The Contemporary Guild of Peculiar Blackwork issues certificates. A considerable number of certificates. They cover rank progression, Stitch Along completion, Patreon patronage, community contribution, technical achievement, and a category the Guild describes internally as personality-based recognition that would be difficult to explain to an outsider.

All certificates are real. All are issued with genuine intention. Dave processes them. Margaret records them. Steve has been told he processes them.

A full account of how to claim certificates can be found at the bottom of this page.

These five certificates form the Guild's formal progression system. They are earned in order. Each requires the previous rank to have been achieved.

APPRENTICE OF THE GUILD

Earned by: purchasing your first pattern from Urban Stitches.
Issued: automatically, with your first purchase.
The first step. The Guild has been expecting someone like you.

STITCHER OF THE GUILD

Earned by: submitting photographic evidence of one completed Urban Stitches pattern.
Issued: upon submission review by Dave.
Includes: 10% discount code for your next purchase.
You finished something. The Guild respects this more than you know.

JOURNEYMAN OF THE GUILD

Earned by: submitting photographic evidence of three completed Urban Stitches patterns.
Issued: upon verification of three submissions.
Includes: one exclusive Journeyman pattern, unavailable anywhere else. Your name on the Guild honour roll.
Three. Not one in a moment of enthusiasm. Three.

FELLOW OF THE GUILD

Earned by: achieving Journeyman rank and completing one full Stitch Along with photographic evidence submitted.
Issued: upon verification of SAL completion.
Includes: one free pattern of your choice up to £12 in value. Early access to new SAL releases. Your name listed on the Guild Fellows register.
To complete a Stitch Along in full is to have chosen, repeatedly, to return. The Guild recognises this. It is not a small thing.

MASTER OF THE GUILD

Earned by: completing five full Stitch Alongs and submitting ten finished works across multiple years of engagement.
Issued: as a physical certificate, printed and posted from Ravenscroft.
Includes: the Guild's seal for your use. Lifetime access to exclusive Master patterns. Your name in the other ledger. A personal letter from Mistress Stitches.
This rank is rare. It is earned over years, not weeks. There are not many Masters. The bearer is one of them.

PATREON PATRONAGE CERTIFICATES

  • Patron of the Guild

    awarded upon joining Urban Stitches on Patreon

  • Patron Master - Year One

    awarded after 12 consecutive months of patronage

  • Patron Master - Year Two

    awarded after 24 consecutive months

  • Patron Master - Year Three

    awarded after 36 consecutive months

  • Patron Master - Year Four

    awarded after 48 consecutive months. This level exists because someone reached it.

  • Patron Master - Year Five

    awarded after 60 consecutive months. You are part of what this is.

SAL COMPLETION CERTIFICATES

Awarded upon submission of photographic evidence of a completed Stitch Along. Each certificate is specific to the SAL completed and contributes to rank progression. These are separate from Grand Honours certificates.

  • Until Death Do Us Part - Completion
  • That Which Does Not Kill Us - Completion
  • Photosynthasex - Completion (these are plants. The Guild is very clear on this.)
  • Moonlit Market - Completion
  • Midnight Whispers - Completion
  • After Dark Blackwork Sampler - Completion
  • Victorian Tiles - Community Completion Award
  • Blackwell's End - Explorer's Dispatch (Patreon series)

Additional SAL completion certificates are issued for each new Stitch Along. The register grows as the Guild's archive grows.

GRAND HONOURS

Grand Honours sit above the standard SAL completion certificates and outside the core rank progression. They are awarded for completion of the Guild's full coverage colour blackwork conversions of iconic paintings - a technique created exclusively by Mistress Stitches at Ravenscroft and unavailable anywhere else in the world.

  • Grand Honours - Starry Night - completion of the two-year full coverage colour blackwork conversion of Van Gogh's The Starry Night. Issued as a digital certificate.
  • Grand Honours - Memento Mori - completion of the world's first full coverage colour blackwork design. Issued as a digital certificate.
  • The Pioneer's Honour - awarded exclusively to those who complete both Grand Honours SALs. Issued as a physical certificate, printed and posted from Ravenscroft.

The Pioneer's Honour is the only certificate in the Grand Honours category issued in physical form. The Guild considers this appropriate. To complete both Grand Honours SALs is an achievement for which the Guild felt digital delivery was insufficient. You forced the Guild to create new paperwork and buy a stamp. The Guild considers this the highest possible compliment.

MODERATOR AND STAFF CERTIFICATES

Awarded to those who give their time to keep the Guild's community running. The Guild is grateful and says so formally, in writing.

