What Is Blackwork Embroidery. Www.theblackworkguild.com/HISTORY-MEMBERS.html. So what is Blackwork, and where did it first originate from? The well known theory of its popularity is the probable connection with Catherine of Arogan. Born in 1485 in Alcala de Henares in Spain, she was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain., who at the age of only 16, was sent to England in 1501 to marry Prince Albert, the eldest son of King Henry V11. Arthur died very soon after they were married, a marriage which was never consummated. She was then the centre of a political argument between Henry V11 and King Ferdinand. When Henry V11 finally died, Henry V111 came to the throne in 1504, and then married Catherine and she became the Queen of England.
Catherine refused the divorce and Henry punished her by taking away her status in society, her daughter and her home. She spent her last years in semi-isolation and died in Kimbolton in 1536. Catherine would not enter a convent. Supreme head of the Church. Embroidery became most popular with the ladies costume design. History of Blackwork Embroidery | Stitched Up By Phoenix. What Is Blackwork Embroidery? Blackwork is a type of counted thread embroidery where repetitive geometric patterns are used to fill in design areas.
Usually associated with Tudor England, it was called blackwork because, as the name implies, black silk thread was worked on white or off white linen or cotton fabric. The stitches varied somewhat although small, straight stitches tended to dominate. Threads of varying thicknesses were used to give the design depth and shading. Development of Blackwork Embroidery There has been much debate as to when blackwork embroidery came to be. In 711 AD, Arabs emigrating from North Africa and settling in Spain, brought with them Islamic art. Archaeological evidence from Egyptian excavations, dates blackwork embroidery back to at least the 13-15th centuries. Catherine of Aragon Image from commons.wikimedia.org Many experts attribute blackwork’s arrival in England to Catherine of Aragon, the first of Henry VIII six wives.
Elizabethan Blackwork References* Blackwork Embroidery « Save the Stitches! (Photo shows Elizabeth I wearing Blackwork sleeves, stomacher, and collar (beneath a sheer linen ruff). The design has large flowers filled with geometric patterns.) Blackwork embroidery is a very old form of counted-thread embroidery. Because many of the designs are geometric it is most often stitched on an even-weave fabric. Despite the name "Blackwork" it was also done in blue, green, gold or silver. History Is it Moroccan, Spanish, or English? Centuries before it became known as Spanishwork, the Moors in North Africa were decorating their garments with motifs and borders. Most sources credit Katharine of Aragon for introducing Blackwork to England when she came to marry King Henry VIII. The male dress was unique as it was designed to create bulk and thereby a sense of masculinity through the use of many layers. After Katharine’s divorce from King Henry in 1533, the term "Spanish work" was replaced with "Blackwork".
Work Basket Click here for all of Kreinik metallics Tips & Tricks Q. Q. A Blackwork Embroidery Primer. Rissa Peace Root © 2004, 2007 , 2009 all rights reserved. First, let me say, there is some excellent information on Blackwork already available on the Internet. That said, I hope that this article can offer something of value, even if it is just a greater curiosity about Blackwork or the troubled timing of its flowering in England. Background Information The following excerpt from Lady Roxanne's Blackwork Article is one of my favorite descriptions of Blackwork: "Blackwork is black, except when it’s not.
Blackwork gets its name from the black silk thread traditionally used in this form of counted thread embroidery. The introduction of this type of Blackwork to England is frequently attributed to Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, who was sent to England at the tender age of sixteen to be wed to Prince Arthur, the eldest son of King Henry VII. It was Elizabeth who was responsible for the next shift in how Blackwork would be perceived. Stitches Used Thread. Blackwork - Stickideen von der Wiehenburg. The roots of this stitching technique are hard to trace, however it is believed the techniques originated in the Orient and Islamic countries. Many borders and motifs have geometric characters. You will rarely find images of people or animals in historical Blackwork of Spanish samplers.
This is because Islam forbids this type of image.I In 711 the Moors invaded the Christian Hispania of the Tervingi or Visigoths ("West Goths") under their leader an African Berber General named Tariq ibn Ziyad. Within 8 years they brought most of Spain under Islamic domination. In 1212, under leadership Alfonse VIII. of Castile, a coalition of Christian kings banished the Moslems out of Spain at the battle of Navas de Tolosa.
Katharina of Aragón, the daughter of, Ferdinand of Aragón and Isabella of Castile, was married to the Prince of Wales, Arthur Tudor, who was the son Henry VII of England. The painter Hans Holbein, the younger, became court painter for Henry VIII.