Italian Needlework

Italian Drawn Thread Work Sampler

2012-02-09T21:05:00.000-08:00

Silvana Fontanelli over at her blog Il Piacere del Ricamo has started a Drawn Thread Work Sampler that you might want to get in on.

The author of two books - one of which I've told you about here, Silvana explains with great step-by-step photos how to do some great Italian Drawn Thread Work.

Her second book, Il Retino: Orli, Sfilature e Greche is a treasure trove of Drawn Thread Work including techniques on netting. Many of the stitches that she's going over on her blog can be found in this terrific little volume.

February 7th's post on Silvana's blog is an exquisite little heart with the Gigliuccio hemstitch which my regular readers will know that I absolutely adore.

Photo copyright Silvana Fontanelli.

For the rest of the posts about Silvana's Drawn Thread Work Sampler, click on the word: Sfilature to see all the posts, going back to the beginning.

You can purchase either of Silvana's books from Tombolo Disegni, send an email to place your order.

Aemilia Ars Freebies - Part Two

2012-02-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

They've done it again!

The ladies of the association "I Merletti di Antonilla Cantelli" have released some more patterns from the boxes that they have from the needlework workshop of Sacro Cuore (early 20th century) in Bologna.

This set of presents for us is in celebration of the New Year and features a photo of some of the teachers of the needlework workshop of Sacro Cuore, one of the most talented groups doing Aemilia Ars needle lace at the time. There are 14 pages of patterns to download. The ladies answer your requests for more simple patterns.

There are also some anecdotes about some of the historical pieces and people of this beautiful lace including the sad story of Nella Grassini Errera and her husband Paolo, prominent Venetian citizens taken and deported to Auschwitz where they were executed in 1944.

If you're like me and can't get enough pictures of Aemilia Ars needle lace, make yourself a cuppa and check out the photos that the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio of Bologna has published on the Genus Bononiae website.

Many patterns from a 17th century book of designs by Bartolomeo Danieli were the inspiration for breathtaking pieces of needle lace made in the early days of the Aemilia Ars Society. The CalcoGRAFICA National Graphics Istitute has recently made some of Danieli's designs available on their website.

To download the Christmas presents that the ladies from "I Merletti di Antonilla Cantelli" gave us in December of 2011, click here.

Carolina Amari and Casalguidi Embroidery

2012-02-06T14:24:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, Ivana Palomba has written her thesis for her degree in History and the Protection of Art Heritage on Carolina Amari and her role in needlework and women's emancipation in the early part of the 20th century. The thesis has been published as the volume: L’Arte ricamata. Uno strumento di emancipazione femminile nell’opera di Carolina Amari [Embroidered Art. An instrument of the emancipation of women in the work of Carolina Amari], Le Arti Tessili, 2011. Text in Italian.

This is an important work for the history of needlework and is well-documented and researched. There are lots of notes to read and bibliography titles to investigate. Last year I started to tell you about Casalguidi Embroidery and the Tuscan town it takes its name from so I asked the author if she would mind if I translated some of the chapter on that for you. She generously granted my request so the following is translated from the chapter: Carolina Amari’s Work in Italy and America, sub-heading The Casalguidi School.

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[...] At the end of the 19th century the little town survived daily, sharing the extreme poverty in which most of the population languished with the neighbouring villages, devoted mainly to agriculture, the manufacture of sorghum brooms and the working of straw.

A clear and intense picture of the living conditions of the time, outside of the many historical documents, is given to us by the simplicity of a study done by the grade 5 students of the local elementary school under the guidance of their teacher. If memory, the subject of the study, also takes into consideration the experiences of life some eighty years ago, it could similarly reflect more remote situations, the water which froze in the water jugs of the bedroom washstands in the winter months, the only pair of shoes worn by whoever got up the earliest on Sunday and the doctor, sometimes called too late in order to save on a visit and medications with the risk of paying the priest and for the funeral, while on the poor table bread dominated, its slices were at best flavoured with a piece of herring or lard which hung from the centre of the ceiling.

In contrast to all this, to drown the bitterness of a miserable life for most people, the seasons and anniversaries were an occasion to get together, to sing and dance on the threshing floor to the sound of a hurdy gurdy with a good glass of wine. The woman, between the harshness of the fields and family life, stole the time from the long day to make a braid of straw or netted gloves in order to contribute to the meagre family income besides sewing, darning for all the members of her family, as well as embroidering because embroidery gave value to the poorest furnishing and even made a poor sheet seem valuable.

Scanned image by TuttoRicamo.

This is the reality that still existed at the beginning of the century when Casalguidi sprang to notoriety for the fame of a new and unique embroidery broadcast by the publication of a booklet, the work of Adele della Porta (Ricamo di Casal Guidi [Casal Guidi Embroidery], Sonzogno, Milan, c. 1915) which she describes as follows:

“Just released - this would be the latest and prettiest display of embroidery - the Casal Guidi stitch, with which you can make the most diverse objects with a new personal touch, [...] taking it’s name from a hamlet near Pistoia, Casal Guidi, where it is made on a large scale and where there is a kind of workforce in a special school that is dedicated to this delicate work.”

Over time it came to be believed that the creation of an embroidery so artistic was owed to the Morelli sisters in whose workshop, primarily managed by Giuseppina, a number of young girls of the area came together to learn embroidery techniques handed down from generation to generation.

Different publications on the embroidery of Casalguidi have ventured along the same lines in the last decades, but the latest research has been able to verify that the mind capable of creating the new, captivating and artistic technique was that of Carolina Amari. One of the most authoritative sources is that of Elisa Ricci who, in her Ricami Italiani antichi e moderni [Ancient and Modern Italian Embroidery] (Le Monnier, Florence, 1925), illustrating a bonnet from the Iklè Collection published as an Italian artifact from the 16th century in the Industrial Art Museum of St. Gallen Catalogue, has this to say:

“It certainly seems Italian, if only for the balanced layout of full and empty areas which is very much a quality of ours. And probably the date is also correct [...] Our bonnet is made with stitches which do not go through the fabric, but are wrapped around the basting threads and the filler, in such a way to remain raised in the “air”. Perhaps this stitch, that will then be a lace stitch, is what, among others, Tagliente cited. More than for a design in the books of the first half of the 1500s, it is suited to this style of embroidery. This simple work, that easily creates a raised effect and which is solid and washable, taken by Carolina Amari and adapted with her unerring taste to objects for present day use has made the fortune of, and given fame to, a small Tuscan village whose name it bears. Casalguidi embroidery is now made almost everywhere.”

It is a declaration then that allows no room for doubt but there is another, previous source, precisely in 1924 in which Emilia Marini illustrating the glorious embroideries of Italy asserts that:

“Almost every region has its own tradition, you could say it’s own stitch, created by some unknown artist who left it as an inheritance to her countrywomen. And yet, there are those who endeavour and seek and try and almost always succeed to augment our artistic heritage. Not many years ago Camilla* Amari invented a beautiful embroidery in Casal Guidi.”

(*As is easily understood, the baptismal name is incorrectly written.)

And in the Cucirini Cantoni Coats: Manuale di ricamo (Milan, 1978. [Translator’s note: Published in English as the Anchor Manual of Needlework, Batsford Ltd., London, 1958 and reprinted in the U.S. by Interweave Press, Colorado, 1990]), illustrating the uniqueness of Italian embroideries and laces, under the heading of Casalguidi this event is remembered:

“Casalguidi, a small place near Pistoia, gives its name to this type of embroidery that, created by Camilla Amari, is worked in a special school by a training workforce. The embroidery of Casalguidi presents a unique and original contrast between the lightness of an openwork background and the heaviness of an embroidery of raised cords made with a special technique.”

(From the erroneous baptismal name we can trace the quotation to the small manual by Emilia Marini, Le glorie della spola e dell’ago in Italia [The glories of the shuttle and needle in Italy], ibid, Manualetto per i lavori donneschi [Manual for women’s work], R. Bemporad & Figlio, Editori, Florence, 1924.) [Translator’s note: Interesting to note that the English version of the Cucirini, et al. text does not mention the creator at all, mistaken name or otherwise!]

Therefore, it is in light of evidence that leads this embroidery back to Amari which raises the question of why Carolina may have made her creation available to the Morelli sisters. The only plausible hypothesis is that, moved by her extraordinary selflessness, she wished to give the women of those lands a unique tool with which they could improve their own living conditions. Unfortunately however, any trace of this has been obliterated by time or perhaps by certain situations, only the national and international notoriety of the embroidery called Casalguidi endures to this day.

The characteristic of this composite embroidery is given by the lightness of the background which can be drawn-thread or filet and by the almost sculptural relief effect that is made by motifs executed in the stitches: satin, stem, buttonhole, curl and Venetian. The representations recall geometric motifs, sticks inserted into or overlapped by shoots of flowers and leaves, bunches of grapes and by a characteristic six-petaled rosette, everything finished off by precious tassels made with the needle.

“These are real and proper pieces of art, the visual effect, both in terms of plasticity and decidedly iconographic, from up close very much recall 15th century sculptural and painted decorations.”

(Federica Mabellini, Dipinti ad Ago. L’arte del ricamo dalle origini al Punto Pistoia [Painted with the Needle. The art of embroidery from its origins to Pistoia Embroidery], Maria Pacini Fazzi Editore, Lucca, 1995).

And Mabellini also indicates in her essay a possible initial source of inspiration for that embroidery in what is called the Pope’s Chapel, located inside the Carabiniere station behind the Santa Maria Novella church in Florence:

“Here you can see the grotesques and the emblem of Pope Leo X which were painted by Rodolfo del Ghirlandaio and which are decorated by a series of painted frames. One of these in particular is made of elliptical motifs which surround six-petaled flowers and are interspersed equally with smaller ellipses in the middle of which are circles: the decoration decidedly recalls a few iconographic themes typical of Casalguidi embroidery.”

But not only Florence, Pistoia also has sculptural decorations in the San Zeno Cathedral and the Baptistry, the jewels of the churches of Sant’Andrea, San Giovanni Fuorcivitas and San Piero Maggiore were all models for this embroidery.

The work made with this technique had considerable success in various exhibitions and Elisa Ricci, speaking about the works from the various cities of Italy sent to the World’s Fair in Milan in 1906, unfortunately destroyed, besides the well-known names, lists the “many remote villages with names then unknown to all (beautiful Italian names that our works now carry around the whole world!) Pescocostanzo, Anghiari, Pomponesco, Casamassella, Casalguidi,...”, towns which, according to Ricci, in their humility and obscurity all have “in the church or in the city hall or in the old walls, some noble trace in their past.” (Le industrie femminili italiane a Berlino [The Italian Feminine Industries in Berlin] in the magazine, Emporium, Istituto Italiano di arti grafiche, Bergamo, 1909, written under her penname, Aracne).

While Sofia Bisi Albini notes: “Florence sent Berlin Casalguidi embroideries in raised white on silk for ordinary applications and other originals, like those curious dish-covers for keeping off the flies.” (L’Esposizione di lavori popolari a Berlino e le Industrie Femminili Italiane [The Exposition of Popular Art in Berlin and the Italian Feminine Industries], in the magazine, Vita femminile italiana, 1909).

Or also Virginia Colucci, remembering the many works presented at the Exhibition of Feminine Art in Siena in 1912, regrets not being able to admire the important artifacts of the Casalguidi school but stresses that even modest essays submitted by the public would give an idea of “the originality, the freshness and elegance of those same works.” (Mostra D’arte femminile a Siena [Exhibition of Feminine Art in Siena], in the magazine Vita d’Arte, L. Lazzeri, Siena, 1912).

***

Thank you to Ivana for allowing me to translate this portion of her book.
Any errors in the translation are surely mine.

Needleprint Needlework Competition

2012-01-29T14:40:00.000-08:00

My translations and my day-job are keeping me away from my blog lately. I want to post however, about the needlework competition of the blog Needleprint. As half of my readers are in Italy, I hope my other readers will forgive this post which will be mainly in Italian.

The connection to Italian Needlework is this: the Needleprint needlework competition is open to the world and I believe it would benefit from contributions from Italy as there are so many kinds of needlework there that are beautiful. As I had one friend who wanted to enter the competition but who doesn't speak English ask me to translate the rules, I thought perhaps my Italian readers would benefit from the translations as well. I hope the Italian is comprehensive, I usually translate the other way around, that is from Italian to English.

For those who don't speak Italian, I am providing the links to the posts in English which I have translated.

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Announcing a major Needleprint needlework competition: A Mirror to My Art

Annunciando una importantissima concorrenza di lavoro ad ago di Needleprint: “Uno Specchio alla Mia Arte”

...e un primo premio di £500 sterline perché il 2012 è un’anno special per noi! Pubblicheremo il Volume 2 della Collezione di Lavoro ad Ago di Micheál e Elizabeth Feller; e speriamo che la mostra della Collezione all’Ashmolean sarà prevista per la fine del 2012 (se non, allora sarà nel 2013); è anche l’anno delle Olimpiadi di Londra; e speriamo che per La Sua Maestà Reale quest’anno del sessantesimo giubileo sarà un annus mirabilis finalmente. Molti di voi sapete che Needleprint è stata fondata con tre scopi: ad aprire il mondo del lavoro ad ago da rendendo le immagini di lavori ad ago più accessibili; a preservare le collezioni di lavori ad ago per le generazioni a venire; ed a promuovere il lavoro ad ago. Così oggi ho il grande piacere di annunciare questa importantissima concorrenza di lavoro ad ago di Needleprint che avrà un primo premio di £500 sterline (o dollari, euro, yen, equivalente). L’obiettivo è quello di progettare e cucire una copertura per uno specchio a mano - una sorta di specchio che ha le dimensioni giuste che si potrebbe inserirlo in una borsetta. Appunti sul disegno, gli abbozzi e gli schizzi saranno giudicati insieme al manufatto finito. Ci sarà anche un premio per quelli sotto l’età di 16 anni - e un premio per l’insegnante che dà un corso per facilitare il processo della manifattura delle coperture ricamate. La data di chiusura del concorrenza sarà il 14 settembre 2012 e il giorno del giudizio si svolgerà il 12 ottobre. Maggiori informazioni seguiranno presto e noi provvederemo a creare un blogspot dedicato alla concorrenza.

