Hi there, it’s nice to meet you!
Welcome to my blackwork adventure! Blackwork embroidery is easy and relaxing to stitch and is characterized by repeating patterns in the design. It is a centuries-old form of embroidery going back to Elizabethan times, when clothing and linens were decorated with delicate hand-stitched blackwork. These designs were commonly stitched with black silk threads, and so were called blackwork. Modern blackwork is stitched in a variety of colours, using either a simple back-stitch, or a double running stitch.
My mom taught me how to cross-stitch almost 30 years ago, it’s always been one of my favorite pass-times. When I discovered blackwork embroidery, I fell in love with the intricate, lacy patterns that are created with such a very simple stitch.
My designs grow from quick sketches on whatever paper is at hand, are transformed onto graph paper, and then drawn in design software. Then the test stitching, frogging, re-graphing, and re-stitching process begins! And continues until the design is complete – when it makes my heart happy 🙂
One of my first blackwork designs was a butterfly box. My inspiration comes from all around me. I live on a farm in northern British Columbia, a spot of peaceful quiet, offset by the chaos of the critters that help occupy our space – dogs, horses and cows mostly. But when I have a moment, you’ll find me designing and stitching blackwork – usually with a Lab and a Corgi or three, curled up nearby.
Pop in for a visit, and see what I’m up to!
