Whitework is any technique comprising of white embroidery on white fabric including counted stitches, eyelets and pulled and drawn stitches. By Pulled we mean drawing threads tightly together to create a pattern and drawn meaning removing threads from linen and then weaving new threads in their place to create a design.
Historically, this technique derives in part from the necessity of laundering. One method of drying smaller loads of laundry was to drape them across bushes and trees. Drying frames came into being and have been seen in 16th century art. As white or natural fabrics were rather dull, folks began to add embroidery and embellishments. The technique itself is practiced in nations including Scotland, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Denmark, Portugal and Germany.