Iniziate a pensarci ora - e solo per adescare la fonte della vostra immaginazione - ecco un tardo seicentesco specchio a mano a forma ovale ornato con il lavoro ad ago, su un lato raffigurante Giacomo II con la corona, globo e scettro, che ha venduto per £2,875 sterline comprensivo di sovrapprezzo di compratore recentemente a Bonhams. Ma non abbiate paura - questa è aperta a tutti i ricamatrici ovunque vi siete, e potete usare il punto croce, temari, sashiko, trapunto, lavoro a maglia, uncinetto, stumpwork.....qualsiasi tecnica che usa l’ago. Spero che abbiate grande piacere ed entusiasmo nello scoprire quello che si può ottenere con l’ago e che il vostro specchio sarà un vero riflesso della vostra arte. Cliccate sul angelo qui sotto per stare sempre aggiornati sulle novità sulla concorrenza.

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Judging Panel

Giuria La giuria comprenderà Micheál e Elizabeth Feller e ci sarà un premio speciale “Micheál e Elisabetta Feller” per il Ricamo Ispirato.

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Competition Notes for Entrants

Informazioni per i concorrenti

Chi può partecipare? A Mirror To My Art [uno specchio alla mia arte] è un concorso di lavoro ad ago aperto a tutti, di qualunque età, da qualunque posto nel mondo. I concorrenti devono registrarsi entro il 21 maggio 2012.

Come devo registrare? Clicca qui per registrare

Che cos’è l’obiettivo? L’obiettivo è di creare una copertura ricamata per uno specchietto a mano di una dimensione che si può mettere in una borsa o una borsetta.
Questa può essere una copertura attaccata - o separata come un rivestimento. Il progetto deve anche comprendere gli appunti del disegno e gli schizzi.

Disegni tradizionali o moderni? Decidete voi.

Come lo devo fare? Il lavoro deve essere eseguito usando l’ago e filo (di tutti i tipi).
Esempi: ricamo classico, punto croce, applique, stumpwork, trapunto, lavoro a maglia, luneville o altro lavoro con le perline, uncinetto, merletto ad ago, temari, sashiko ecc.

Quando deve essere terminato? La data di chiusura del concorso è il 14 settembre 2012.

Che cosa faccio con il mio progetto completato? Su o prima di questa data, i concorrenti dovranno mandare per l’email 5 immagini del loro progetto a Needleprint: 3 immagini del progetto terminato (una di queste deve essere della ricamatrice con il suo lavoro); 2 immagini degli appunti per il progetto. Dettagli più precisi su come di indirizzare l’email e le dimensioni delle immagini, ecc., saranno pubblicati ad una data più tardi.

Il mio progetto sarà restituito? Una graduatoria finale sarà annunciato su questo blog ed i concorrenti sulla graduatoria finale saranno invitati ad inviare i loro lavori per il giudizio finale. I lavori saranno restituiti dopo il giudizio alle spese di Needleprint. Assicurazione di spedizione può essere richiesti e pagati dai concorrenti.

Cosa sono i premi?

Un primo premio di £500 sterline sarà assegnato al vincitore.
Un premio di Lily di £100 sterline per il vincitore minori di 16 anni.
Un premio di £100 sterline per un insegnante che dà un corso per aumentare il numero di concorrenti (maggiori informazioni a seguire).
Almeno £300 sterline di premi tra cui il premio di Micheal e Elizabeth Feller sarà assegnato e assegnati sulla base del merito.

Come posso sapere i risultati? La decisione dei giudici è inappellabile ed i vincitori saranno annunciati il 30 ottobre 2012 su questo blog.

I premi possono essere pagati in valuta locale? I premi saranno pagati in sterline o dollari o euro o yen equivalente con un assegno per i vincitori dell’UK o tramite PayPal per i concorrenti all’estero.

Maggiori informazioni? Se avete delle domande sulle regole - si prega di mandarmi un’email cliccando sul angelo qui sotto.

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Here are some Hungarian needlework designs with an Italian connection which might be adapted well for this competition.

I look forward to seeing the entries!

Burano Needle Lace on Exhibition in Vicenza

2012-01-10T13:58:00.000-08:00

In May 2009 Signora Maria Vittoria Coen Del Vecchio donated the Burano needle lace border of an altar cloth made in the early 1930s to the Diocesan Museum of Vicenza.

Destined for the main altar of the Basilica of San Nicola in Bari, this extraordinary work was done by lacemakers who made 16 scenes which depict the most popular moments of the life and miracles of St. Nicholas with the scene depicting the elevation of the saint in the centre.

Image captured from video footage owned by Telechiara Produzioni.

The lace measures 13 feet long by 1.5 feet high and can be viewed right now along with the original designs until April 1, 2012 at the Diocesan Museum of Vicenza as part of the San Nicola, Tiziano, il Merletto exhibit.

Image captured from video footage owned by Telechiara Produzioni.

There are a couple of videos on YouTube to watch, the first one talks about the lace at the 5:30 minute mark, and the second one gives closer views of some of the details.

Image captured from video footage owned by Telechiara Produzioni.

In February there will be a series of lectures at the museum, the one I would love to attend is entitled Il merletto di San Nicola [the lace of St. Nicholas] given by lace expert Doretta Davanzo Poli on Sunday, February 12th at 5pm.

There must be a show catalogue but I cannot find where to get it from outside of the museum itself. I believe there must be one as there is a listing on the Ca' Foscari University website of an article written by Doretta Davanzo Poli entitled Manifattura Veneziana, in San Nicola/Tiziano/Il merletto a cura di F. Gasparini, M. Guderzo, L. Trevisan, Treviso, Antiga Edizioni, 2011, pp.78-83.

If you get there, I'd love to hear all about it!

Circular Filet Netting

2011-12-24T13:42:00.000-08:00

Photo copyright Filet in Tondo.

Enza Termine has updated her website and added some more photos of her exquisite Circular Filet Netting works.

There is a tutorial [in Italian but there is a Google Translate button on the website] on how to get started with Circular Filet Netting and if you were put off because you didn't know what to make besides a doiley which may not go with your home decor, browse through her galleries to be inspired for other projects!

I love her Nativity Scenes!

Photo copyright Filet in Tondo.

I hope this Holiday Season finds you exploring Italian Needlework and perhaps it is inspiring you to try new techniques in the New Year.

Puncetto Snowflake - Part Three

2011-12-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

Continuing on with our little Puncetto Snowflake (see Part One and Part Two), we left off last time finishing up the top selvedge.

When you get to the top and do your last two stitches in the last hole, continue on and join the selvedges with two more rows of two stitches, this time hooking into the stitches of the previous selvedge as shown below:

Second-to-last row.

Last row, return to the extreme right edge.

Turning the work back 90 degrees, it looks like this.

If you're done here, you can just make a small stitch to secure both thread ends in the corners and trim the excess. You could put your Puncetto Snowflake into one of those cards that have a cut-out area on the front inserting perhaps a red, blue or green background and send it off to your favourite stitching friend.

Or, you can finish the edge as you would if you were going to insert your snowflake into a piece of fabric. This makes a nice lacy edge even if you're not inserting it. Doing the edging also hides imperfections in your selvedges and somehow stretches the piece out and back to square if it has become warped in the stitching process.

To add the edging, we're going to continue on with the thread from where we left off at the corner.

The outer lacey edging is just like making the small holes as we did in the first and last rows of our design. Skip one stitch and insert your needle into the next, leaving a bit of a loop do a hooking on stitch and two return stitches to form a column. Continue on to the end of the row. For this design, you should end up with 17 loops (or small holes) because we have 34 stitches along the edge and we're putting a column in every second stitch. I turned the work so that my stitching is along the top, I find it easier to work this way.

Here we are at the end of the first edge with 17 loops or small holes.

Turn the work and insert the needle into the same hole to form another column at a 90 degree angle with a loop which spans the corner:

Continue on in the same manner as before and make 17 loops or small holes along each edge until you meet up to where you began:

Here you will need to insert the needle into the same stitch as the previous column so that you can form the corner loop. Do your hooking on stitch taking care to make your corner loop the same size as the others. Then take your needle behind both vertical threads and do two return stitches to form a single column. You end up with your needle and thread in front of your stitching instead of behind it where you normally would be. Pass the needle through the corner loop to take your thread to the back.

Here we are, all finished our Puncetto Snowflake!

I soaked mine overnight in some Marsiglia soap (as it's called in Italian) to whiten it back up. I had a few blood stains to get rid of for which the best remedy is your own spit - no really! It works like a charm. Then I ironed my snowflake face down on a towel. To finish my thread ends, I just did a really small stitch on the back with both thread ends on either corner and trimmed the excess thread.

Puncetto Snowflake - Part One

Puncetto Snowflake - Part Two

I'd love to hear from you if you found this a useful exercise, and even if you did not, please post below!

Puncetto Snowflake - Part Two

2011-12-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

Since I posted part one of this Puncetto Snowflake I have broken three threads! Luckily they were in places where they were more or less easily hidden. If you look for them, you'll probably find them but I was not going to start this again for the 5th time!

From where we left off, I wanted to show you what it looked like when I started to fill my first small square as I was showing you the small holes before that:

The two threads on the right are where I changed threads on my return trip and will be trimmed when they are more secure.

Following along the pattern, I worked my way up to the top where I needed to think about the steps ahead. As we will not be doing a return row in the normal way for the last row of small holes at the top, we need to change threads for a fresh and long new thread somewhere in the second-to-last row so that we will have enough to complete the top selvedge and the loops around the edge if we want them for inserting our snowflake into a piece of fabric or if we just want a lacey edge.

This is the second-to-last-row completed. You can see where I changed threads on the return row (at the right) and I've done my two rows of stitches on the left selvedge to begin the last row of small holes - exactly the same as the first row we did down at the bottom.

After having completed the forward trip on my last row of small holes, I will not be making a return trip in the normal way. Instead, we will begin to create the top selvedge.

Here is where it can get confusing. After finishing the forward row of small holes (you're positioned on the extreme right), you must do two stitches of a normal return row which will take you back to the left side of your right selvedge. From here you will complete two more forward rows of two stitches as shown above.

Do two stitches on your return and then turn your work 90 degrees clockwise and do two more return stitches as shown above. Are you still with me?

After this, we must hook on to the small hole to the left. Imagine that it is the same principle as when we were completing the design and on our return rows when there was to be a filled square above an empty hole, we needed two stitches instead of three in the hole. This time however we have our holes to the left and our filled part (the selvedge) to the right but the requirement is the same, that is: two stitches in the hole, which means two rows:

This is our first stitch in the hole.

This is the second stitch in the hole and we've gone ahead with two stitches to the edge. You can see that we are beginning to build our selvedge.

Again, please remember that this rule of two stitches in the hole applies to small holes and that the rules are different for medium holes and also different again for large holes.

Continue in this way until you get to the top. There is a bit more to show you which I'll continue in another post.

If you are just joining us, take a look at the first part of our Puncetto Snowflake.

Puncetto Snowflake - Part One

Puncetto Snowflake - Part Three

Aemilia Ars Needle Lace Freebies

2011-12-11T09:52:00.001-08:00

The Cultural Association "I Merletti di Antonilla Cantelli" has given a most wonderful selection of old Aemilia Ars needle lace patterns as a Christmas gift to their readers, students and followers!

This morning I received their newsletter in my inbox and with my heart racing I clicked on the link to read their full letter which tells the story that in the middle of the 1990s, Francesca Ortolani who was part of the religious order of the Sanctuary of Sacro Cuore in Bologna gave to Antonilla Cantelli's students some boxes full of large and small patterns for Aemilia Ars needle lace which had been used by the famous school which was headquartered at the Sacro Cuore beginning in 1912 which taught sewing, embroidery and lace to women.

Antonilla Cantelli being by then (the mid-1990s), a master of Aemilia Ars needle lace had begun her studies at the above-mentioned school which was well and widely known for the high calibre of Aemilia Ars needle lace made there. Antonilla had four students at the time of this wonderful donation from Francesca Ortolani and they were delighted to have their pick from the boxes of hundreds of patterns.

Later, some of the students of Antonilla Cantelli formed the Cultural Association "I Merletti di Antonilla Cantelli" which continues to teach the methods of their master and to ensure that the breathtaking needle lace of Aemilia Ars is not forgotten. It is these ladies who have now decided to share a selection of their old patterns with us as a special Christmas present.

The 10 patterns are downloadable free from their website and have indications written on them (in Italian) for the execution of the lace.

If you should like to pursue Aemilia Ars needle lace but cannot get to Bologna to take classes, the ladies of the Association have published two fantastic books of instructions to help you. One is called "Bordi" [Borders] and one is called "Fiori" [Flowers]. You may still order them from Elena at Italian Needlecrafts until the 27th of December when she closes her shop. Elena also carries the lovely book of patterns and photos of Antonilla Cantelli's work written by her granddaughter Barbara: L'Aemilia Ars di Antonilla Cantelli.

For those of you interested in the history of Aemilia Ars needle lace, the ladies of the Association have begun to post original documents on their website under the "Storia" tab.

Italian Needlecrafts Closing

2011-12-05T12:10:00.001-08:00

It is with great sadness that I tell you that the Italian embroidery supplies website Italian Needlecrafts will be closing at the end of December (last day to place an order will be December 27th.
:-(

For me this is terrible news. Elena has tirelessly provided me with exceptional service. All those lovely Italian linens and threads, the books, the patterns... well, I'm very sad. If I could figure out how to change the blog to all black, I would do it.