  • Honorary Squirrel Staff Member
  • Discord Moderator - Keeper of Civil Discourse
  • Facebook Moderator - Guardian of the Guild Community

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION CERTIFICATES

The Guild notices things. It notices who turns up, who helps, who votes, who finally speaks after months of quiet watching. It has made certificates for all of these things because they deserve to be recognised.

    • Distinguished Pterodactyl - Cathartic Yelling Tuesday
    • SAL Cheerleader Award
    • Help Thread Hero
    • First Finish Celebration

    • Lurker Emergence Award
    • Vote Participation Medal
    • Early Adopter Commendation
    • Community Champion

QUALITY AND RECOGNITION AWARDS

Issued at the Guild's discretion for specific moments the Guild has decided deserve paperwork.

    • Citation for Uncontrollable Laughter
    • Meme Excellence Award
    • Pattern Inspiration Commendation
    • The Swoon Certificate
    • Best in Show
    • Excellence in Finish Photography
    • The Gerald Award for Dedication to Atmosphere
    • Bradley's Balloons Commendation
    • Question That Made the Guild Think
    • Technically Correct Award

SQUIRREL PERSONALITY AWARDS

Named after members of the Ravenscroft team. Each reflects the particular quality the team member is known for. Steve's trophy is awarded for participation. The Guild has opinions about this but has chosen not to express them here.

    • The Steve Participation Trophy
    • The Steve Solidarity Citation
    • The Clive Widget Commendation
    • The Dorothy Seal of Approval
    • The Lance Holdson Cross-Cultural Achievement Award
    • The Hugo Commendation for Quiet Excellence
    • The Trev Reliability Citation
    • The Ian Efficiency Report
    • The Carol Cup
    • The Tim the Magnificent Personal Achievement Cloak

BLACKWORK TECHNIQUE AWARDS

For those who have done something technically specific that the Guild wished to formally acknowledge. Some of these are for excellence. Some are for audacity. The Guild respects both equally.

    • The Counted Thread Conviction
    • The Negative Space Enlightenment
    • The Diaper Pattern Devotion
    • The Silk Shading Trespasser
    • The Monochrome Purist Citation
    • The Colour Theory Vindication
    • The Linen Devotee Certificate
    • The Frame Finish Honours
    • The Stitch Direction Consistency Award
    • The Golden Fudge
    • The Frankenpattern Commendation
    • The Dark Fabric Devotee
    • The Unconventional Ground
    • The Palette Rebel
    • The Inverse Citation
    • The Microscopic Endeavour
    • The Magnificent Insubordination

GOTHIC AND WITCHY AWARDS

For those who have committed to the aesthetic with particular conviction. The Guild sees you. The Guild approves.

    • The Midnight Stitcher
    • The Candlelit Craft Commendation
    • The Familiar Recognition
    • The Crow's Collection
    • The Memento Vivere
    • The Raven's Endorsement
    • The Dark Academia Distinction
    • The Witching Hour WIP

CUSTOM PATTERN AWARDS

For those who have commissioned bespoke work from Urban Stitches.

    • The Bespoke Honour
    • The Portrait Keeper
    • The Collector's Commission
    • The Devoted Patron of Bespoke Works
    • The Tracey

SILLY AND PERSONALITY AWARDS

The Guild does not judge. The Guild has simply noticed some things about its community and felt that certificates were the appropriate response.

    • Most Likely to Stab Someone (With a Needle)
    • Least Likely to Finish Anything - Certificate of Honest Self-Assessment
    • Most Ambitious WIP
    • Chaos Gremlin Citation
    • Denizen of the Undercroft
    • The Hoop Abandonment Survival Certificate
    • The Wrong Thread Incident
    • The "Just One More Row" Commendation
    • The Frog Pond Veteran
    • The WIP Mountain Acknowledgement
    • The Stash Acquisition Excellence Award
    • The 3am Decision Certificate
    • The Enabler's Citation
    • The Thread Enabler

HOW TO CLAIM

How to claim your certificates

Rank certificates for Stitcher, Journeyman, Fellow, and Master require submission of photographic evidence to the Guild office.

Email: lovelypeople@urbanstitches.co.uk
Subject line: Guild Submission - [your rank claim] - [pattern or SAL name]
Include: your name, your order number if applicable, and your photograph.

Dave reviews submissions within 3-5 working days. Certificates are issued by email unless physical despatch is required by rank.

Community, personality, technique, and quality awards are issued at the Guild's discretion. You cannot apply for these. You can, however, behave in ways that make them inevitable.

Steve does not review submissions. Steve has been told he reviews submissions. Do not send submissions to Steve. Especially if he asks you directly yo do so.