Oh yes, I needed another hobby.

  Blackwork embroidery has existed for hundreds of years. You can see historical examples in portraits painted by the artist Holbein during the reign of Henry VIII. In fact, the running stitch used is commonly called Holbein stitch for this reason. I advise spending some time on Google for more info and pictures of this art.
  Henry's wife Catherine of Aragon brought blackwork to England. Derived from Moorish (Arabic) art, the designs are mostly geometric. Motifs can stand alone or be used to fill outlined shapes.
  Blackwork is a counted stitch, worked over even-thread fabric. This sampler was done on 18-count Aida cloth (18 squares to the inch) and is 11"x14". Traditionally done only in black, today's artists have a wide range of colors and types of thread to choose from. So why limit ourselves? I used some metallic threads, perle and DMC cotton floss.
  My inspiration for this sampler was Lesley Wilkins' Beginner's Guide to Blackwork, ©2003 Search Press.
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