Well, let's talk a little bit about blackwork. Black obviously being the color of my mood when it comes to my job, blackwork seemed particularly appropriate this week as regards to my Out Of Office time ending (very) soon. Anyways.
Blackwork is a very old and very famous counted stitch technique. It's logically worked on a white fabric with black thread (at least when respecting the initial rule #1). It had its days back in the 16th century and Hans Holbein the Younger was its official painter. Hence the other name of blackwork : 'Holbein stitch'.
But it's still quite popular today, being a very graphic and pretty 'computer assisted design' friendly a technique. Now if you follow initial rule # 2, you should blackwork using the running stitch technique; that is the front side and back side of the fabric should look exactly the same and be equally neat. But that's for maniacs like myself.
Nothing forbids you to work it as you please. Still if you're interested in doing it the perfect exact way, be warned that each pattern should first be decomposed into lines of uninterrupted running stitches, that this is applied mathematics (most precisely : algorithms) and that the theory behind it all is quite NOT for dummies. You can learn more about it in Joshua Holden's The Graph theory of Blackwork embroidery.
The samples I stitched are squares, because I intended to have little 'pads' for keyholders purposes. But blackwork is a rather versatile type of embroidery, basically you can use it on (almost) anything, from napkins to cushion sleeves, on garments, clothes, smartphone covers, you name it. The form that's filled with blackwork patterns doesn't even have to be geometrical either. You can stem stitch the outlines of any type of flower, leaf, bug, skull, zombie you like and then fill the form with any blackwork pattern you fancy.
If the fabric is too tight to count the stitches, you can even use little patches of water soluble Aïda canvas cut to fit the form you're blackworking in. The only No No being to end the stitches too far away from the edge : the blackwork pattern should blend into the edge of the surrounding form (well, supposedly so, nothing forbids you to experience what it looks like when not respecting the rule).
Blackwork patterns being composed of lines of uninterrupted running stitches, you can also play with its graphic properties when not completed. Mrs Becky Hogg in her book about blackwork explains how useful blackwork is when shading forms. Depending on how complete the pattern is, the stitches get darker (finished pattern) or lighter (not completed pattern). By the way : do buy her book, it's an absolute must read (published by the Royal School of Needlework).
Please feel free to ask any question; I'll do my best to help (but not as regards to the mathematics I'm afraid, being myself an absolute dummy).
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The Rinart
Showing posts with label blackwork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blackwork. Show all posts
1/4/15
A Blackwork stress reducing experience - Keyhangers
1/1/15
New Year's Resolution : get OUT of that closet NOW
Hi everyone out there,
Well ok, first of all a picture of my New Year's Day Blackwork Therapy Session.
So, this is The Rinart speaking, for the very first time officially in English. Please you all native speakers forgive me. I'm a French speaking fox. I guess you'll have to check out the subtitled version of Gérard Oury's Rabbi Jacob movie to understand the prive joke in my nickname. But anyways, English is just another one of my school-learned skills so you'll have to make do with what I'll write here. My apologies for any (future) spelling / grammar / vocabulary mistake.
Why here, and why now ?
That's the one hundred million kopek question. Basically the main reason is : 'cause my job sucks. I know, lots of people out there are having the same issue. Jobs nowadays, they usually suck. No matter what, no matter how much, they suck - that's per se some very common characteristic of theirs. Mine I must say sucks a whole lot. A biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig lot. Such a hugeous lot that I sometimes feel like Achmed the Dead Terrorist, on the verge of yelling 'I KEEEEL YOU' to my fellow co-workers AND also to my boss. The only difference with this late boss being, I really mean it... My GP warned me a couple of weeks ago that if I did not do something real fast - anything - to reduce my stress level, I was on the verge of getting fatally intoxicated with cortisol-related poisonous by-products. I know he meant it too. I sure know that. My joints and ligaments (again, Achmed...) are so irritated that I can't barely kneel down anymore. Reminder to MyPomme : I must have some wicked karma with Jeff Dunham's Opus. But well. My job sucks immensely that's a sore truth, but hey ! My job's not my whole life (most fortunately) since being an artistic fox is my real nature.
So on this first day of this first year of the rest of my life, I'm going to give me and my Art Dream some space, and make room for opportunities that won't bud by themselves; unless I work a little to make it work, I'm well aware of that.
I'll be talking about textile Art, mainly, because that's what I do. I'm a thread junkie you must be warned. Not a day without needle and thread, otherwise I get very volatile (which is not good for a fox, you'll all agree with that I suppose). But I may also refer to other subjects; such as religious nonsense, literature, music, food, Pandas, or any other unexpected matter. This is because my job sucks, sometimes I need to go out on delirious streams of consciousness soliloquies. I know I've already said my job sucked; but you can never stress it out too much, right ? My job DOES suck.
Well ok, first of all a picture of my New Year's Day Blackwork Therapy Session.
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| Blackwork samples - for future keyhanger purposes |
Why here, and why now ?
That's the one hundred million kopek question. Basically the main reason is : 'cause my job sucks. I know, lots of people out there are having the same issue. Jobs nowadays, they usually suck. No matter what, no matter how much, they suck - that's per se some very common characteristic of theirs. Mine I must say sucks a whole lot. A biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig lot. Such a hugeous lot that I sometimes feel like Achmed the Dead Terrorist, on the verge of yelling 'I KEEEEL YOU' to my fellow co-workers AND also to my boss. The only difference with this late boss being, I really mean it... My GP warned me a couple of weeks ago that if I did not do something real fast - anything - to reduce my stress level, I was on the verge of getting fatally intoxicated with cortisol-related poisonous by-products. I know he meant it too. I sure know that. My joints and ligaments (again, Achmed...) are so irritated that I can't barely kneel down anymore. Reminder to MyPomme : I must have some wicked karma with Jeff Dunham's Opus. But well. My job sucks immensely that's a sore truth, but hey ! My job's not my whole life (most fortunately) since being an artistic fox is my real nature.
So on this first day of this first year of the rest of my life, I'm going to give me and my Art Dream some space, and make room for opportunities that won't bud by themselves; unless I work a little to make it work, I'm well aware of that.
I'll be talking about textile Art, mainly, because that's what I do. I'm a thread junkie you must be warned. Not a day without needle and thread, otherwise I get very volatile (which is not good for a fox, you'll all agree with that I suppose). But I may also refer to other subjects; such as religious nonsense, literature, music, food, Pandas, or any other unexpected matter. This is because my job sucks, sometimes I need to go out on delirious streams of consciousness soliloquies. I know I've already said my job sucked; but you can never stress it out too much, right ? My job DOES suck.
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