Blackwork Embroidery

Much of the embroidery I do is on household textiles. I love blackwork embroidery, which doesn't actually have to be done in black thread, and had a lot of fun designing and stitching this little table mat. 

I picked up leaves on the way to and from the kids' 

school, and selected several, in different sizes and 

shapes, for my outlines. 

I planned the layout of the leaves for one-half of        

the mat pattern, traced them onto paper with an 

iron-on-transfer pencil, and then ironed the outlines onto a 12"x18" piece of 18-count Aida cloth. 

I chose floss in suitable colors, then worked a different filling pattern in each leaf. I really enjoyed trawling through my blackwork resources to select the filling pattern for each leaf. 

In most of the leaves, I worked more densely on one side of the central vein; in others, I increased the density of the filling stitch from the center outward or from tip to stem. 

The edges of the cloth were worked in Nun's Stitch a few threads from the edge, then fringed.

This piece was probably worked fifteen years ago. It's been laundered many times, along with the family wash -- no special treatment. I think it's held up very well.