Oct 7, Working Blackwork Embroidery Stitches

The double running stitch, also known as the Holbein stitch, is the cornerstone of blackwork embroidery stitches. Blackwork is often worked as a filled area with an outline. Usually, you use a thread of equal weight to the threads in the fabric as a fill and outline in a thicker thread.

To make the double running stitch, sew across the row in one direction and then sew back in the other direction, filling the gaps. It's easy and reversible. Double running stitch is the most common outline stitch. Filling stitches are usually made up of the cross stitch, backstitch, and running stitch. They're combined in various geometric patterns to create the fill.

Blackwork stitches offer good fills to cover large areas in mixed works, too, especially texture on buildings, houses, and roofs.

To stitch blackwork, you should use an evenweave fabric, or use waste canvas to stitch designs to clothing. It's best to stitch blackwork embroidery in a hoop or frame for even tension as you work.

Work from the center out. It's easier to do partial stitches as you reach the edges than it is to start there.

Remember, it can be in color, too! Try redwork or bluework for a change. It looks really neat worked in some of the new DMC Color Variations multicolored embroidery threads.

A lot of people have asked me about the order for working the stitches in the complex fill patterns. That is only important if you're trying to do reversible blackwork. Otherwise, do whatever order you want to, just try to keep the back from turning into a tangled bird nest!

Check out this advice when you're ready to end a thread in the double running stitch.

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