Needlequest - April Review and Introduction to Blackwork (May)

So, how did we get on in April?  Not a lot of movement for most of us this month.  This is as far as I personally got with my 'Spring' piece.  It's not worked at all well - the voided areas are too large, edges aren't even, stitches look bad (the silk stretches and makes long stitches a nightmare to work well) and the colours really don't go (looks even worse when you can actually see the piece!), but I still intend to finish it off.

Wendy was our one challenge participant who came up with a finish this month.  Have a look at her pretty floral appliqué piece.

Dorte posted a retrospective post on her goldwork.

And that's it!  And now onto May and a sparkling new topic:

What about May and blackwork then?  This is the first (and only for the challenge topics this year) technique that I can honestly say I've never done a stitch of before, so it's totally new ground for me.  Here are some of the goodies that I have in stock though...

First of all, I plan to work some of the simple, introductory pieces in this book.  I used Mary Hickmott's 'Easing into...' series for learning hardanger and found them very good and easy to follow.  Although this one is somewhat different, I'm hoping that I can learn plenty from it and maybe even complete the bookmark (not shown here) as part of Sir's anniversary stuff for this June.

Speaking of anniversaries etc, there's tremendous card potential in this next collection from 'New Stitches' issue 166 (2006)

Here are two kits that I've had in my stock for a while, two of the few that I haven't sold off recently!  I hope that, if I take to the technique, I can work these in the near-ish future.  They have some lovely metallic touches, although they don't show up well in these photos of photos!!

This, to me, is the ultimate in geometric blackwork pieces.  It's called 'Elizabethan Elegance' and is a table runner from 'New Stitches' issue 75.  I've had a piece of antique white quaker cloth ready in stock for this for many years.  Maybe I will actually work it one day, but it's not a beginners' piece, methinks!

Of course, geometrics are by no means the only things worth working in blackwork.  Here's an iris from the RSN book, which shows just how detailed you can make pictures created in blackwork stitches.

I'm also hoping to have a go at some miniaturisation of blackwork once I've got the necessary skills firmly under my belt.  I tried some miniature hardanger (which I must show you) a while ago and am keen to have a go at a few more ideas sometime soon, probably after the ring cushion piece is done.

I hope some of these have given challenge participants some inspiration and that many of us can have a great time over the coming month learning and working this classic technique.=)  If you're in the challenge, are you planning to join in this month?  What have you got in mind?  Would love to hear from you!

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2014