Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabric, archaeologists believe Stone Age people across Europe and Asia sewed fur and leather clothing using bone, antler or ivory sewing-needles and "thread" made of various animal body parts including sinew, catgut, and veins.

शिवणकाम दोन कापडाचे तुकडे सुई व दोऱ्याच्या साहाय्याने एकमेकांना जोडणे ही शिवणकामाची ढोबळ व्याख्या आहे. शिवणकाम करणाऱ्या व्यक्तीस शिंपी म्हणतात.