Puncetto Snowflake - Part One

2011-12-04T11:57:00.001-08:00

Inspired by Renata's punt'e nù snowflakes, I decided to try my hand at a Puncetto Snowflake. Keeping in mind that I really shouldn't be trying to design patterns for Puncetto as I have nowhere near mastered the technique but you know, I was caught up in the holiday season.

I discovered that designs for Puncetto are not all that easy to make. You must keep it simple and small, otherwise you end up with a huge motif! My first design ended up having a base of 86 stitches... quite out of the question for a beginner like me to stitch, I don't even know how to do a selvedge of 86 stitches without running out of thread! Downsize and simplify. Ok. Design number two had a base of 48 stitches. Still too big for me but getting closer to a manageable size.

Since I had already done a 34 stitch base design from the Puncetto Valsesiano book, I thought I could live with design number three.

I seem to have the hang of doing small squares and small holes without much trouble now, so this design uses those. A small square is made up of two stitches doing two forward rows.

I then tried to stitch this up using DMC Cordonnet Special #20. Can you believe that I tried three times and broke the thread in various inconvenient places? Very frustrating. I thought perhaps my thread was old and somehow compromised so I switched to a different ball but the same thing happened! This time thought it was even more frustrating as I had gotten almost to the half-way point. This must mean that I'm pulling too tight! I also have the horrible habit of splitting the thread with the needle which breaks it. Argh!

I cut off my thread to get it out of the way at the top of the column but can you see where the thread broke? How do you fix that? Back to square one. This time I decided to take some photos along the way.

I couldn't find another ball of #20 so this time I'm using #40 with a #7 sharps needle. First the selvedge base of 34 stitches:

This is my selvedge or cimosa in Italian.

Those little bumps are my stitches and I've triple-checked them so that I have 34.

Now I have to do the left edge which consists of a small square, two stitches doing two forward rows (click on the images for a closer look).

First forward row of two stitches.

Return row of two stitches.

Second forward row of two stitches.

Next I have to do the small holes of the first row (in Puncetto you work bottom to top). These are small holes so I do a hooking on knot in every second stitch to get 15 holes.

First I need to hook on to my selvedge so this knot doesn't get counted as an actual stitch:

The hooking on knot which is call aggancio in Italian.

Then I need to get back up to the top making the same size hole as my square, so two return stitches on the loose thread which forms a kind of column (colonnina in Italian):

Repeat for the remaining holes until the last one:

Here we need to build our right side small square, so once again the hooking on stitch doesn't count when we make our two stitches doing two forward rows:

On our return trip (after the first forward row) we need to catch and include the loose thread, so think of it as another hooking on stitch which doesn't enter into our calculations but needs to be there. I pull a little tighter for these ones to give my hole a better shape. Click on the photo for a closer look, I've highlighted the hooking on stitch that I'm talking about in red.

Now we're ready to go back to the beginning for our next row. We need to set ourselves up though by looking ahead at the pattern to see which holes will be empty and which will be filled in the row above, as we will do one less knot for the filled squares.

I had to change threads so you can see my ends which will be cut off later when they are more secure.

Well, so far so good, no breakage. I won't push my luck, that's it for today. If you want to stitch along, I'll be happy to answer questions but please remember that I'm stumbling along myself. If you are a reader who knows how to do this, and you see something I'm doing incorrectly, please leave a comment below!

Puncetto Snowflake - Part Two

Puncetto Snowflake - Part Three

Ivana Palomba and her thesis

2011-11-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

For several months I have been trying to figure out the best way to tell you about a very important book which was published last spring in Italy entitled: L'arte ricamata. Uno strumento di emancipazione femminile nell'opera di Carolina Amari [Embroidered Art. An instrument in the emancipation of women in the works of Carolina Amari] by Ivana Palomba.

This book is the thesis written by Ivana Palomba for her degree in History and the Protection of Art Heritage, which she has achieved later in her life, returning to complete her studies and fulfilling her dreams which were interrupted by life as we can all understand happens especially often to women.

The publication of her thesis was a prize she won from the Associazione Le Arti Tessili [The Textile Arts Association], which now forms a part of the series of titles published on the Textile Arts by scholars with the aim of bringing to light Textile Culture and it's contribution to history, the arts and/or handicrafts.

The importance of this book is difficult to understand if you don't have much historical background. Anyone who has done any research on the textile arts and especially on women's positions in the textile arts knows that historical sources are very difficult to come by. Women in general were not traditionally mentioned or counted in data that was collected by historians, their lives, if recorded at all, were often recorded only with regard to their position to the men in their lives. This book is the fruit of many years dedicated to digging up any information available about one of Italy's most important women in the world of the textile arts at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century: Carolina Amari.

As Ivana says in her introduction: "the aim of this thesis is not only to return to Carolina Amari the honors of those arts to which she gave a new dignity between the end of the 1800s and the begining of the 1900s, but also to re-evaluate the work focalizing it as a lever of women's emancipation".

Almost nothing was known about Carolina Amari, yet she was instrumental in so many important institutions and organizations for women in Italy and also in the United States (more on that later!).

I would like to eventually tell you more about her and I understand that this book is very difficult to appreciate for those who do not understand Italian. But for those who do understand Italian and who are interested in the history of Italian needlework and it's protagonists, this text is an invaluable resource full of references. I hope to fill you in a little better in future posts.

There will be a special presentation of this book on December 3rd at the headquarters of the Associazione Le Arti Tessili at No. 4 Via Carso in Maniago, Pordenone, (in north-eastern Italy) at 11am followed by the inauguration of the headquarters at noon to be immediately followed by an Open House with lots of textile-related activities.

The book can be purchased directly from the Associazione Le Arti Tessili.

Puncetto Needle Lace Tips

2011-11-21T09:35:00.000-08:00

I've been practising my Puncetto and it's true what they say, practise makes perfect. Well, not perfect but better! There are many pieces that I have had to abandon because I didn't count correctly, or because my tension is just too wildly different from place to place but slowly, slowly it's starting to look somewhat decent. I still seem to break or split threads quite a bit and am resolved to not force the needle in where it doesn't want to go so that I can avoid this most hardbreaking problem.

I have been diligently using my Puncetto Valsesiano book by Angela Stefanutto, Paola Scarrone and Carla Rossetti which I understand has been updated and is ready for reprinting but has been delayed due to permission difficulties with some of the photos.

I now understand that I should have followed the exercises in this book in the order that they were presented because if I'd done that, I would have understood the technique much better than skipping around and working "in the dark" so to say. If you start out and follow the (seemingly) boring first exercises, you actually understand the formula for making Puncetto work properly.

Some things that I have learned are:

Twist your thread in the direction you are going for each stitch. This helps tremendously and allows for longer threads lengths for things such as the selvedges where you don't want to have any thread joins. I found that I was spending more time undoing knots than doing stitches until I starting doing this for every stitch.
No matter how tempted you are to not start a new thread, do it when you need to and plan where to do it. While blocks of solid stitching may seem to be the easiest place to change threads, they are actually the most visible place - you can always see the bulk of the secured ends. I have found that changing threads on the return trip over some empty holes is the least noticible place to do it.

Visible joining of threads.

Less visible joining of threads.

Make an effort to do very tight stitches in the first couple of rows because inevitably, they end up being the loosest stitches and once you get to the top you'll notice!
On your return trip over empty holes, look ahead to see what will be stitched in the next row. If you have other filled holes above, then do less return stitches so that you obtain the correct amount of stitches across, I'll show you what I mean:

In this case, I did two instead of three knots to accommodate the filled hole above. Note that this number of stitches applies to small holes and that the number differs for different sized holes.

For even tension, when completing the stitch pull the thread up and then down in one fluid motion, this moves the knot to the lower part of the stitch and helps make all the stitches the same size and tension.
If you are finding that you can't seem to ever get your selvedges (top and bottom) to be the same width as the rest of your work, use a needle one size smaller when you are stitching the selvedges and switch to the bigger needle when completing the work between the selvedges. This last tip comes from Stefania of L'angolo di Stefania who patiently let me sit at her house and mangle many attempts at Puncetto.

I find that I easily let my mind wander when doing Puncetto which leads to mistakes, you must stay engaged and be thinking about what you're doing! One day I hope to have a sample which does not have any mistakes or broken threads, for now, this is my goal!

Design Source - L'ornamentazione

2011-11-19T12:41:00.000-08:00

There is a fantastic book of designs called L'ornamentazione [ornamentation] which was published in 1923 by the Hoepli Publishing House in Milan. Since it is now out of copyright, you can download it free from the Internet Archive.

The title page reads:
"82 plates, designs for alphabets, monograms, companies, insignias, initials, symbols, heraldic decorations, artistic embroidery and women's works, leather embossing, metal engraving. Motifs for decorators, engravers, jewellers, etc."

The photos above are just a sampling of the types of designs that are contained in this fantastic book.

Unfortunately I can find no information on the author G. Vendrame. Nor can I find any other publications by this author. If you know something about him (or her?) would you post a comment below?

The Hoepli Publishing House started with Ulrico Hoepli, a young Swiss who came to Milan in 1870. The Hoepli Publishing House would grow to become one of the most important publishing houses in Italy. It remains in the hands of the Hoepli family and is still publishing today. Many needlework and textile manuals were published by the Hoepli Publishing House at the beginning of the 20th century.

Do Italians do Cross Stitch?

2011-11-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

In a recent email from a reader I was asked if Italians ever did any Cross Stitch and if so, what do their patterns look like?

The answer is a resounding yes!

Cross Stitch or Punto Croce or Punto in Croce as it's known in Italy is alive and well. There are many Cross Stitch designers that perhaps you already have seen their work and not realized that they were Italian.

Giulia Manfredini of Giulia Punti Antichi is the first name that comes to mind. Giulia is a wonderfully talented lady who designs the most delicious Cross Stitch patterns!

Giulia's friend Simona Bussiglieri of Mani di Donna designs Cross Stitch patterns with a decidedly antique flavour.

Simona often collaborates with Maria Teresa Vitali of MTV Designs.

Then there is Niky's Creations and the Cross Stitch designs by Nicoletta Farrauto.

Alessandra Adélaïde's designs are by now well-known in North America, as are those of Renato Parolin (link for Renato Parolin is to a fan-site of his finished designs).

Mariateresa Capo Berti has single designs or even two book collections of Cross Stitch designs. I have her book Tante Idee in un po' di Filo which has lots of lovely monochrome antique-french-style designs.

Laura Gabutti Lattuada of Passione Ricamo makes elegant Cross Stitch designs.

There are many, many others. Follow the "links" sections on any and all of the above mentioned sites for others that I have not mentioned!

There are two associations that I know of:
The Associazione Italiana del Punto Croce
Il Club del Punto in Croce

... and this Italian NING group, AmoRicamo which covers all kinds of embroidery including Cross Stitch.

If you're looking for some old Italian Cross Stitch Patterns, on used book websites, you can sometimes find a copy of Old Italian Patterns for Linen Embroidery by Frieda Lipperheide reprinted, translated and edited by Kathleen Epstein:

It is a lovely collection of folios tied up in a folder and secured with a black ribbon. There is much more than Cross Stitch patterns inside, but the Cross Stitch patterns that are there are decidedly Italian.

Tiraz - The Royal Workshops of Palermo

2011-11-09T17:23:00.000-08:00

Here is another article that I wrote for the old Tuttoricamo website which will not be reappearing on the new blog format. The Royal Tiraz Workshops of Palermo, Italy historically produced some of the most sought-after and high-quality embroideries and textiles in the world.

“Ṭirāz - The word is borrowed from the Persian and originally means “embroidery”; it then comes to mean a robe adorned with elaborate embroidery, especially one ornamented with embroidered bands with writing upon them, worn by a ruler or person of high rank; finally it means the workshop in which such materials or robes are made.”
-- E.J. Brill’s First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936 by M. Th Houtsma, Sir Thomas Arnold, 1987.

There are many references to the Royal Tiraz Workshops of Palermo, Sicily which are credited with some of the richest embroideries in all of history. Ernest Lefébure writes in his book, ‘Embroidery and Lace: Their manufacture and History from the remotest antiquity to the present day’, 1888, that: “The Saracens had already introduced into Sicily the art of weaving silken and golden fabrics, an industry subsequently encouraged by King Roger II.” In ‘Needlework, an illustrated history’ edited by Harriet Bridgeman, 1978 we are told that Roger II found that the Arab Tiraz workshops were “...still active, he brought Byzantine weavers to train Sicilians but continued, it is thought, to use Arab embroiderers.” In ‘Ricami Italiani Antichi e Moderni’ Elisa Ricci writes, “In Italy the great art of embroidery started around the year 1000 in Sicily during the rule of the Saracens”.

It can be argued that the Byzantines already occupied Sicily before the Saracens who were famous for their excellent embroideries. Before the Byzantines the ancient Greeks were there, also renowned for their rich embroideries. Sicily had many conquerors and due to religious tolerance before the time of the Inquisition, many different peoples co-existed on the island and it is probable that the best of all embroiderers, weavers and silk manufacturers culminated into what became a place that produced the crème de la crème of textile work under Norman Rule. Byzantines, Saracens, Greek-Orthodox, Roman-Catholic Christians and, it is thought, also Jews each gave the flavour of their individual cultures to produce some spectacular embroideries and art objects over the centuries. Works made in the Royal Tiraz Workshops of Palermo reflect Byzantine, North African, Middle and Near East and Spanish art and with the adoption of using gold filigree, pearls and enamels, produced a new and unique style thus making them distinguishable from artifacts produced in the Tiraz workshops of other cities.

