Blackwork Patterns
So you've decided to try blackwork embroidery, but you're not sure how or where to start? I'll explain below where to start on the the chart and fabric and then how to start the first stitch.
Do I start top left or center of the fabric?
The answer is, it's up to you, but, like cross stitch, it's easier to start in the center of the chart and your fabric. This way your stitched piece will be perfectly centered on the fabric.
How to find the center of the chart and your fabric
Most blackwork charts mark the center point with either arrows or by a couple of lines and it's where the two meet.
Finding the center of your fabric can be as easy as folding it in half vertically and then again horizontally. Mark the corner with a pencil and then unfold the fabric.
If you would rather not crease your fabric then my preferred method is to measure the fabric horizontally, find the half way point and mark it with a pencil. Then do the same vertically. Where your two pencil marks meet to form a cross, this is is your center point. Turn the fabric over and stitch on the clean side.
How to start blackwork
Take 1 strand of thread and create a large knot at one end known as a 'waste knot'. Thread on the needle and go down into the fabric about an inch opposite your starting point in the direction you will be stitching. (As you stitch you will cross over the back of this, securing it in place.)
Come up with the needle at A and then back down into B. Then up at C and down into A. Up at D and down into C. Repeat.
When you only have a couple of inches of thread left on the needle; turn the piece over and weave it through your stitches and then cut the thread.
How to secure a waste knot and cut off
Once you have finished a section and the stitches on the back of the fabric have crossed over the thread from the waste knot and secured it in place, then you can cut the knot off.