Ray Materson, having committed a string of robberies with a shoplifted toy gun, was eventually arrested and sentenced to 15 years in a state penitentiary in Connecticut. To keep himself sane Ray taught himself to embroider using unraveled socks for thread and a sewing needle secured from a prison guard. He stitched miniature tapestries of Joan of Arc, baseball players he loved, subway scenes and self-portraits and sold his works to other inmates for cigarettes. Most of Materson's miniature embroideries include approximately 1,200 stitches per square inch and measure less than 2.5 x 3 inches. (Click image to keep exploring)