What all historians seem to agree on is that under the rule of the Norman King Roger II (reign: 1130 - 1154), the Tiraz embroideries of Palermo were much sought after for both secular and ecclesiastic uses. European crusaders passing through Sicily on their way home from the east brought with them many richly embroidered robes and clothing. This caused a great demand for these items and consequently some were manufactured in Sicily and regarded as highly prized gifts.

Lefébure tells us that King Roger II had the most skilled weavers and embroiderers from Greece brought to Palermo between 1145 - 1147 where he set up workshops. John Julius Norwich writes, “It has sometimes been claimed that they (the women silk workers - most probably Jewish - taken from Thebes) were the nucleus around which the celebrated royal silk mills of Palermo were built up. This theory does them too much honour - though they may well have introduced new techniques. Ever since the time of the Omayyads it had been the practice, in all the principal Islamic kingdoms of the East and the West as well as in Constantinople itself, to maintain a silk workshop in or near the palace for the manufacture of robes and vestments for ceremonial court occasions. Sicily was no exception, and the Palermitan silk Arabs - from whose language the Tiraz, or royal workshop, took its name. Another long established Muslim custom, however, required the ladies of the Tiraz, when not at their looms, to render other, more intimate services to the gentlemen of the Court. This tradition too the Normans, eclectic as ever, had appropriated with enthusiasm; and it was not long before the Tiraz became a useful, if slightly transparent, cover for the royal harem.”

In any case, it was here that the kingdom’s silk industry was eventually controlled from start to finish, from the cultivation of the silkworm, to the spinning, weaving, dyeing, embroidering and assembly of the final products. Roger II’s court was culturally rich and prosperous and the textile art of Sicily was renowned throughout Europe.

During Roger II’s son William I’s reign (1154 - 1166), an agreement was reached between the Byzantine Empire and Sicily in which former Greek prisoners were to be returned home. Interesting to note that William returned all prisoners except the ladies of the Tiraz. Later, revolts by the populace during the reign of William I resulted in the terrible loss of many artifacts of the Tiraz kept in the palaces of Palermo, what was not carried off by looters was burned in huge bonfires.

Henry IV of Hohenstaufen not only ruled Sicily (1194 - 1197) but was also Holy Roman Emperor. He is reported to have taken the best remaining Tiraz artifacts off to Germany and the 1246 inventory of the Trifels Castle records possession of the Tiraz-made Mantle of Roger II, thus supporting this theory. Visit Racaire's blog for some great photos of this and other Tiraz artifacts now held in the Kunsthistorische Museum in Vienna.

Frederick II (reign: 1198 - 1250) wore a different mantle produced in Palermo around 1200, decorated with the eagles of Swabia, now preserved in Metz, France according to Austrian researcher Bettina Pferschy-Maleczek. The last ‘golden age’ of the Palermo Tiraz is reportedly to have been at the beginning of the 13th century. After the death of his wife, Constance of Aragon, Frederick moved his court and silk makers to Foggia (Apuglia). Constance of Aragon was buried in Palermo and an excavation in the 18th century unearthed her embroidered crown, “... made of gold thread thickly studded with pearls and jewels—rough sapphires and carbuncles, among which may be noticed a red cornelian engraved in Arabic with this sentence, ‘In Christ, God, I put my hope.’”

Surviving written sources attest to almost 100 years of uninterrupted production from the Tiraz of Palermo ranging in things from silk textiles and embroideries to gold-work, jewellery, ivory-work, woodwork and metalwork, other sources suggest a strong and exclusive tie between the royal workshops and a noble clientele. Alexander of Telese and Philagathos of Cerami, writers from the early 12th century, wrote of wall hangings, veils and the silk clothing of servants in Palermo.

Strangely, news of the Tiraz artifacts are more easily found in writings during Roger II’s reign than during the later rule of Frederick II. The 18th century opening of the tombs of Roger II, Henry VI, Constance of Hauteville, Frederick II and his wife Constance of Aragon brought about the writing of detailed documentation on the textiles of the Hohenstaufen period.

Sicily would suffer decline under French rule and after the Sicilian Vespers (1282) and the resulting war, many artisans, weavers and embroiderers fled north into Italy and the cities of Lucca, Venice, Genoa and others. Evidence suggests however, that not all the embroiderers abandoned the island, but a few continued in some way; as the famous Guicciardini Coverlets, worked in Trapunto and commissioned by a wealthy Florentine family at the end of the 1300s have been identified as Sicilian work of professional quality. During this time Sicily was under Spanish rule and many Tiraz workshops were operating in Almeria, Spain which were said to rival even the Tiraz workshops of Bagdad so it seems plausible that the Tiraz workshops of Sicily continued in some form, perhaps no longer as ‘royal workshops’. The city of Messina was known for its silk production well into the 17th century.

Roger II's Mantle. Image from the article at Wikipedia.

An official ending of the Tiraz workshops of Palermo is presumed by the transference of the Royal Court of Frederick II to Apuglia and while E.J. Brill’s First Encyclopaedia of Islam says that the Tiraz workshops in Palermo produced woven silks until the 13th century; an article in Vol. 1, No. 5 of The Brochure Series of Architectural Illustration cites the 16th century. There is undoubtably much further research to be done on this point.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria holds a number of items produced at Palermo, among which are: King Roger II’s Mantle which is dated 1133-1134 according to the embroidered Arabic inscription. It is the oldest surviving evidence of the Tiraz in Palermo. The Blue Dalmatic dates from the mid 12th century; the Alb was made in Palermo in 1181 for King William II (reign: 1166 - 1189) and his stockings; these pieces passed to Frederick II and the Alb was further embellished for his coronation as Holy Roman Emperor in 1220; there are also a pair of shoes and gloves and a few other items all richly embroidered in gold, pearls and jewels which are attributed to Sicily.

In 2004 the Kunsthistorisches Museum exhibited it’s collection in an exhibition entitled: NOBILES OFFICINAE, The Royal Workshops in Palermo during the Reigns of the Norman and Hohenstaufen Kings of Sicily in the 12th and 13th century. The event was organized with the Soprintendenza per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali di Caltanissetta and was joined by a companion exhibition in Palermo at the Palazzo dei Normanni. Here is a 9 minute YouTube video presentation.

Palazzo dei Normanni, Palermo. Image taken from the article on the palazzo at Wikipedia.

A catalogue of the exhibit (in German) is still available from the Kunsthistorisches museum store, there is also an Italian/English text of two volumes which can be found at used booksellers. It is indispensable as a reference on this particular subject. One of the results of these exhibitions was that textile fragments from Milan, Darmstadt, Paris and Brussels were brought together and identified as pieces from the Tiraz of Palermo.

Photos of other examples of surviving embroidery attributed to Palermo can be found in Paolo Peri’s book, ‘Storia e Arte del Ricamo, Il Punto di Casalguidi’ (2007) which include an Altar-frontal, a Cope and the Funeral Cushion of St. Francis of Assisi. Recent carbon dating has confirmed that the Funeral Cushion of St. Francis is of the correct period and Mr. Peri hypothesizes is that it may have been donated by John of Brienne, King of Jerusalem (reign: 1210 - 1215) and Emperor of Constantinople (reign: 1229 - 1237), who had actually met St. Francis in Damietta between 1219 and 1220. (John of Brienne’s daughter Yolande married Frederick II Holy Roman Emperor, in 1225.)

Further Reading:
A Thousand Years in Sicily, by Giuseppe Quatriglio, 2005.
Embroidery and Lace: Their manufacture and history from the remotest antiquity to the present day, by Ernest Lefébure, 1888.
E.J. Brill’s First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936 by M. Th Houtsma, Sir Thomas Arnold, 1987.
Needlework, an illustrated history, edited by Harriet Bridgeman, 1978 .
Nobiles Officinae: Perle, Filigrane E Trame Di Seta Dal Palazzo Reale Di Palermo, Vol. I & II, by Maria Andaloro, 2006.
Ricami Italiani Antichi e Moderni, by Elisa Ricci, 1925.
Sicily: Three Thousand Years of Human History, by Sandra Benjamin, 2006.
Storia e Arte del Ricamo Il Punto di Casalguidi, by Paolo Peri, 2007.
The Brochure Series of Architectural Illustration. Volume 01, No. 05, May 1895, Two Florentine Pavements, BATES & GUILD, BOSTON, MASS.
The Normans in Sicily, by John Julius Norwich, 1992.
The Silk Industry of Renaissance Venice, by Luca Molà, 2000.
Travels with a Medieval Queen, by Mary Taylor Simeti, 2001.

Ars Panicalensis - Purses

2011-11-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

What do you think of when you think of Embroidery on Tulle? Do you think of Church vestments? Bridal veils? Christening gowns? How about purses?

Paola Matteucci, the extraordinarily talented needleworker from Panicale in the province of Perugia, Italy, has created an incredibily beautiful batch of purses with her Ars Panicalensis Embroidery on Tulle technique. She hand-dyes the cotton fabrics and tulle with natural dyes.

Purses at the Ars Panicalensis booth at Italia Invita 2011. Photo copyright Ricamo Ars Panicalensis.

I saw some of these lovely creations at the 2011 Italia Invita Forum in Parma last May, there was always a crowd around the Ars Panicalensis booth and during one of the workshops the TV station was there with their video cameras so I hope Paola received some good exposure for her Art.

Later this year at the Valtopina XIII Embroidery and Fabric Show there were more exquisite purses to see, done in Ars Panicalensis.

Ars Panicalensis purses at the Valtopina 2011 show. Photo copyright Maria Bissacco.

The intricate embroidery of Ars Panicalensis and the designs that come from Paola Matteucci are breathtaking and, if possible, they get more so with every new creation!

Detail of a piece of Ars Panicalensis at the EGA National Seminar in 2010.

The town of Panicale has its own Tulle Museum where from October 27, 2011 to January 8, 2012 there is an exhibit on Pinocchio and the most important imitations featuring antique and modern marionettes and toys and fairytales embroidered on Tulle.

Italian Hope Chests - The Cassone

2011-10-31T18:48:00.000-07:00

With the re-birth of Tuttoricamo as a blog, they tell me that they will not be publishing some articles that I wrote for their old website, but they have no problem if I publish them here so that perhaps they can be of use to readers. The following is about Italian Hope Chests.

“The cassone—that most suggestive article of Italian furniture—was dressed with a flat cover of brocade or velvet or with a thin long cushion. In no case did the cover conceal the work which was lavished on the cassoni by their makers, for this chest was the especial pet of the decorator—the designer being sometimes the architect of the building.”
-- Renaissance Textiles, Antiques Digest, 1930.

The history of the Italian cassone (marriage casket, coffer or chest) dates back to ancient Roman times. Referred to often as forzieri before the 15th century, they often came in pairs and were a gift to the bride in which she could take her things to her new household without the personal wealth of her trousseau items being on public view. Traditionally she made a wedding procession through the streets of the city from her house to that of her groom, or in the case of foreign marriages, into the city of her betrothed as brides usually went to live in the family home of the groom. The cassoni soon became so richly ornamented that they themselves become symbols of the wealth of the bride’s trousseau and family and were considered some of the most precious pieces of household furniture.

Metal and velvet cassone in the Palazzo Davanzati, Florence.

Italian cassoni were often richly decorated with Intarsia (inlaid wood), gilded Pastiglia (reliefs of very fine gesso), painted, carved or a combination of all these types, sometimes even having ivory carvings or bronzework. The ornamentation being so precious that the cassoni were often dismantled in later centuries so that the panels could be used as wall decorations. Many painted wooden panels in today’s museums are actually the panels of cassoni (see below - painted cassoni panels). Generally ornamented on the front and the two ends, they were sometimes decorated on the back although this side was only seen in the bride’s procession to her new home. The inside of the lid too, was often decorated, both elaborately or simply and sometimes the inventory of the cassone’s contents was written on it. The cassoni were most often lined with fabric.

Early painted panels depicted notable women like Penthesilea, Hippolyta and Emilia; Dido, the warrior Camilla, the Sabine Women, Lucrezia of Rome and Verginia and other heroines from ancient history done with the idea of guiding the bride toward exemplary behaviour. Scenes and symbols representing fertility were also popular. Lorenzo de’Medici (1449 - 1492) records cassoni with ‘Petrarchan triumphs’ in his inventories signalling perhaps a move toward less morally instructive imagery. In fact, painting styles on the cassoni changed around 1440 from Gothic to Renaissance style.

Gilt cassone in the Museum Collezioni  Comunali d’Arte, Bologna.

Sienese cassoni tended toward more romantic themes while the Florentine ones were “fiercely didactic”. In the Veneto, production was mainly in Verona and painted cassoni often had mythological stories painted on them. In the mid-15th century, Umbria and Northern Italy favoured complex scenes. Florence introduced a new style of Pastiglia at the end of the 1400s based on ancient sculpture, whereas previously Pastiglia patterns had imitated textiles or were repeating patterns. Milan favoured high-relief free-flowing foliage. By the early 16th century the overall trend was more toward lower-relief classical ornament. The mid 1500s saw change in the shape itself of the cassoni with raised lids and bulbous bases often with lion’s paws for feet. Bologna’s cassoni exhibited friezes with carved griffins, foliage and even Bucrania. While painted cassoni were popular in Florence, Venice preferred inlaid geometrical designs. In the Abruzzo, wooden cassoni were carved with sayings like: Onestà fa bella donna [Virtue makes a beautiful woman]. In Sardinia cassoni were traditionally carved wood, often varnished with opaque black with geometrical motifs – those which can also be found in their traditional rugs, tapestries and Filet lacework: florals, peacocks, doves, etc. Many Sardinian artisans still produce the cassoni today although in Sardinia they go by the name of cassapanca. Inputting “cassapanche sarde” into a Google search will amaze you!

