What is Blackwork?

Blackwork has it's roots in Moorish embroidery. It was very popular in Spain,
and although there is evidence of Blackwork prior to Katherine of Aragon, she
is said to have popularized it when she came to England after her marriage to
King Henry VIII.

What is Blackwork, is a difficult question to give a specific answer to. The
standard response is "monochromatic embroidery" but there are Blackwork
examples in blue/brown or red/black combinations. Blackwork was sometimes
called "Spanish Work" which used red/gold, red/black or black/gold. But,
primarily, you will see Blackwork as a one color piece with the most common
being black silk on white linen. Blackwork is also sometimes thought of as a
counted thread type of embroidery and while this can be true, looking at the
elaborate free-style designs on Elizabethan sleeves, it is obviously not
always the case. I think that the idea of Blackwork as a counted thread
embroidery comes primarily from what is currently known as the "Holbein"
stitch. The stitch was eventually named after Hans Holbein the Younger
because of the many detailed and extensive views shown in his painting. This
is also the easiest stitch to learn and is especially appealing those
interested in cross-stitch embroidery.

Is Blackwork difficult?

Blackwork is not a difficult embroidery to do and can produce strikingly
beautiful pieces. the beauty seen in the contrast of thread and ground fabric
provide wonderful trim for collars and cuffs, purses, etc. In the Holbein
stitch, Blackwork is actually less time-consuming and easier than
cross-stitch. The work is in the counting, which cross-stitches are used to.

What is the Holbein stitch?

The Holbein stitch is a reversible, double-running stitch, worked over the
threads in the ground to form lines. Since the stitch is reversible, it is a
very nice stitch for cuffs, or anywhere both sides of the fabric will be
seen. To create this stitch, working from left to right, you do a simple
running-stitch, skipping every other stitch. Then. on the second pass,
working from right to left, you do the same stitch in the spaces you
previously skipped. The trick to beautiful Blackwork is in consistency and
neatness in tying off you threads and moving from design to design. The
geometric patterns formed by this stitch are wonderful and look like line
drawings on the fabric.

pass one	||-->||   ||-->||   ||-->||   ||-->||
pass two	||---||<--||---||<--||---||<--||---||

You have now made what appears to be one solid line of  7 stitches


What do I need to do the Holbein Stitch?

Even-weave fabric, a tapestry or counted cross-stitch needle and embroidery
thread, in a contrasting color from your fabric. Documented pieces were
usually on a light colored, usually white linen with a contrasting silk
thread, usually black or brown. Working with a hoop or frame keeps your
tension even and makes the "holes" easier to see. you also will need a
pattern, for example, the book  _Esemplario 1530_, by Niccolo Zoppino or
graph your own from the many paintings in the 1500-1600's.  Look for
geometric patterns as these are the easiest to adapt to the Holbein stitch.

Where can I read and see more about Blackwork?

_Blackwork Embroidery_, Elizabeth Geddes and Moyra mcNeill, Dover
Publications, ISBN 0-486-23245-X, Library of Congress 75-31285
_Hans Holbein the Younger_, Chamberlain, Geo. Allen & Company, 1913
_The Paintings of Hans Holbein_, Paul Ganz, Phaidon Press
_English Domestic Needlework_, Hughes, Lutterworth Press, 1961
_Esemplario 1530_, Niccolo Zoppino (Graphed by Susan J. Evans), Falconwood
Press
_Renaissance Patterns for Lace, Embroidery and Needlepoint 1587_, Federico
Vinciolo, Dover Pulications, ISBN 0-486-22438-4
_Complete Guide to Needlework_, Mary Gostelow, Chartwell Books 1982, ISBN
0-89009-597-3
_Readers's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework_, The Readers' Digest
Assocication, Inc., ISBN 0-895-77059-8
