​Blackwork was probably introduced into England during the reign of Henry VIII and is traditionally believed to have been brought over from Spain by Catherine of Aragon. It was also much used during the reign of Elizabeth I.

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It is a technique of counted embroidery, traditionally worked on a white linen ground in black silk. It is probably most typically associated with intricate geometric patterns, reflecting Moorish architecture and Muslim design, worked in double-running stitch (or Holbein stitch.. Often, the intricate geometric patterns came to be used as fillings for leaf and flower outlines.