Blackwork Practice

I'm a bad Ren...  Yep, I hooped this project, rather than using the frame, but I was so excited and inspired by Ianthe's pattern book that I couldn't wait to get home to my frame!  I found a decent weave material in The Guy's material stash, drew out the lines for an Elizabethan coif and started transferring a pattern with the light box.  I admit it; some days, there is no conquering of the ADD impulsivity!

A few things....

First, this pattern is not a replica of a period blackwork pattern, according to Ianthe's book.  However, I really liked it, and it is a close match to a beautiful fabric I picked up several months back that has become a loose gown for The Gal, a doublet and slops for The Guy, and a doublet and underskirt for moi. 

Second, though the fabric is not linen (*gasp!*  I do have an order coming for last minute linen projects before Pennsic,) the thread I am using is purple silk, from White Wolf and Pheonix.  It stitches beautifully and feels luscious as I work!

Third, don't pick on me...this is, quite literally, the first serious blackwork that I have ever attempted.  (Feel free to give that second *gasp* ; )  I've played a little with blackwork on partlets in the past, but the precision needed to make blackwork look decent is hard for my ADD mind to grasp, especially when the fibro-fog hits.

Progress:

Again, here is the link to the pattern book.  My greatest gratitude to Ianthe for all of her hard work!