilyart (fanart – repairing Karlach's teddy bear Clive)
- self indulgent astarion, my little star<3 by elvengraces (fanart – bare chest, top surgery scars)
- astarion fixing up an unfortunate accident with clive by marbledgummi (fanart – repairing Clive)
- A once-fine shirt by tsinnia (fanart – bare chest)
- careful repairs by tuherrus (fanart – repairing Clive)
- Astarion Doing some Embroidery by UnamedKing (fanart – non-explicit nudity)
Radagon
- doodles from twitter by mumagi (fanart – bare chest, Marika/Radagon)
- operation in progress by raviollies (fanart – bare chest)
- altus bloom and red wolf by ufotomorrow (fanart – bare chest)
Sansa Stark
- Sansa Stark + sewing by sansadaily (gifset)
External Links
- Sewing tag on Archive of Our Own
References
- ^ a b "Textile Work Is Feminine" at TV Tropes
- ^ "Golden Tailoring Tools" on the Elden Ring Wiki
- ^ "Gold Sewing Needle" on the Elden Ring Wiki