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