Susie's Stitch School

I have a regular feature in Sew magazine, entitled 'Susie's Stitch School' where each month I focus on a particular stitch, technique or style of embroidery. For the October issue – on sale now – the focus is on Blackwork, with a skull design that can be made into a practical tote bag. The instructions in the magazine don't specify which thread to use but I used Anchor Pearl Cotton no.8, shade 403 black. You need just one spool. This technique is really easy to do, following a charted design, and it makes a nice change from regular cross stitch.