Redwork Embroidery

Redwork is one kind of embroidery that has made quite a huge comeback. This has been mainly due to the interest generated by the antique quilts carrying Redwork embroidery being sold at auctions. The simplicity of the embroidery designs and the use of just one color for making embroidery patterns has managed to garner some kind of fan following in today’s complicated, clustered world.

Redwork embroidery derives its name from the red Turkish cotton thread that was originally used for this kind of embroidery. Redwork embroidery is known to have originated in the 19th century in Europe. Colorfast cotton thread was used for embroidering these patterns. Till this time, embroidery was restricted to the upper echelons of society since cotton threads were not color fast and only silk was used for embroidery. The emergence of color fast cotton thread gave rise to the popularity of colored embroidery among the peasants and the middle classes. Soon, the craft had traveled to America where it gained popular appeal among the masses and very soon, Redwork was being taught to anybody who had the skills to learn. It was also considered to be a good pastime, especially for unmarried and widowed ladies. Redwork patterns are generally made up of simple hand drawn designs and primitive lettering. It is quite fashionable nowadays to use thread dyed with tea or coffee in order to give the embroidery an antiquated look.

You can start working on a Redwork project if you have any prior experience in embroidery. You should be acquainted with at least a couple of out line stitches like the back stitch or stem stitch, which are commonly used stitches in Redwork patterns. The thread up stitch (the outline stitch) and the English Kensington stitch are the stitches that are mostly used in Redwork embroidery. While any type of thread in any color can be used for Redwork embroidery, using a single colored thread in red or blue is generally advised in order to maintain the authenticity of the craft. 6-strand cotton embroidery floss is the thread most commonly used for Redwork projects. You will be required to use only one or two strands for most designs. Whichever thread you use, make sure that it is colorfast, because a bleeding thread will spoil your whole effort in no time. A good Redwork pattern, along with embroidery hoops and fine cotton cloth like Muslin are the other things that you will need for your Redwork embroidery.