Punt'a Brodu - Sardinian Needlework

I have a fascination with Sardinian Artwork, especially traditional motifs which are heavily used in the different Sardinian textile arts.

Let's look at some Sardinian Whitework embroidery called Punt'a Brodu.

Punt'a Brodu can be done on any kind of compact fabric and is made up of delicate ornamental motifs which form arabesque designs. Motifs are based on animal, vegetal, religious and domestic forms. Traditionally it is used to ornament shirts and blouses for both men and women. Shirts and blouses are usually ornamented with Punt'a Brodu on the collar, cuffs and chest area. The embroidery is completed separately and is later applied to the clothing item. All decorated parts are then finished with edgings of Crochet lace.

Punt'a Brodu border taken from the Italia Invita 2005 Forum book:


Punt'a Brodu is usually combined and complimented with two other kinds of Sardinian needlework, Punt'e Nuu and Puntu Vanu. Punt'e Nuu is a knotted Counted thread technique and Puntu Vanu is similar to smocking. Both of these embroidery types will be presented in separate posts at a later date.

Finished Punt'a Brodu needlework is very textured and often the individual motifs are difficult for the untrained eye to recognize. This work is traditionally executed in white thread on white fabric, the only exception is the motif:"su caboniscu" [a cockerel] which is embroidered on the purple velvet of the male corset with silk threads in the five traditional colors: green, orange, blue, yellow and purple.

There is an excellent series of videos online to watch about this needlework. Make sure to view them in order and set the window to display 420p for higher resolution!
The first video (8 mins 17 sec).
The second video (7 mins 14 sec).
The third video (6 mins 11 sec).
If you haven't had enough there is a slide show of still pictures to watch (5 mins 8 sec).