THE CONTEMPORARY GUILD OF PECULIAR BLACKWORK

Ravenscroft, Somewhere inEngland
Est. MDCCCLXII
In tenebris pungimus

The Founding

The Contemporary Guild of Peculiar Blackwork was formally constituted in MDCCCLXII in response to a growing need for embroidery patterns that acknowledged the stranger end of human experience. The paperwork was filed by Margaret. The ink was the good ink. The cabinet in the corner was not investigated.

The Guild was founded on a single principle: that peculiar work deserves to exist, that the people who make it deserve to be recognised, and that the internet contains a significant quantity of ideas worth stitching if you know where to look and have the right squirrels looking.

We have the right squirrels.

What the Guild Is

The Contemporary Guild of Peculiar Blackwork is not a club. It does not charge membership fees. It does not send newsletters.

It sends dispatches.

The Guild is a formal recognition system for those who purchase patterns, complete works, and participate in the Guild's Stitch Alongs. You are already part of the Guild if you have ever purchased a pattern from Urban Stitches. Your rank is determined by your accomplishments. The Guild issues certificates accordingly.

Dave oversees the records. Margaret maintains the ledger. Steve has been told he maintains the ledger. Steve is very pleased about this. The Guild considers this an acceptable arrangement.

What the Guild Does

The Guild designs and releases patterns of peculiar and occasionally alarming character. It runs Stitch Alongs of significant ambition, narrative complexity, and variable levels of chaos in the Facebook group.

It dispatches correspondence to its members, written from the attic of Ravenscroft by Mistress Stitches, with the assistance of a small but dedicated team of highly trained squirrels and Dave from Customer Support. The squirrels handle research, trend forecasting, and the general business of finding ideas in odd corners of the internet before burying them carefully and waiting for them to grow into something worth stitching.

Dave handles queries. He is doing remarkably well, all things considered.

Officially: The Contemporary Guild of Peculiar Blackwork - purveyor of fine peculiar blackwork patterns since MDCCCLXII.
Unofficially: just 3 squirrels in a trenchcoat trying to sell you patterns.

Both are accurate.

In tenebris pungimus.

In darkness, we stitch.

The Guild adopted this motto in the early years of its operation and has seen no reason to change it. It accurately describes both the aesthetic of our work and the circumstances under which most of our members stitch - late at night, in the quiet, when the household has gone to bed and the only sensible thing left to do is pick up a needle.

The Guild understands this. The Guild approves of this. The Guild has been doing exactly this since MDCCCLXII.

The Crest

The Guild crest was designed and executed by Steve, who volunteered for the commission before anyone had thought to ask him.

The crest depicts two squirrels rampant supporting a shield of considerable gothic character, above the motto In tenebris pungimus. Steve believed In tenebris pungimus meant Terrible Penguin. The Guild considered correcting this and decided against it, primarily because the crest was already finished, Steve had signed it, and somehow had already placed the order for business cards and stationary before the transgression was noted.

The central figure on the shield is therefore a penguin, standing before two crossed needles - Steve's acknowledgement that this was, technically, an embroidery guild. The Guild considers this Steve's most accurate contribution to the entire design. The penguin's name is Derek, after Steve's aunt's boyfriend's cousin. The Guild has no further information about Steve's aunt's boyfriend's cousin and did not ask.

Steve has never seen a penguin in person. He drew Derek from memory.

Margaret filed it without comment. This is the highest praise Margaret gives.

Guild Membership and Ranks

Membership of the Guild is earned through engagement with the Peculiar Arts. It advances through demonstrated commitment, evidenced by the completion of works and the submission of proof thereof to the Guild's office, where it will be received with genuine enthusiasm and processed by Dave.

The Guild recognises five core ranks, a Patreon patronage track, SAL completion honours, and a considerable number of community and speciality awards which the Guild issues at its discretion and with great pleasure.

A full account of the Guild's ranks and recognition system can be found here.

[Link: View Guild Ranks and Certificates →]

The Rules of the Guild

The Guild operates according to the following principles, which have been in continuous operation since MDCCCLXII and are considered non-negotiable.

I. Peculiar work is valid work. The Guild does not require your embroidery to be cheerful, appropriate, or explainable to your grandmother. It requires only that it be stitched with intention and occasional profanity.

II. All skill levels are received. The Guild has welcomed complete beginners since its founding. The Guild notes that everyone who has ever produced a Master-level work was once an Apprentice who had never picked up a needle. The Guild finds this enormously encouraging and hopes you will too.

III. The frog pond is not a failure. It is a strategic reallocation of thread. The Guild recognises and respects this.

IV. The WIP pile is not a source of shame. It is evidence of ambition. The Guild has issued a certificate for this. Several, in fact.

V. Do not contact Steve directly. If Steve contacts you first, agree with whatever he says and tell then Dave.

Find the Guild

The Guild maintains a presence across several platforms, all of which are managed with varying degrees of efficiency by Dave.

  • The Guild's Facebook community - 7,000+ members, all questions answered, chaos optional but frequent
  • The Guild on Instagram - finished works, works in progress, and the occasional glimpse from the attic window
  • The Guild on Patreon - exclusive patterns, early access, and the Blackwell's End dispatch series
  • Semi-regular correspondence - dispatched by email from Ravenscroft. Join the mailing list below.