Jen Goodwin - Blackwork Embroidery: Techniques and Projects

BLACKWORK
EMBROIDERY

Techniques and projects

BLACKWORK
EMBROIDERY

Techniques and projects

Jen Goodwin

First published in 2020 by
The Crowood Press Ltd
Ramsbury, Marlborough
Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2020

Jen Goodwin 2020

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 776 7

This book is dedicated to my brother. During my apprenticeship Mark would always tell me that I would forge a career from stitching and he had no doubt I would write a book someday. Over the years since he died, each time I achieved something new I wish he was still here to see it and I am disappointed each time I remember that he cant join the celebrations. I promised myself that if I did get published then he must get an honourable mention for that blind faith; nobody would be prouder to see this than he would be. This book is for him.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY

T he history of Blackwork is a long and convoluted one with common myths surrounding its origins. It was originally considered to be derived from Spanish Blackwork which had been brought over to England by Catherine of Aragon after her marriage to Henry VIII.

However, this has been largely disproved as there is evidence of Blackwork embroidery already being present in England. The easiest reference to date with accuracy is found in Chaucers Canterbury Tales published in 1387, which refers to coal black silk worked both front and back on the collar of a smock; this is 114 years before Catherine arrived in England in 1501.

Spanish style embroidered cuff, 2018, graphite illustration by Katy Harald.

Sadly, there is very little evidence of early Blackwork left in existence and the pieces that have survived are often badly damaged; despite that, it is quite common for museum collections to hold fragments of embroidered textiles that have been cannibalized and salvaged from the original textiles. It is also possible to find examples of fabric which had obviously been stitched at some point; the stitches have now rotted away, leaving the bare fabric with needle marks dotted along the design lines.

This makes it challenging to accurately identify the work as Blackwork. It is possible to make an educated guess by assessing the designs marked on the fabric and comparing them to examples that do have some stitching remaining. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London holds many examples of these in their collections, mainly from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It is assumed the reason that these stitches have been lost is due, in part, to the harsh dyeing process used on the silk threads.

Dr Susan Kay-Williams, Chief Executive of the Royal School of Needlework and researcher of historical dyes in textiles, says:

The making of the colour black was complicated and often embroidery threads were not necessarily dyed with the best dyestuffs, so making them more likely to fade or change colour.

Until the nineteenth century, black was often produced from overdyeing red, blue and then adding iron or tannins, gall nuts or walnuts. As such, these ingredients could lead to the rotting of the fibres over time.

From the nineteenth century onward most black cloth or thread was made from the heartwood of the logwood tree which was found in north America and some of the Caribbean islands.

It was easier and slightly cheaper to source undyed silk so many embroiderers had their own recipes for the dyes used. This in turn had a knock-on effect to the longevity of the threads produced. This is also the main reason that so much of the Blackwork which has survived appears to be brown in colour as these homemade dyes were not colour-fast.

Jane Seymour, Queen of England by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1537. Holbein stitch is beautifully depicted along the edge of the cuffs. (Fine Art/Alamy Stock Photo)

It is not difficult to guess why Blackwork in England was associated with Catherine of Aragon as it appears to have become quite fashionable to wear embellished garments during the period when she was still married to Henry VIII, most notably from 1530 in the later part of their marriage.

Embroidered smock, detail from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection. Silk and cotton. England, c.157585. This detailed image shows many recognizable Blackwork fill patterns which are still commonly used. ( Victoria and Albert Museum, London)

True Spanish work had a distinct look which differs from the style that is now considered to be Tudor Blackwork. Whilst it was usually worked in black thread on linen, often along the edges of shirts, collars and cuffs, it was far more flowing in design compared to the more linear patterns associated with the Tudor period.

It can be assumed that this difference is due to the arabesque influences which were popular in Spain at this time, creating a mix of both interlinking elements and geometric designs. What is usually thought of first when considering English Blackwork is double running stitch. The nature of this stitch allows for identical stitching to be seen both at the front and back of the cloth being worked, which lends itself well to the decoration of collars and cuffs of clothing. As this was often depicted in paintings from this period, double running stitch has become known as Holbein stitch. It has been named for the eminent painter Hans Holbein the Younger who depicted the embroidery so well in his work that the patterns can still be accurately recreated in stitch.

Holbein came to England in 1532 and became Henry VIIIs official Court Painter by 1539 where he produced numerous portraits which featured Blackwork embroidery on the clothing. It is this wealth of paintings that have proven to be the most reliable historical reference, clearly showing how the classic linear embroidery patterns of the Tudor period had been applied to the garments being worn.