The Roots of Blackwork Embroidery

Check out this article on The Roots of Blackwork Embroidery, from the West Kingdom's Needleworkers Guild!

http://www.wkneedle.org/the-roots-of-blackwork-embroidery/

I like this quote from the above article, "One such “rule” is the idea that the back of the embroidery should be as neat as the front. This seems in particular to be a Victorian obsession. Professional embroiderers in the Middle Ages and Renaissance were often aiming for speed and had deadlines to meet — and perhaps, didn’t feel it so important to put extra work into something that would never be seen. So there are quite a few examples of historical embroidery that have knots, thread skips, or even loops of thread on the back." (Christian de Holacombe)

Even though I prefer the neatness of having my embroidery reversible, it is nice to know that the backside of my embroidery does not need to be free from all blemishes and could still be considered historically accurate.