RSN Essential Stitch Guides: Blackwork

The Royal School of Needlework teaches hand embroidery to the highest standard, developing techniques in new and innovative ways.

This series of Essential Stitch Guides provides expert tuition on a variety of techniques. In this guide to blackwork, Graduate Apprentice and tutor, Becky Hogg, shows how to develop many different patterns from the basic blackwork stitches, using detailed instructions and beautiful examples of traditional and contemporary embroideries. There is a fascinating look at the history of blackwork, a guide to the materials needed, and then a detailed look at the stitches used. These are then developed into a huge variety of beautiful patterns, and finally there is a guide to varying the look of these patterns through the use of different shading techniques. There are inspiring embroideries throughout the book, both historical pieces and contemporary works by the author and other RSN apprentices.

Book Contents

The Royal School of Needlework 6, Introduction 8, The history of blackwork 10, Materials 12, Framing up 20, Design 22

STITCHES 26
Back stitch and double running stitch 28, Chain stitch 30, Sketched satin stitch 32, Stem stitch 34

PATTERNS 36

SHADING 80
Changing the thread thickness 82

Breaking up the pattern 84, Combining the techniques 86, Moving on 92, Index 96