A traditional form of surface embroidery that uses exclusively colorfast red cotton thread to stitch simple line drawings onto light-colored fabrics. It relies heavily on basic stitches like the stem stitch or backstitch to create the outlines of figures, animals, or floral motifs without filling in the shapes.
Heard on the job
I found a stack of vintage redwork tea towels at the estate sale, mostly done in simple stem stitch.
Related terms
Blackwork
A form of counted-thread embroidery traditionally done with black silk on white linen.
Backstitch
A strong hand-sewing stitch that overlaps itself to create a continuous, durable line.
Running stitch
A basic sewing stitch made by passing the needle in and out of the fabric at regular intervals.