Redwork. Bluework. Greenwork. Or Any-Color Work
I
think of Redwork as an embroidery design style, a line drawing in
thread. And that style can be stitched with any color. You've heard the
term Bluework? Bluework is just Redwork sewn with, any guesses? Anyone?
That's right! Blue thread.
Unless you're recreating an antique look,
you can use any thread color with Redwork designs, but to maintain the
allure of the design, stitch it with just one color.
A Little Redwork History
Redwork
originally applied to a very simple linear style of embroidery that
became popular in the United States in the late 1800's when Turkish
cotton processors developed a secret technique to make a red colorfast
thread, creatively known as 'Turkey red'.
Until Turkey red came
on the scene colored cotton thread would fade or bleed when washed and
line dried and couldn't be used for everyday items such as towels, bed
sheets and bedcovers. Embroidery with colorful silk thread could only
be afforded by the wealthy. If the rest of us had anything embroidered
it was with common white or natural cotton thread. Kind of boring.
Redwork
designs were basic line drawings of children, birds, flowers, a water
pump, and other objects found around every homestead at the time. The
charming simplicity and affordability of Redwork was very popular among
the immigrants and middle class of America, partly as a backlash
against the excessive ornamentation of the Victorian culture of the
time.
Redwork's popularity lasted until the 1920's when the
development of synthetic, colorfast dyes opened up the world of color
to embroidery, not just for the wealthy but for everyone. But no
embroidery style has ever had, or continues to have, the grass roots
appeal of Redwork.
The Resurgence of Redwork
What
goes around, comes around, and the same is true of Redwork. With the
advent of digitizing software, skilled digitizers, computerized
embroidery machines and thousands of thread hues, colorful embroidery
continues to reach new heights. Those same skills and technologies
allow us to create Redwork designs that are more intricate than those
of the past. But no matter how non-traditional or simple the pattern,
there is something undeniably appealing and elegant about all Redwork
designs. In the case of Redwork embroidery designs, less really is more.
Deb Schneider is an embroidery design digitizer offering her machine embroidery designs, Redwork embroidery designs and appliques on her website: WindstarEmbroidery.com.