Famous artists of the Renaissance like Paolo Uccello (c 1397 - 1475), Pinturicchio (c 1454 - 1513), Filippino Lippi (c 1457 - 1504), Masaccio (1401 - 1428) and his brother Scheggia (1406 - 1486), Benozzo Gozzoli (c 1421 - 1497), and Sandro Botticelli (c 1444 - 1510) and many others as well as countless minor artists were commissioned to paint cassoni. Several of today’s surviving cassoni panels have been attributed to the Florentine workshop of Apollonio di Giovanni (c 1416 - 1465) which specialized in work for private citizens. During this period, Florence was well-known for exceptionally magnificent cassoni.

Painted cassone in the Palazzo Davanzati, Florence.

Both Cennini (c 1370 - c 1440) and Vasari (1511 - 1574) mention cassoni in their written works. Cennini gives instruction on which methods to use when painting cassoni in his Il Libro dell’Arte (1437). Vasari notes in his The Lives of the Most Excellent Italian Painters, Sculptors, and Architects (1550) that the fronts and sides of the cassoni were depicted with fables from Ovid and other authors or stories by Greek and Latin historians and even love stories, jousts and similar fair. He also notes that the two family’s co-joined heraldry was also visible at the corners and elsewhere on the chests. Vasari recounts the famous artists of the previous centuries (one artist in particular, Dello Delli c 1404 - c 1470, painted quite a number of cassoni) who were not embarrassed to paint the cassoni as were the artists of his day signalling perhaps the period when ‘professional’ quality cassoni painting was in decline.

Italian cassoni were frequently made of various woods like pine, poplar and chestnut but largely of walnut. They tended to be larger than northern European and English marriage chests, ranging in size from 38 x 130 cm to 43 x 175.8 cm. Lower income families followed the tradition of the cassoni but while they were still large in size they were often unadorned.

The contents of the cassoni could be anything portable the bride chose to bring with her to the marriage but mainly consisted of clothing, embroidered linens – both household and personal, toiletries, sewing and embroidery implements and materials (often whole bolts of homespun fabrics), jewelry and perhaps a few books.

“Isabella d’Este arrived in Mantua as the bride of Francesco II Gonzaga in 1490. In her luggage she brought thirteen painted chests, and Ercole de’ Roberti, the Ferrarese artist who designed them, travelled with her.” (The Court of Ferrara & its Patronage, by Marianne Pade, Lene Waage Petersen, Daniela Quarta, 1990.) Today we tend to think of a single marriage chest per bride, but this was not always the case. The more wealthy the bride’s family, the higher the number of cassoni she brought with her.

In the mid-fifteenth century it became the groom’s family’s task to have the cassoni made and placed in readiness awaiting the bride and all her possessions in the newly outfitted nuptial chamber of their home. One of the motives behind this change in responsibility was Florentine sumptuary law restricting the pomp of wedding processions. Sometimes in the early 16th century a pair of cassoni might cost the wealthy as much as the sum of a skilled labourer’s entire year’s wages.

Cassone from Verona c. 1490 in the  Poldi Pezzoli Museum, Milan.

Cassoni were important pieces of furniture and figure in some ancient texts. Leon Battista Alberti (1404 - 1472) has one of his protagonists in his Libri Della Famiglia (1433) use a cassone when making an example so that his wife will understand when he attempts to teach her how to manage his household. Cassoni feature in a few of the stories of The Decameron (composed between 1348 - 1353) by Giovanni Boccaccio (c 1313 - 1375) and one is even the key element in Filomena’s story (second day, ninth tale). The story would later inspire Florentine painter Giovanni di Francesco Toscani (c 1370 - c 1430) to depict it on two cassoni around 1425. Other stories from the Decameron were often subjects for painted cassoni some of which survive today in various museums.

With the changes in taste and views of marriage throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the cassoni declined in importance and the quantity of decoration lessened. By the 19th century Renaissance cassoni were being dismantled and sold off in pieces to the new population of tourists on the Grand Tours of Europe – especially Britons and Americans who had money and an interest in bringing home souvenirs. The tradition of the cassone has trickled down through the centuries becoming all but lost in many parts of modern day Italy. Not since the 1950s has it been widely followed. Times have changed and for many of today’s Italian women, the cassone of their mother or grandmother has become their own in which they store trousseaux of magnificent embroideries and laces of the past and present for future generations. For some no family heirloom remains and they must hunt for a cassone to call their own in the antiques markets. A number of Renaissance cassoni survive today, scattered around the globe by the many collectors outside of Italy. Quite a few of the world’s museums proudly display these fine examples of Italian art which have guarded the most exquisite pieces of Italian embroidery and lace.

Books to check out:
At Home in Renaissance Italy by Marta Ajmar-Wollheim & Flora Dennis, 2006.
Cassone Painting, Humanism and Gender in Early Modern Italy by Cristelle Baskins, 1998.
Inside the Renaissance House by Elizabeth Currie, 2006.
The Triumph of Marriage: Painted Cassoni of the Renaissance by Cristelle Baskins, 2008.
Sumptuary Law in Italy 1200-1500 by Catherine Kovesi Killerby, 2002.

Further study:
Cassoni and the Decameron
Restoration of painted cassoni  at the V&A
Cassoni at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London

Images of Cassoni online:
Many different types of cassoni
Painted cassone
Carved Sardinian cassone
Carved cassone
Intarsia cassone inlaid with ivory, walnut and ebony
Museum Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris - click on the image for a larger view of all three cassoni

Painted Cassoni panels:
Venus and Mars (Botticelli)
David and Goliath (Pesellino)
The Triumph of David (Pesellino)
Penelope

Thank you to Stefania for the photo from the Poldi Pezzoli and to Elisabetta for the photo from the Collezioni Comunali d'Arte!

Sicilian Drawn Thread Work book

2011-10-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

I have never seen a book entirely dedicated to teaching Sicilian Drawn Thread Work until this past spring. The Cooperative Ma.Gi.Co Ricami from Modica, Sicily put together a fine group of patterns and step-by-step instructions for the French publishing house Les éditions de saxe. The text therefore is in French and Italian.

In 2009 I attended one of their free 1 hour classes on Sicilian Drawn Thread Work at the Italia Invita Forum. They showed me how to execute a netted area which is the base for all types of Sicilian Drawn Thread Work. I wanted to learn so much more but there just wasn't the opportunity. At that time they did not have anything prepared in the way of instructions that I could take away with me but I did purchase a finished piece and an already-cut piece of fabric from them which I told you about in this post.

When a friend and I talked to the ladies at the Cooperative Ma.Gi.Co Ricami booth at the Italia Invita Forum in 2011 they said that the French publishing house had approached them with the idea of the book. It is 80 pages of colour photos and a pull-out section with patterns. There are traditional and non-tradition patterns including some fun whimsical ideas for kid's things... would you let your baby drool all over your Drawn Thread Work? I'm not sure I would but the bibs and things are awfully cute.

The main three different types of Sicilian Drawn Thread Work are explained and the different languages are in different colours and therefore easily followed when searching for the text you're using. There is a tutorial at Tuttoricamo's new blog on how to achieve these different effects.

You can get this book from Tombolo Disegni, click on "Libri", then "Libri Ricamo", then "Sfilati ed Assia", there you can also see some more pages of this book.

Orvieto Crochet Lace - Ars Wetana

2011-10-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

Orvieto is situated in the central part of Italy in the Umbria region. I wrote a little about it here. Umbria is rich in needlework techniques and history. The town of Orvieto is best known for it's crochet lace.

Cushion by Ars duemme exhibited at the 2007 Italia Invita Forum.

The following is a translation of the history page on the Ars duemme website:

The lace of Orvieto was born at the end of the 19th century and in June of 1907 a patronage society for the women of Orvieto was founded with the aim of offering the town's women the opportunity to earn a modest income while occupying their spare time in a decent and not overly strenuous way.
The idea was launched by Senator Count Eugenio Faina and was realized by his son Claudio, who gave the first funds to his daughter Maria Vittoria and to the noblewomen Eugenia Petrangeli and Pauline Valentini, who occupied themselves with coming up with a simple but also remarkable technique, that women could produce at home.
The choice fell on the lace that was made with Irish thread which, as well as having artistically impressive effects, presented a technical level suitable for dividing a single artifact among workers. Right from the beginning, the lace took on the typical characteristics of Orvieto both from a decorative and execution point of view. In fact, the decorative motifs of the lace reproduce designs of leaves, ivy, acanthus and vine, flowers, animals and figures taken from the fourteenth-century bas-reliefs of the facade of the Orvieto Cathedral.
The patronage society was called Ars Wetana, which testifies to the artistic level and the local peculiarities expressed in the artifacts.

The Ars duemme workshop in Orvieto is run by a mother-daughter team who produce exquisite Orvieto Crochet Lace items and also run classes in this technique.

First the individual crochet lace motifs are made against the design traced on a piece of fabric and then they are attached together with a crocheted hexagonal netting in various stages and sizes. When the work is detatched from the fabric, it is then ironed in a particular way. The is the most curious thing I find about this lace is how the bas-relief is achieved: with heated iron pieces! Of course it's quite tricky to find the balance between how much you can distort the work without scorching or ruining it but the bas-relief is quite prominent as you can see from the following photos which were taken at the EGA National Seminar in 2010, when Umbrian needlewomen visited to show us Umbrian needlework and textiles.

Catherine De'Medici Embroidery Article

2011-10-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

For those who are part of the Embroiderers' Association of Canada (EAC), the new winter 2011 edition of their magazine Embroidery Canada is being delivered right now and inside is an article I wrote on Catherine De' Medici Embroidery with a Placemat project designed by the Accademia Punto Assisi.

I wrote this article in 2009 and am sad to report that the little store I visited in Assisi that I talk about in the article has since closed its doors. However the Accademia Punto Assisi is still going stronger than ever!

This is my own attempt at Catherine De' Medici Embroidery or Punto Madama:

The patterns were taken from an excellent book called: Caterina De' Medici, La Storia, Gli Schemi by Giuseppa Federici.

The peacock pattern can also be found in the Nov/Dec 2010 Piecework magazine with my accompanying article.

Caterina De'Medici Embroidery is a counted thread technique and is usually worked on an Italian fabric known as Buratto which today is a 100% loosely woven evenweave linen about 6 threads per centimetre (15 threads per inch), either cream coloured or unbleached (read more on Buratto here).

A thick cream-coloured or white twisted 100% cotton thread called “Cotone Povero” [poor cotton] is used for the stitching (done in Double Running Stitch executed in a particular way), edging and tassels.

Edge treatments can be widely spaced Blanket Stitches or a double crochet edge with popcorn picots on a small hem. Knotted tassels in a variety of styles are almost always the finishing touch. Sometimes colourful hand-painted ceramic beads from Deruta are added.

Here is some Caterina De'Medici Embroidery done by the Accademia Punto Assisi exhibited at the EGA San Francisco National Seminar in 2010:

TuttoRicamo website rebirth

2011-10-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have known and loved the Italian embroidery and lace website TuttoRicamo over the years were very sad to learn that production had stopped over a year ago. A tremendous achievement by two women in their spare time with the collaboration of friends, the website grew to enormous proportions in its five years of online life.

The website was taken down, and then by popular demand, a reduced version was put back online so that readers could still have the benefit of the tremendous amount of information and research that went into it.

This past month, the old website went off-line for good (in its original format) but it has experienced a rebirth as a blog.

There are quite a few changes and much less material as it is trimmed down to information on the different Italian embroidery and lace techniques with book reviews when possible. It is also only in Italian text with a button for the Google translator.

The ladies of Tuttoricamo are diligently and swiftly adding to the blog content, so it is worth bookmarking and checking back often, it will take quite some time to transfer the information from the old website and they are working hard to update information as well. Watch it carefully as it grows!

Welcome back online Tuttoricamo!

(please be patient while I update the broken links on this blog to the old Tuttoricamo website (nearly 50!) which I can only do when new material becomes available on the new Tuttoricamo blog - thanks!)

Needle lace medallion in Piecework

2011-09-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

For those looking for a small needle lace project to try, I wanted to tell you that the Sept/Oct 2011 issue of Piecework has a small needle lace medallion project that I translated.

Silvia from Turin has made an exquisite needle lace medallion using beads and silk thread. I stitched it to make sure that my translated instructions made sense and used round silver hoop earrings instead. There is lots of potential for the imagination with this little beauty!

This is Silvia's stitched model, mine is not worth showing you as my tension definitely needs a lot of practise! I can tell you that the medallion was quick and very enjoyable to stitch up!

Silvia has a great imagination when it come to needle lace, this is another of her designs:

You can see what I mean about my tension needing practise as this is my attempt, but the heart design is all Silvia's. I hope she will treat us to more tutorials and projects on her blog. Check out her profile info to see another one of her delightful needle lace medallions!

If you'd like to learn more about needle lace, Silvia has her own blog and she makes exceptionally clear tutorials!

Italian Needlework Treasures

2011-08-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

It is with great excitement that I tell you – Vima deMarchi Micheli's latest book, Italian Needlework Treasures is now available!

I have been anticipating this publication for as long as I've known Vima. Her experience in the world of Italian needlework is amazing. She has been studying and traveling in Italy for many – many years and now we can benefit by reading of her adventures and admiring the beautiful Italian Needlework Treasures which she has seen and learned about.

Italian Needlework Treasures is everything I hoped it would be. It starts out with a chapter on the history of embroidery with attention to Italian-related events, followed by a section on Italian embroidery techniques with lots of colour photos of pieces in Vima's own incredible collection and also photos of pieces from the private collections that she has seen over the years; next there is a history of lace and again a section which follows detailing the many needle and pillow laces of Italy; tassels have their own chapter as do weaving techniques and traditional costumes, each chapter is sprinkled with little stories of Vima's experiences and tales of some of the people she has known relating to the individual techniques; after all this is a calendar of some of the regular events held in Italy where you can see fine embroideries and laces; a chapter on good museums and shops in the various regions of Italy which have a particular richness in Italian needlework and where Vima has personally seen the items. At the end of the book is an indispensible vocabulary of needlework and textile terminology in both Italian and English; a glossary and bibliographies of both Italian and English publications.

