Alright, let me walk you through what I did with these blackwork flowers. It’s something I’ve been wanting to try for a while, seeing those sharp, geometric patterns forming organic shapes looked really interesting.
So, first off, I needed a plan. I didn’t just jump in blind. I spent some time looking at different flower designs suitable for blackwork. Found a few simple outlines I liked – nothing too crazy complicated for a start. Decided on a kind of stylized rose and maybe a daisy-like thing.
Next step was getting the materials together. Pulled out my stash. Found some decent evenweave fabric – you really need something with a clear grid for blackwork, helps keep the patterns straight. Grabbed my go-to black embroidery floss, a sharp needle that wouldn’t snag, and my trusty small scissors. Oh, and I lightly sketched the basic flower outlines onto the fabric with a pencil that washes out. Just faint lines to guide me.
Getting Down to Stitching
Okay, time to actually sew. I started with the main outlines of the flowers and leaves. I just used a simple running stitch, going over it again (like a Holbein stitch, some call it) to get a solid black line. This part was pretty straightforward, just following the lines I drew.
Then came the real blackwork part: the filling. This is where those geometric patterns come in. For the rose petals, I picked a kind of diagonal grid pattern. For the daisy petals, I went with something simpler, almost like little boxes. The leaves got a slightly denser pattern to make them look darker.
- I focused on one section at a time.
- Counted the threads on the fabric carefully for each stitch. This was crucial. Mess up the count, and the pattern looks wonky.
- Tried to keep my thread tension even. Too tight and the fabric puckers; too loose and the stitches look sloppy.
Honestly, the filling took the most time and concentration. There were moments I had to unpick a few stitches because I lost count or went off track. A bit frustrating, yeah, but you just gotta fix it and move on. Put on some music, zone out, and just stitch.
Finishing Up
Once all the outlines and fillings were done, I took a good look. Sometimes I’d add an extra line here or there if a shape needed a bit more definition. Made sure all the loose thread ends at the back were secured properly. Didn’t want anything unravelling later.
Finally, I gave the piece a gentle wash to get rid of the pencil marks and let it dry flat. Then a quick press with the iron on the back, using a cloth to protect the stitches.
And that was basically it. Stood back and looked at the finished flowers. They look pretty cool, very graphic with just the black thread on the light fabric. It’s different from other embroidery styles. Quite pleased with how they turned out, especially the geometric fills. It was a good practice session, definitely learned to be more patient with counting threads!
