Are you determined to learn blackwork? Then you have finally reached the right place to start your journey to success, as Blackwork embroidery is my specialty, and I'd love to show you how it's done!
Sounds too good to be true? I'm going to show you how easy it is! So what are you waiting for? Remember, a stitch in time saves nine!
Want more easy designs? Why not grab a copy of my blackwork for beginners ebook.
My husband was walking with a friend when he pointed to a tree asking "what's that bird?" John whispered, "A little owl". Sighing, hubby stated, "I can see that, but what is it?"
"A little owl!" John repeated. By now, hubby was getting frustrated and asked once more. John retorted, "A LITTLE OWL!"
Hubby gave up but on arriving home continued ranting. I knew he wouldn't rest, so grabbed my bird book and showed him a... Little Owl.
His first experience with identifying birds has gone down in family history. He really thought his friend had been teasing him.
I couldn't resist designing a Little Owl as one of my first blackwork kits for beginners. It will surprise you how quickly this little owl will stitch up so you can recognize it (unless you are my husband, of course).
Playing the role of a gymkhana pony one day and then taking on the task of pulling a plough the next kept my favourite childhood toy busy. My mum said I always had a fascination with horses, but couldn't afford riding lessons, so the rocking horse was the next best thing.
My three siblings made up their own stories as he carried a valiant knight, a fierce warrior, and a courageous explorer over the years. Sadly, he eventually fell apart, but remains one of the most vivid memories I have of my younger days.
To keep things simple, when I designed this blackwork rocking horse I gave him a bow shaped rocker rather than the solid wooden base ours had. You can choose to embellish his saddle with a gold edging or perhaps add an initial to personalize your stitched version.
As a seven-year-old, finding a big brown and white rabbit in our garden was a wonderful surprise! We tried to find out who had lost her, without success. So Tess stayed with us. She tried to escape frequently but, the furthest she ever got was our neighbour's vegetable garden, which she seemed to enjoy tremendously.
Many bunnies followed over the years, all different breeds and temperaments, each one bringing their own little something to our family.
This little blackwork bunny is a permanent resident. She hangs on my studio wall, bringing back childhood memories.
If you haven't tried blackwork before, she makes an ideal introduction to the technique. Your only difficulty will be to work out where to display her once you have finished the stitching. Don't take too long deciding, as she won't take long to complete!