Vima tirelessly helps out in the assembly of the Italian needlework exhibit at the EGA National Seminar in San Francisco, September, 2010.

In the introduction, Vima states that she has tried to include the information which she has been most often asked by the public throughout her years of travelling and teaching. You can see that she has put a lot of thought and care into what she has presented. Honestly it has satisfied my curiosity about the things she has done and seen and I must compliment her on this volume as it is not often that one is able to provide exactly what is asked for. Italian needlework enthusiasts are sure be very pleased with this book.

Vima explains Perugian weaving techniques in Perugia, May, 2009.

You can purchase Italian Needlework Treasures directly from Vima on her website. If you'd like to learn a little more about her, go to Tuttoricamo, click on the British flag for the English pages and then click on "Prominent Characters", then her name under the "...today" heading.

Sardinian Weaving

2011-08-22T18:19:00.000-07:00

In the small comune of Ulassai in the south-east part of Sardinia among the mountains and cliffs there is a small hand-weaving workshop called Su Marmuri next to the Stazione d'Arte Museum which features many of the art works of a Sardinian artist named Maria Lai (you can see some of her art in this YouTube video).

The hand-weaving workshop features many of Maria Lai's artwork designs in their weaving...

and their signage! These little goats show up in many things.

Sardinian hand-weaving is really different, they make little bumps of thread by inserting a metal rod so that when the rod is pulled out only the bump of thread is left to form designs...

The rods are not the whole width of the weaving so many must be used together, it is a painstaking and time-consuming method but the results are very attractive!

Whether there are more than one colour used or just tone on tone, this method is striking:

I got a couple of hand-towels with Maria Lai's goats on them and a peacock patterned one which can be seen here.

After the visit to the museum and the hand-weaving studio, we visited Maria Lai herself but I'll save that story for another day.

Punto Antico & Reticello

2011-08-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

I have always been a fan of Giuliana Buonpadre's embroidery and her books. She makes elegant things which are always tastefully done and her creativity inspires me.

I told you a little about one of her books in this post on Reticello.

I tried to visit her at her little shop in Via S. Egidio in Verona in 2007 but alas, she had broken her leg and the shop was closed.

I was pleasantly surprised later that same trip to meet her and her lovely husband at the Italia Invita Forum in Rimini.

In 2009 concern for her health was widespread as she had a bout of cancer as I understand it but thankfully she recovered and is once again teaching, traveling and writing.

In the little shop in Verona now there is the association "Le Amiche di FiloFilò" or "the friends of FiloFilò", FiloFilò is the name of Giuliana Buonpadre's original association. Classes are available.

This year Signora Buonpadre released a new book, starting a new series called "Sulle tracce del filo" [Following the tracks of the thread], the first of this series is titled: Lenzuola, Samplers a Punto Antico [Sheets, Samplers in Antique Stitch].

These are books of great instructional value as they are produced for the most part in three languages: Italian, French and English. They include clear photographs and professional images and stitch diagrams. The best thing I like about them is that they show a stitched sample beside the pattern diagram so you can see what the stitch or motif will look like when completed.

This particular book is more advanced in the level of expertise needed to stitch the designs, that is, it goes beyond the basics and the projects are more labour intensive and time consuming than some of her previous books. The combination of Punto Antico and Reticello motifs is very pleasing to the eye.

There are instructions for cutting, finishing and hemming sheets and various styles of pillowcases, a stitch glossary and instructions for classic embroidery, pulled thread and needle lace stitches, corner treatments and a lovely introduction in which Signora Buonpadre describes the path she followed which led to this latest publication.

If you join her website, you can download sample pages of her books, though there aren't any examples of this particular volume, the samples of previous book's pages will give you a good idea of the format of this one.

You can also purchase directly by filling out the request page on her website.

Chiaramonte Gulfi

2011-08-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Chiaramonte Gulfi was known as the balcony of Sicily in the previous century for it's panoramic position: it rests atop a hillside at nearly 700 metres above sea level and looks out over the Ippari Valley. On a clear day you can see the Mediterranean Sea in one direction and Mount Etna in the other in a breathtaking view you can take in from the Villa Comunale.

We started out from our hotel in Comiso which is relatively nearby, taking the only bus which turned out to be the school bus that stopped at all the surrounding towns before taking the students to Chiaramonte Gulfi. What initially seemed a short journey was really a very long and winding road on a bus full of enthusiastic and boisterous students!

You live and you learn and since we were in an adventurous mood we took it in stride and climbed the steep road to Chiaramonte Gulfi from the bus stop at the foot of town happy to have arrived at last. In a bar where we had fantastic pastries we learned where to go to get tickets for the Sicilian Drawnthread Museum [Museo dello Sfilato], impressed that all the men we asked knew all about it.

At the Museo dei Cimeli Storico Militari [Museum of Historic Military Relics] in the main Piazza Duomo (which is where you need to buy your ticket to the museum) we met a lovely lady who offered to accompany us to the Drawnthread Museum.

The Museo dello Sfilato lies in Via Lauria 4 at the top of a steep stairway but there are signs pointing you in the right direction made of ceramic tiles:

Our guide pointed out many other things along the way and we admired many sets of embroidered curtains in the houses that we passed:

The museum itself seems small but is packed solid with needlework and definitely worth the trip.

Entrance Hall of the Museo dello Sfilato, Chiaramonte Gulfi.

We spent a lovely morning drooling over all the clothing, table linens, household furnishings and other exquisitely embroidered items in the museum and our guide told us as much as she could about the museum and the works within. She was a member of the Associazione dell'Arte del Ricamo e dello Sfilato a Chiaramonte Gulfi [Association of the Art of Embroidery and Drawnthread of Chiaramonte Gulfi] so her love of the embroidered pieces shone through when she was telling us about them.

A couple of weeks later at the Italia Invita Forum in Parma, we met other women from this association who had a booth at the Forum. A friend bought me a birthday gift of a piece of Drawnthread work from them which has the embroidery known as the Chiaramonte Stitch:

Close up of the Chiaramonte Stitch.

There is a great tutorial of this stitch on Tuttoricamo, click on the British flag for the English pages, then click on "How it's Done" and then "Chiaramonte Stitch".

We hired a driver from the travel agency in the Piazza Duomo to take us back to Comiso so we could be back in time for our lessons with Roberta Rizza in the afternoon.

Special thanks to Elisabetta for the use of her photos!

Buratto

2011-08-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

The art of embroidered Buratto fabric is ancient in Italy. There was even a pattern book released about 1527 by Alessandro Paganino which you can download at the On-Line Digital Archive:

Records of her possessions after her death suggest that the Florentine Queen of France Catherine de Medici herself embroidered on Buratto perhaps bringing it with her from Italy (for more info see my article in Piecework Nov/Dec 2010).

Until quite recently this fabric was only made in a small town in Tuscany using the special ancient loom required to weave it. The art of embroidery on Buratto had all but died out.

On a recent visit to the Fondazione Lisio, I was pleasantly surprized to discover that they had plans to acquire one of these very rare specialized looms and begin to weave Buratto fabric in the ancient style.

This is so new to them that they have not yet had time to translate the page in English on their website, so I'll give you a quick translation of what it says:

"Buratto netting at the Lisio Foundation

Among the reproductions of ancient weaving techniques that the Lisio Foundation boasts in its long history, there is now a new one: Buratto netting.

The term derives from the Latin bura (coarse cloth) and indicates a fabric produced on a loom and consisting of a more or less open weave depending on its intended use as either a sieve used in silk or flour production or, if made with finer threads, as the base for hand embroidery. Evidence of embroidered Buratto dates back to the sixteenth century and to 1527 and the oldest Italian extant book of patterns: The burato: book of embroidery by Alessandro Paganini (ed. Venice, Paganini).

This ancient textile technique of both weaving and embroidery, was revived at the beginning of the twentieth century by the ladies Virginia Nathan and Clara Onori of Antella (a hamlet of Bagno a Ripoli near Florence), founding a school with the aim of providing a source of livelihood which would help relieve the domestic economy of the area.

Today at the Foundation alongside the Jacquard looms on which our master weavers create fine velvets and brocades, there is a loom, just as important as the others, on which Buratto netting is hand woven thus continuing a local tradition that was almost lost."

Photo copyright Fondazione Lisio Arte della Seta, Firenze.

You can watch a video of how it's made on YouTube.

In 1989, there was a booklet produced to document the recent history of the revival of Buratto embroidery in the early 20th century and the activity it enjoyed throughout the later half of the century called: La Tradizione del Buratto all'Antella [The Tradition of Buratto in Antella]. This book is extremely rare and difficult to find but packed with photos of embroideries of the period including some which were prize winning entries in local exhibitions. It is also a catalogue of the show held in Antella at the time.

It is the most information I've ever seen written on Buratto and it's related history.

Here is a close up of what a piece I have looks like, this was purchased from the Fil-Mec booth at the Italia Invita Forum 2011 and to the best of my knowledge was not woven at the Fondazione Lisio but by a woman in Tuscany working on her own ancient loom.

Heartfelt thanks to Ebe Ciampalini Balestri without whom I would never have seen the book described above.
Thank you Giovanna for the heads up!

Frette Monograms

2011-08-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

I was leafing through some online copies of the old Italian art magazine Emporium (online courtesy of a project of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa) and happened upon this advertisement from the January 1902 issue:

See the girl is spinning thread and there are Flax flowers growing out of the pot beside her.

It reminded me that I had had some requests for more scans from my Frette catalogue which I wrote about in a post last year.

Now, keep in mind that the catalogue is enormous! It's probably A3 paper size or something close to it so of course it doesn't fit in my scanner. Each page must be scanned in three pieces and then I have to put them back together in Photoshop. This is largely why I haven't done anything yet but I thought this morning while everyone else was still asleep I'd see just how long it took me to do one page.

Well, it took a lot longer than I expected but now that I've established a series of steps, it might take less time to do more. In the interests of conserving storage space for the files on Blogger, I started a Flickr set and will link from there.

I can't make any promises about when I'll get the whole thing done, but check back every once in a while to see if I've added any more scans.

Here is the first one which I selected at random:

Check out the Antique Pattern Library for a different Frette album which has charts and patterns for alphabets, borders and more.

Pizzo Margarete - Macramé

2011-07-31T20:58:00.000-07:00

Margarete Naumann was born in Chemnitz, which is near Dresden in Germany in 1881. She invented and then taught what is known as Margarete lace in the early years of the twentieth century.

You can learn more about Margarete Naumann and her lace at this website.

What I want to tell you about is the Italian interpretation of this exquisite form of Macramé because as I've told you previously, I love the Italian approach to this art which most North Americans turn their noses up at remembering plant holders and other items of the '70s made of rough jute and hemp.

I first noticed Adriana Lazzari's work in a book that I didn't buy at the time (and still regret) called Natale Macramé which had little figures for a Nativity scene made of Macramé. She caught my attention again with a book on little Macramé angels and then I was struck hard by the cover of her latest book and knew I could fight no longer, I had to have it!

The introduction translates:

"Margarete lace - what is it?
It is a particular lace that derives from traditional macramé, invented at the beginning of the 1900s by Margarete Naumann and patented as "Margaretenspitze". She wanted to break the bonds of the rigid knotting patterns of the time creating a particular way of making lace. This "new" technique allows one to develop the work in all directions, making both flat and three dimensional elements. You don't need designs or patterns because, with knowledge of the basic rules you can compose the lace according to your own creativity. Gathering the threads into bundles and gradually letting them out, using simple, double, triple, quadruple and multiple knots, adding and subtracting threads during the working you have the possibility of designing modules or elements for custom making a lace personalized to your own imagination.

......... A few years ago I discovered this particular lace, studying and elaborating it and now I want to pass it on to you through this book.

Here you will find the instructions for starting from the basics and arriving little by little to making more and more elaborate and complicated laces.

I hope with this, my work, to revive this old and forgotten but always wonderful technique."

The book is just under 85 pages long and the text is in Italian but there are lots of step-by-step photos and while I have not yet had a chance to try anything (I just got it!) I would venture to say that if you already have a good working knowledge of Macramé, you may have little trouble figuring it out. There are 15 projects of increasing difficulty the last of which is the design on the cover.

This book is available at Tombolo Disegni, look under the Libri/Books section and then under Libri/Macramé – send an email request to order.

Chiara Vigo, Master of Sea Silk

2011-07-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

I told you a little about Byssus, called Sea Silk in this post last year, a fibre made from the Pinna Noblis now only found in Sant'Antioco, Sardinia.

Last May I went to visit the Museo del Bisso [Byssus Museum] in Sant'Antioco and met Chiara Vigo, the last master of this ancient art.

The Byssus Museum where you can find Chiara Vigo in Viale Regina Margherita, 111, Sant'Antioco, Sardinia.

This video series explores the Holy Veil of Manoppello found at the Basilica del Volto Santo di Manoppello [Basilica of the Holy Face of Manoppello] in the province of Pescara, Italy. The second part of the series talks about Chiara Vigo and Byssus thread. Signora Vigo travelled to Manoppello to determine that the Veil was made of Byssus.

Inside the Byssus Museum in Sant'Antioco are several areas where you can look at Byssus in it's various forms. There are displays of the Pinna Noblis, raw Byssus as it looks when first collected, the hand-spun thread, embroideries made with Byssus thread and weaving frames with fabric being woven which has Byssus designs.

