i have begun a new blackwork sampler, using backstitch instead of holbein stitch, and, frankly, not really planning what the thing is going to look like. this is what is neat about samplers; it's all process. there's little pressure. i'm using different threads and different historical charts, a mixture of motifs and undoubtedly borders, and we'll see what we have when we are finished.
i was chuffed to read that although blackwork started out rather simply, it increased in its ornate characteristics with the growing practices of calligraphy, and, yes, printing!
i am on the verge of scribbing out an attempt at an original chart. walking around town i am always inspired by wrought iron work (this grate is outside the curtis institute of music). it looks very much like a blackwork fill pattern!