Brown Silk
The last five years or so has seen a re-emergence of blackwork embroidery. As interest in blackwork grows, needlework magazines are featuring more blackwork charts and articles. Learning how to begin blackwork embroidery is quite simple. Once you've mastered the basics, you can begin to experiment with other types of floss, fabrics and, yes, even other types of stitches that you can incorporate to create your own unique, personal blackwork style.
But for now, let's start with a some basics.
The first thing a beginner should become acquainted with is the vocabulary of embroidery. Understanding the terminology makes it easier to understand design books, pattern charts and other stitchers a bit better.
In embroidery, the threads used for stitching are referred to as floss. Embroidery floss is a loosely twisted six-strand thread. The strands can be separated and used singularly for stitching outlines and fine details. Or you can use two, three or more strands together to give your design texture and shading.
Cotton floss is the most popular and is available in many subtle and rich shades. Silk and rayon floss can also be obtained although the palette is somewhat smaller than the cottons. However, silk and rayon floss can give your design a delicate lustre.
The most frequently used fabrics in embroidery are common-weave and even-weave. Common-weave fabrics are tightly woven with a relatively smooth surface. Linen falls within this category. Even-weave fabrics are plain weaves with a difference: the number of threads per square inch is the same vertically (warp) and horizontally (weft). Aida, which consists of intersecting thread groups, is found in this category.
Traditionally blackwork embroidery was done with black silk on white or cream linen. But nowadays, with the varied assortment of flosses and fabrics that are available in a myriad of colours, you can mix and match to suit your tastes. Brown floss on beige linen or blue silk on eggshell aida are some examples. And you can use metallic threads to add a bit of sparkle to your creations.
Blackwork embroidery employs two basic stitches: the backstitch and the double-running or Holbein stitch.
The back stitch is used to form lines as well as to outline the design. It is also good for adding fine details, such as eyes, noses, eyebrows etc. to a face.
The Holbein stitch is similar to the back stitch. However, it produces a smoother line and the pattern duplicates itself on the front and the back of the fabric. It is ideal for creating outlines and filling in patterns.
I've been doing various types of needlework, blackwork included, for nearly 40 years now. When I first began, I had no idea what the charts were trying to tell me so I kind of made it up as I went along. A ready glossary would have save me some confusion and head scratching.
I've gone over a few basic terms here that, hopefully, will give you some insight into the language of needlework. If you would like to learn more about blackwork embroidery, head over to http://www.squidoo.com/blackwork-for-beginners/ for more background info. If you'd like to see what I get up to in the world of needle craft, visit me on my blog. Drop in any time, the door's always open.
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