When enough people have entered the one-room Museum, Signora Vigo explains the history and the technique of collecting, processing and using the Byssus threads. This is not a commercial enterprise by any means and there is nothing to purchase.

The Signora however does not keep the thread from you, she hands out raw, spun and treated thread (it must be dipped in a secret liquid of ancient formula to give it a silky soft texture) for you to touch and examine. Embroideries and woven pieces are also offered for examination.

Our group had people from many far away places and she gave each of us who were from other countries a length of Byssus thread and instructed us to tell people and especially children about Byssus. She promised me that if I could get a group of children to write to her from Canada, she would produce an embroidery in Byssus thread for them. The walls of the Museum are covered in letters from children around the world.

Unfortunately, you cannot see the sparkle that this thread has from this scan. It sparkles like gold and changes colour depending on the direction of the light. It is so very soft and makes you understand instantly why it is called Sea Silk.

Photo by Roberto Rossi.

Go to Roberto Rossi's website to see more great photos of Chiara Vigo, Byssus and the Museum or go to Chiara Vigo's blog to learn more.

Punto Antico Bullion Flowers and a new book

2011-07-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

I want to tell you about the sixth book on Punto Antico by the Association Il Punto Antico which I picked up while in Italy this last time:

Tasteful modern interpretations of this Italian technique designed by Bruna Gubbini. This latest book is 155 pages and has a lot of designs for fun projects like box covers and needle books and more traditional fare like tablecloths but done in a completely modern way using the latest fabrics (like Graziano gingham!) and coloured threads. Text is Italian and English and there are many step-by-step instructions covering stitches not covered in the previous books.

One of the elements of Signora Bruna's work which has long fascinated me is her Bullion Flower. I have tried it in the past but just couldn't get the hang of it. This latest book has step-by-step instructions and I finally managed to produce a nice one so I'm showing you how here below. These Bullion Flowers are fantastically textured and create nice little decorative elements to any work of Punto Antico.

You will need a milliner's needle for best results. I used #12 Ritorto Fiorentino pearl cotton and some 38ct Sotema 20L Italian linen.

To start, you need to build yourself a support/guide. I started the thread with a waste knot:

Go over 4 ground threads for each stitch. Pull a little firmly to open up small holes which you'll need later for the Bullions.

Don't pull too tightly though, your stitches should be firm and not loose otherwise they will show later.

Once you get to this point, turn the work 45 degrees and continue as before to complete the "cross" shape.

Each corner has two Bullions, pull tight so that they are small and the centre of the "cross" shape opens up.

Working clockwise, make two Bullions on all outside corners.

Not bad, Bruna Gubbini's are truly beautiful but this one turned out okay for me although I had to do a few tries to get my Bullions small enough to fit them all around the "cross" and still have a hole in the centre.

What do you think? In groups they are magnificent or they can be used as the centre of a bigger Satin Stitched flower. Doing a few of them will definitely get you over any Bullion Knot fear you might have! The raised element sits very nicely on top of the fabric providing texture to your work.

If you would like to read more about the author, go to Tuttoricamo and click on the British flag for the English pages, then click on "Prominent Characters", then under the "Today" column you'll find Bruna Gubbini. I watched her buying some fun fabrics at a quilting booth at the Italia Invita Forum... it make me wonder what lovely creations she'll have in her next book!

This book can be purchased online directly from the Associazione Il Punto Antico's editorial website.

Needle-Tatted Jewelry

2011-07-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

We looked at some Filet Lace jewelry here, so now let's look at some Needle-Tatted jewelry!

Alicja Kwartnik has a new book out and this one is totally dedicated to Needle-Tatted jewelry:

Needle tatting is simpler than shuttle tattling (so it says in the introduction of Creare Gioielli [Create Jewelry]) and is also better suited to individual creativity.

"Creating necklaces, bracelets and earrings has amused us for years. Making original and unique jewelry which goes perfectly with our own style and clothing gives us great satisfaction."

Alicja invites the reader to try something new, to add semi-precious stones, crystals, beads and other decorative elements to their Needle-Tatted jewelry choosing from the vast selection of threads which are available on the market today.

The book has 10 projects which then branch off and show you how to create many more once you have understood the basics of attaching things like beads, closure hardware, hooks for earrings and the like. Each project teaches a different method and at the end of the book there are lots of colour photos of different ideas for other projects.

Clear and precise colour step-by-step photos and illustrations are found throughout:

"At the end of this book, you will have acquired the skill to create your own jewelry. Ideas for getting started can be found in any Tatting publication, for example you can take an element from a doily and make it into a beautiful necklace, bracelet or pair of earrings."

Suitable for both beginners and experts alike, Creare Gioielli is 64 pages of inspiration to stimulate your creativity! I don't do Needle Tatting, but I really want to make some of the earrings in this book!

Needlework ribbons

2011-07-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

At the Italia Invita Forum in 2009, designer Guido Fauro requested the collaboration of the lacemakers and embroiderers who were exhibiting at the Forum for help in creating two bridal bouquets, one of needlework flowers and one of needlework ribbons to go with his cut paper bouquet for his display corresponding with the Forum's theme of Weddings Italian Style.

Over 50 exhibitors answered the call and produced some incredible needlework flowers and ribbons.

Guido Fauro's cut paper bouquet:

The floral bouquet:

And the ribbon bouquet:

In the July/August 2011 issue of Piecework, you can find my article on these bouquets and a project of the two intricate needle lace and embroidered ribbons by the maestra Elisabetta Holzer Spinelli which were included in the Italia Invita ribbon bouquet.

Many thanks to Luisa for the use of her photos!

Round Knotted Netting

2011-07-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

I told you about Enza Termine of Sicily and her Round Filet Netting in this post here last year but I didn't have any photos of my own to show you her exquisite work.

That has changed, look what came in the mail today!

Hand-made knotted netting made with gold thread by Enza Termine.

Hand-made rete a rosoni [circular netting] by Enza Termine.

Today I received two pieces hand-made by Enza herself and they are marvelous! I can't stop looking at them.

Enza has a tutorial (in Italian) on her website for the art of Round Knotted Netting, and you can find an English translation of an article she wrote on the subject at Tuttoricamo, click on the British Flag for the English pages, then click on "Techniques", then "Filet and Bosa Filet", then click on the word "circular" in the fifth paragraph. There are also some great tutorials in English at Rita Bartholomew's website here. There is a bit on circular netting here.

Thank you Enza!!

Goldwork in Bologna

2011-07-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

Some of the best places to see needlework when you're traveling is in religious buildings. There are usually excellent examples of the best needlework as historically the Church had money to spend and the habit of conserving their embroideries well.

The Basilica of San Francesco in Bologna is no exception, when we walked into the 13th century building I was immediately struck by a stunning Goldwork altarcloth:

Besides couched gold threads there are also areas of raised plating to accent the turn-over parts of the leaves.

Jewels and other ornaments are worked right into this amazing piece.

Bobbin lace at the top made of gold thread and gold fringe at the bottom!

This altarcloth was a work of particular magnificence, utilizing many of the techniques and materials of Goldwork embroidery. It was so incredible and so well executed! If Goldwork interests you and you're in Bologna, don't miss the opportunity to study this piece!

There was also a lot of other needlework on display in the Basilica, like cutwork and needlelace but we'll look at those another time.

Anghiari Embroidery

2011-07-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

Anghiari is a town in Tuscany located northeast of Arezzo. The town is perhaps most well-known for the Battle of Anghiari fought in 1440 and painted by Leonardo DaVinci in a fresco at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence between 1504 and 1505. The fresco was lost but a drawing by Peter Paul Rubens around 1603 is said to be a copy of the center scene, perhaps you recognize it:

The Battle of the Standard by Peter Paul Rubens, image taken from Wikipedia.

In the early twentieth century Anghiari was, like many Italian towns, participating in an arts and crafts movement with laboratories of needlework springing up all over Italy to provide women with a means to earn money and support their families. Ladies of the aristocracy promoted and supported these schools and workshops and much of the handiworks produced were exported to other countries for sale.

A lady from the UK by the name of Beatrice Lyle Smith living near Anghiari was instrumental in the production of Anghiari Embroideries beginning around 1901.

A photo from the Italian Almanac for 1904 shows a picture of the rustic style of Anghiari Embroideries:


From the collection of Bianca Rosa Bellomo, Italy. Almanacco Italiano 1904, R. Bemporad e Fo. Editori, Firenze, pg. 336.

The world had already seen Anghiari Embroideries displayed at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Arts in Turin in 1902 resulting in a flood of orders and praise. I saw the catalogue of this exposition sitting on the shelf in one of the displays in the Liberty House Museum in Chiaramonte Gulfi and begged the curators to let me look at it but alas, they refused.

In 1904 at the World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri "Ethle-Beatrice Smith, Arezzo", took a gold medal for hand embroidery. I have been unsuccessful in finding out more about this prize-winning piece, the people at the 1904 World's Fair Museum tell me it is unlikely that a photo would have been taken of it, even though it won a gold medal.

Anghiari Embroideries are mentioned in reviews of the works at the 1906 World's Fair in Milan and other international exhibitions in Europe during the early part of the 20th century.

In 1907 in Venice at the Seventh International Exposition of the Arts, Anghiari Embroidery was featured as part of a doorway exhibit with "Bice Smith" mentioned:

From the collection of Claudio Romeo, Italy.

Close up detail of the photo above. From the collection of Claudio Romeo, Italy.

From the collection of Bianca Rosa Bellomo, Italy.

No trace of existing pieces of Anghiari Embroidery in Italy have been found, as the works were mostly made for export to the United States, I had hoped to find some examples on this side of the Atlantic, but I have been unsuccessful so far.

More precise information on the execution of Anghiari Embroidery and the information which has been found can be read at TuttoRicamo, click on the British flag for the English version, then "Techniques", then "Anghiari Embroideries".

If you know anything or have seen anything of Anghiari Embroideries in the US or elsewhere, would you leave a comment below?

Heartfelt thanks go to Claudio Romeo and Bianca Rosa Bellomo for permission to use their photos!

San Vero Milis

2011-06-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

I met so many talented stitchers on my last trip to Italy. I have to tell you about a fantastic lady from San Vero Milis in Sardinia. Her name is Rossella and she invited us to her lovely home and showed us lots of her needlework of which I can only show you a few pieces today as unfortunately most of my photos did not come out well.

Rossella is curious about all kinds of embroidery and needlework and she has tried many different techniques!

Punto Madama or Catherine de' Medici Embroidery

Fantastic Macramé fringe!

These last two Filet Lace pieces are designs by Maria Lai a famous Sardinian artist who uses textiles in her art. Rossella arranged for us to meet her but I'll tell you about that in another post.

After showing us her needlework and offering us coffee and delicious typical Sardinian pastries, we all piled into our cars and drove to Bosa, for a meeting with the ladies from the association La Foce which practices the ancient art of Bosa Filet Lace. Rossella had arranged for us to visit during one of their sessions where many ladies were working on fine pieces of Bosa Filet Lace.

I wish we could have spent more time in San Vero Milis, they have lots of artisan traditions and the scenery is breathtaking. I'll have to go back!

Burano Lace Museum Reopens

2011-06-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

Burano Lace Museum under restoration in 2009

The Museo del Merletto on Burano in the lagoon of Venice re-opens it's doors tomorrow after years of restoration, reorganization and restructurization!

You can find the museum in the Podestà di Torcello in Piazza Galuppi at number 187 on the island of Burano. Take the Linea LN vaporetto from Fondamenta Nuova to get to Burano, it takes about 40 minutes.

Here is a translation of what is written about the opening exhibition:

The exhibition, organized for the inauguration, by Doretta Davanzo Poli [author and expert see a list of her publications here], features over 150 pieces of lace selected from the most significant collections of Venetian Civic Museums, as well as some paintings, engravings, drawings, documents, magazines, textiles and costumes from the 15th to the 20th centuries.

During the opening hours of the museum you can see the work of skilled and tireless lace masters, still custodians of an art passed down from generation to generation.

The new museum guide will be available from the 27th of June in all the bookstores of the Fondazione Musei Civici.

Colourful houses on Burano

Burano is worth the trip without the museum but with the museum it would be exceptional! Beware of lace pieces with prices too good to be true... they are made in China!

You can check out a video made by master lacemaker Lucia Costantini in the Burano Lace Museum here.

Thanks to Vima for the heads-up!

Old Italian Needlework Encyclopedia

2011-06-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

I recently made a great find on the Italian version of ebay, Il Nuovo Libro dei Lavori Femminili, Volume Primo [The New Book of Woman's Works, First Volume] by Amelia Brizzi Ramazzotti, Sonzogno, Milan. The first volume of an old Italian needlework encyclopedia from 1911:

Now, I thought, it's probably a lot like the DMC encyclopedia which pre-dates it by a few years but it will be interesting to have all the same - I was wrong - the illustrations are drawn in a similar style but that's about it. This book definitely has Italian taste where needlework is concerned!

Check out the delightfully strange creature for embroidery on Tulle:

I love the softening of the straight lines of hemstitching with these lovely floral patterns:

Some of the drawn-threadwork section looked familiar... I found it had been previously published in the weekly women's journal Il Ricamo, No. 1, 1906 which was also published by Sonzogno. In the 1906 journal it says that the article is a continuation from Il Ricamo No. 53, 1905. Unfortunately Elena at Italian Needlecrafts doesn't have that issue so I can't check it out (she has generously put up scans of many issues though, have a look when you get the chance!). However it would seem that the author Amelia Brizzi Ramazzotti had material for this particular encyclopedia well before it's publication in 1911. The preface of the encyclopedia says only that she saw the need for a book which had all the techniques of women's work complied together, not that she had taken material from existing publications though it would seem reasonable that she collected material from the same publishing house and a journal that she was the director of.

