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Blackwork embroidery

Blackwork is a form of embroidery that uses black thread on a white or cream ground.  The stitches used were varied, the threads were of different thicknesses for effect, and the ground was usually linen.  

The history of blackwork goes back to at least the 13-15th centuries, judging from archeological finds in Egypt.  "The earliest known examples of double running stitch embroideries are found on linen fragments and partial garments from archaeological excavations in Egypt. ...[T]hey are believed to have been produced between the thirteenth and the fifteenth centuries..." (Kathleen Epstein, Concernynge the Excellency of the Nedle Worcke Spanisshe Stitche, Piecework Magazine, January 1995.)  Borders were done in geometric designs or in Arabic script.  I urge you to read the above article for lots of information about the very early origins of this embroidery.

Many historians, researchers and writers attribute its arrival in England to Catharine of Aragon, who married Henry VIII.  Some have called it a fable.  (Surely her tastes mattered for something.  There are many portraits of Henry wearing blackwork and what else did she have to do?  Laundry?)   I'm just glad it made it, so it could sail across the Atlantic to America where we could enjoy it!

Many examples from the Tudor era show curved stems with outlines of flowers done in heavy thread or heavy stitching, such as whipped chain or whipped stem stitch, padded satin stitch and raised stem stitch, with seeding used for shading.  This made it unnecessary for the worker to count threads and gave a little "life" to the fruits, critters, flowers and buds depicted.

During the Elizabethan era the counted work became much more popular and the double running stitch (or Spanish work) was employed for outlining motifs as well as filling them with geometric designs, laid work, or needle lace fillings.  Though usually done in black, red was used occasionally, gold threads were added as accents and a few beads and "owes", or sequins, are found on some pieces.  Where the double running stitch was used in two journeys, the design became reversible and was used extensively on cuffs, sleeves, and collars.  Later, the custom of entertaining guests in the bedroom gave the embroiderer a wonderful excuse for displaying her blackwork talents on bed covers, door covers and night caps, and soon it became acceptable to wear special bed clothes--so guess what got embroidered?    Not the private place it is today.

Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) was a court painter and left behind galleries of oil paintings depicting the costume of his day. These are excellent references to style and embroidery of that era, as very, very few actual pieces exist.  (Since the black dye used included soot, vitriol, brown wood, "allom", filings and lye, among other things, it's amazing that anything at all exists.  And cleaning methods were very harsh, too!)  Double running stitch has been termed Holbein stitch for this reason.

If the pattern wasn't quite reversible, the outside still looked great, and afforded much more freedom for the embroiderer to experiment and add little bits of stitches to darken the shading of the stitches.  This type of embroidery was used on skirts, sleeves, and the edges of sheets and pillows, since the back wasn't in view.

Lace was very highly prized and extremely expensive and I've heard it said that this was an acceptable substitute.  (It resembles a photographic negative to me...though I've seen a picture of a piece done by Erica Wilson done in white thread on black ground...which is the negative?)

I don't have any information on exactly when blackwork made it to America, so this is a matter of speculation.  Weren't some colonial samplers and other pieces of embroidery signed with a double running stitch?  The more unobtrusive ones?  It is my guess that whenever the patterns became available in ladies' magazines, those magazines got over here, much the same way as all good things from England have; floating across the briny sea.

Examples are very hard to come by.  If you are aware of any pieces of blackwork that exist from the colonial era, do share!

Today, our contemporary expert is, arguably, since someone always wants to argue, Jack Robinson.  He spent years studying and perfecting his technique in blackwork and received commendation in 1993 from The Worshipful Company of Broderers and The Embroiderers' Guild for his work.  His designs can still be purchased in Great Britain, and with the magic of the internet and plastic money, anyone can have them!  (Did you get to see the little frog above?  It's one of his.)  He also wrote a book, called "Blackwork Embroidery, My Methods and Techniques"  It is my understanding that he no longer does blackwork, but has moved on to goldwork.  Fitting, no?

Want to try it?  Try a sampler.  Blackwork samplers could be done of your garden!  Work out a grid, fill it with spikey tree-like figures for trees, add some plants, walkways, fences, gates, mazes, arbors, vines and trellis, peacocks, fountains, espaliered fruit trees, topiaries, greenhouses, pagodas...OH the mind boggles.  Give it a try.  It's so much more fun doing your own.

Have you taken a look at the fancy stitches built into today's sewing machines?