Black work

Blackwork is a form of embroidery generally using black thread, although other colors are also used on occasion. Sometimes it is counted thread embroidery which is usually stitched on even weave fabric. Traditionally blackwork is stitched in silk thread on white or off-white linen or cotton fabric. Sometimes metallic threads or coloured threads are used for accents. In the earliest blackwork, counted stitches are worked to make a geometric or small floral pattern. Historically, blackwork was used on shirts and chemises or smocks in England from the time of Henry VIII. blackwork was based on the belief that Catherine of Aragon brought many blackwork garments with her from Spain, and portraits of the later 15th and early 16th centuries show black embroidery or other trim on Spanish chemises.