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