Blackwork Embroidery: Techniques and Projects

by Jen Goodwin

Blackwork has a rich history that has developed over the years into an iconic and sophisticated style of embroidery. This practical book presents a number of ways to approach blackwork embroidery, from forming basic stitches and patterns to developing complex shaded pieces with confidence. Through an assortment of exercises, it introduces the principles of shading along with several projects to further explore the potential of blackwork. Detailed instructions on designing and developing shaded pieces of blackwork embroidery are given along with guidance on how to choose suitable images for translating into stitch. Step-by-step instructions on how to form basic stitches and how to form patterns are included as well as almost 250 shaded patterns, indicating how differing patterns appear when worked in different thicknesses of thread. Finally, patterns are grouped by family for easy identification and pattern blending.

256 pages, Paperback

Published November 19, 2020

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal new book by Jen Goodwin. Focused almost entirely on various running stitch and darning patterns; which is a vital resource for any aspiring blackwork enthusiast. Also contains a brief overview of the style, common materials, sample exercises, and some projects to try out. Clocking in at over 250 pages, it is absolutely worth the price tag and will be using this book for years to come!

[Iulia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book if you're either getting into blackwork, if you're not a beginner but looking for new ideas to incorporate into your blackwork, or if you're just looking for new patterns. It has a chapter on history and one on materials, then one on stitches, followed by hundreds of filling patterns, each with a schema and an example (the example includes shading). Some of the projects include additional techniques, like surface embroidery and goldwork, and there is a dedicated chapter on shading; enough to keep anyone busy for a good period of time. Highly recommended!