This is a pattern for bretelle which are braces embroidered in Stem Stitch... I wonder what it would be applied to... an apron? Worn over a blouse? If you know, please leave a comment below!

The book has five sections: sewing; whitework; coloured work which has four sub-sections: silk embroidery, goldwork, beadwork, paillettework; drawn-threadwork and Hardanger. In the silk embroidery section there is also silk-ribbonwork featuring many designs with complex compositions of silk-ribbon flowers:

It is a great addition to my library and I hope one day to find the second volume which has chapters on: Embroidery on Tulle; Filet work; Knitting; Crochet; Macramé, Tatting; Bobbin Lace, Renaissance Lace, Teneriffe Lace and Needle Lace.

The author Amelia Brizzi Ramazzotti (1872 - 1945) edited and/or wrote several publications in the early 20th century and was the director of the needlework journal Il Ricamo [Embroidery] and Il Ricamo Moderno [Modern Embroidery] during the same period. I have been unsuccessful in finding out much on the life of Amelia Brizzi Ramazzotti, if you know anything would you leave a comment below?

I've been corresponding with assistant professor Dr. Silvia Valisa at the State University of Florida who is researching old publications from the Sonzogno publishing house of Milan. She is involved in Project Sonzogno which is trying to collect at least one copy of every old Sonzogno publication for the Sonzogno Historical Library and compiling a catalogue listing of the old publications. Whenever you come across an old Sonzogno publication, please contact her if you don't see it in her catalogue listings either here or here.

Veronese Crochet Lace Samples!

2011-06-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

Just before I left for Italy I received a delightful package in the mail (I just love getting things in the mail, this strike is killing me!)

Donatella Granzarolo, one of the authors of the book Pizzo di Verona - Veronese Crochet Lace, sent me the above samples that she had made so I could see for myself the loveliness of her work.

I love the intricacy of this lace. Anna Castagnetti, another one of the authors of the book sent me the crochet and cro-tat hooks used to make Veronese Crochet Lace... sizes 1.0 and 1.5!! They are **so** tiny!

Speaking of Anna, there is a lovely little video of her explaining about her work on the Italian program Voce delle Donne [Voices of the Women]. Even if you don't understand Italian, you can see her passion for her work in how she talks about it and the woman interviewing her shows some of Anna's finished pieces of embroidery and lace.

p.s. If you go to Anna's website, you can download the original books on Veronese Crochet Lace published in the early 20th century!

Puncetto Workshop

2011-06-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

While in Italy at the Italia Invita Forum in Parma this past month, I took a three-day workshop with the Puncetto needle lace maestra Angela Stefanutto of the Società Operaia di Mutuo Soccorso di Varallo from the Piedmont region of Italy.

Angela was an incredibly patient teacher and she had her hands full! There were six of us, two ladies from Spain, two Italian ladies, a lady from Israel and myself. One of the Italian ladies was also an English language interpreter for the Israeli lady and Angela was able to speak to the Spanish ladies in their mother tongue. I admired everyone greatly as learning and teaching an embroidery technique is difficult enough but having to switch languages while you're doing it is even more challenging. Angela was never impatient and made sure that we were all able to finish our little square of Puncetto needle lace by the end of the course. We each got a little certificate for having completed the workshop and Angela was surprised by getting her own certificate for having taught us! She was a very sweet lady and I enjoyed her very much.

Here she is in the Puncetto booth at the show:

Angela Stefanutto.

My little square is quite warped but I felt very good leaving the class having learned so much just by watching Angela work her magic hands with the needle and thread.

The Puncetto square is worked first and then inserted into the fabric.

Nothing was a problem, not even when I broke my thread, our maestra had a work-around for every difficulty we encountered. For those that finished early, she showed us a little fancy Puncetto edging:

The Ventaglietto or little fan edging is done by hooking onto the hem of the fabric.

Then she showed us the two books that she co-wrote and all of the beautiful pieces of Puncetto needle lace she had done which were featured in the books. I was delighted to discover that I had both of her books at home!

Book number one is really for advanced levels or for once you have a good understanding of the technique.

Book number two which is really the one you need to get started.

I was excited about getting home to now finally understand the patterns which I had been unsure about when working on my own.

Angela told us that if we were ever in her neighbourhood, she taught Puncetto classes for the Società Operaia di Mutuo Soccorso di Varallo. One day I hope to visit her and do just that!

In the meantime, there is a series of German videos on YouTube which show you some Puncetto basics.

Florence and Needlework shopping

2011-06-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of other places to add to my post about great textile-related shopping places in Florence.

As some of you may have already read, in this post I told you about some of my discoveries the last time I was there (make sure to read the comments below that post as other people added places too).

This time we noticed a few other places worth checking out...

Campolmi Roberto Filati is almost right behind the Duomo in the historic centre of Florence in Via Folco Portinari no. 19/21 Red. The sell large cones and skeins of yarns and threads of all types, though they specialize in wools. Their prices were fantastic, we saw big cones of embroidery cotton no. 25 for 2 euros! The shop is quite large so make sure you go all the way in and around to the left at the back to see everything. The front window display is quite inviting and well presented but inside the shop there is no decor. Don't let that put you off and be sure to ask about anything you don't see, the ladies know their inventory!

There are the two TAF (which stands for: Tovagliati Artistici Fiorentini or Artistic Florentine Tablelinens) stores in Via Por Santa Maria, no. 17 Red and across the street at no. 22 Red which have beautiful hand-embroidered things, there is one store on one side of the street and the other store which specializes in baby and children's things on the other side, don't miss looking at the window displays of both stores... the children's items store also has a huge display window above the street level window.

We stumbled across this store at Via Lambertesca, no. 8 Red called Laura Nutini:

Unfortunately it was closed for the afternoon lunchtime but there was lots of needlework in the window! I'll have to check it out next time.

Filet Lace Jewelry

2011-06-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

An interesting and attractive approach to wearable art! Filet Lace Jewelry made in Sardinia.

This necklace was a gift to me, it is hand-made Sardinian Filet Lace from Cagliari which has then been coated with fabric glue and then painted with fabric paint so it is durable and can get wet without destroying the work.

Each piece is made on a frame in the traditional Sardinian way, the Filet Lace is then embellished with coral, Swarovski crystals or other semi-precious stones and then treated with non-toxic fabric paints and glues. The hardware is made of silver or gold-plated brass or other non-nickel metals.

These Filet Lace Jewelry creations are the work of Mariangela Porcu, an embroiderer and teacher of Sardinian Filet Lace.

She makes pendants, earrings, bracelets and sets from traditional Sardinian Filet Lace as the base of the designs. All of her creations are exquisite!

Click here to see an exhibit of some of her brooches and other Filet Lace Jewelry.

While you're visiting Mariangela Porcu's website, don't miss the gallery of photos of her lovely Sardinian Filet Lace works!

Antique Deruta Embroidery Book

2011-06-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

I have written previously about Antique Deruta Embroidery which is a pulled thread technique (not to be confused with Deruta Drawn Thread Work or Coloured Deruta Embroidery). Modern Buratto fabric and linen thread are used and this embroidery it is especially effective when done on curtains as the patterns show up nicely when light is behind them.

I was delighted to find that the Accademia Punto Deruta had finally published a book on this technique after more than 15 years of researching ancient pieces. There is a bit of the history of the different Deruta embroidery techniques on the first page and then 12 patterns for Antique Deruta Embroidery which have photos of the patterns stitched up beside each one so you can see the end result, these are followed by instructions on how to execute the two main stitches and photos of different typical hem treatments, then instructions on how to make a tassel with a fuseruola or ceramic bead. After that there is a page on the history of the fuseruola and a series of photos.

In 2007 at the Italia Invita Forum, I tried to do some of this embroidery. Here is a little square that I finished (the rest is still waiting for me to pick it up again!)...

...you can see the hole that is formed by the path of the pulled threads in the middle. The secret to Antique Deruta Embroidery is the path of your stitches.

Here is a tassel made with the linen thread used in the embroidery and attached to the hem of a piece of Antique Deruta Embroidery, notice the fuseruola:

And here you can see the beautiful effect of Antique Deruta Embroidery on table linen:

You can read the history of Antique Deruta Embroidery at the Tuttoricamo website, click on the British Flag for the English pages, then 'Techniques', then 'Deruta Embroidery', don't miss the history page under the 'Links' heading on this page.

If you would like to get this book, contact Anna Lisa Piccioni, President of the Accademia Punto Deruta: annalisapiccioni@gmail.com

Sicilian Drawn Thread Work

2011-05-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

In April I went to Sicily with a stitching friend to take a Sicilian Drawn Thread Work course from Roberta Rizza in Comiso.

Roberta has a lovely shop in Comiso called Passione Ricamo (at the corner of Via Salvatore Quasimodo and Via dei Roveri) where she and her mother Franca run workshops and have a large display area for all their wonderful embroideries.

Lots of beautiful things in the shop windows!

There is a special area for embroidery courses well away from the commercial area with lots of great lighting. The course lasted three days for a total of 12 hours. We started on a Wednesday morning and our fabric was presented to us already cut and ready to go.

We learned that Sicilian Drawn Thread Work is made up of three principal types: '400, '500 and '700 and a few variations. The '500 Inverso is a variation of the '500. Patterns from the different historical periods are traditionally used with each different type (eg. patterns from the 15th century are used with '400 and so on). You can, however, use any cross stitch or filet pattern you like for executing this kind of embroidery.

A netted ground is prepared for most types of Sicilian Drawn Thread Work by cutting the ground fabric warp and weft threads and then wrapping the bars with thread. The fabric used is usually a high count evenweave linen. For the Cloth Stitch which is used in the '400 type of Sicilian Drawn Thread Work the fabric is then "rewoven" back into the netted ground with thread to fill the squares of the design. The '400 is done before wrapping the netted ground. For '700 the design is woven onto the completed netted ground using the Darning Stitch. Here is an example of the two types together, the top left corner is the '700 and the petals are done in the '400:

In the '500 type of Sicilian Drawn Thread Work the design area is not cut out of the middle of the netted ground but instead the ground fabric is left and it is outlined with an overcasting stitch:

'500 Inverso is the design made up of the netting and an overcast stitch outlining the edge of the design:

Here is our course project, the first photo is what I've got done so far on mine and then a photo of the finished stitched sample in the shop:

On the last day of the course, we were taught how to cut the fabric. Of course I miscalculated and cut mine wrong! It is fantastic to have a teacher to explain everything to you, so much more enjoyable than learning from a book at home alone! I feel confident in cutting out a new design but I'll have to lock myself in a room alone with no distractions to do it!

Roberta is an excellent teacher and gave us lots of hints and tips for working our patterns. She likes to travel around Italy to teach and you can invite her to your place by giving her a call: +39 333 705 3976.

There is an excellent tutorial at Tuttoricamo, click on the British flag for the English pages, then click on "How it's done" and then on "Sicilian Drawn Thread Work".

Thanks to Elisabetta for the photo of the works in the shop window!

The Parish of San Giovanni Suergiu

2011-05-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Parish photo copyright by giorgiodiana

While in San Giovanni Suergiu in Sardinia this past month, I visited a stitching group which calls the Parish of San Giovanni Suergiu home.

These ladies donate their earnings from embroideries sold at two exhibitions a year to six children adopted from the Garba Catholic Mission Camp Isiolo in Eastern Kenya.

The were kind enough to let us join them, once in the afternoon and once in the morning for a bit of stitching. The range of work that they do goes from classic embroideries like works of cutwork and counted threadwork, to knitting and crochet and everything in between.

They also do work on commission like the bomboniere for weddings, first communions and other special events.

The ladies also proudly showed us the embroidery of the Parish itself, there were so many beautiful works!

This is "false cutwork", the red part is painted with fabric paint and the design is executed with chain stitches.

Of course they do works of Bosa Filet:

With one of the ladies from this group, we went to Bosa to visit with La Foce, a group of women who study and work this ancient Sardinian technique, but more on that later...

Visit the blog of this group from the Parish of San Giovanni Suergiu to see all of the beautiful things they make!

Borders of Aemilia Ars

2011-05-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

The long awaited Bordi [Borders] of the Quaderni di Aemilia Ars series is out!

78 pages of clear instructions on how to make this breathtakingly beautiful needle lace.

Once again the pupils of the Aemilia Ars master Antonilla Cantelli have worked hard to bring you step-by-step instructions. This book is in the same format as their previous publication Fiori [Flowers], this time they present numerous borders, edgings and inserts with large clear colour photos.

If you are a regular reader of this blog you will know that I have spoken often and lovingly of Aemilia Ars needle lace. It is truly a jewel in the crown of needlearts.

The ladies of the Association I Merletti di Antonilla Cantelli also had a booth at the Italia Invita Forum in Parma this year and it was full of exquisite pieces of Aemilia Ars needle lace, both new and old (click on the underlined text for some pictures).

I was the lucky recipient of this needle lace flower which is absolutely perfectly made and attached to some wire so that you can hook it around a button:

While in Bologna, I couldn't miss the opportunity to revisit the Collezioni Comunali d’Arte museum and the only continuous exhibit of Aemilia Ars needle lace that I know of.

Can you see the snails? Ah well, more about that later...

If you're interested in the book on Aemilia Ars needle lace borders or even the one on flowers, check out the online needlework store Italian Needlecrafts.

As always, many thanks to Elisabetta for the photo from the museum in Bologna!

Deruta Drawn Thread Work - Deruta Sfilato

2011-05-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

About this time last year, I wrote a post about the Castello di Verrazzano in Tuscany and the unusual needlework on the curtains we found there.

This year at the Italia Invita Forum in Parma, there was a small booth filled with this needlework called Deruta Sfilato or Deruta Drawn Thread Work. The booth was displaying the work of Maria Elide Melani and the Association Ago, Aga e Fantasia of Pistoia.

I was delighted to meet Maria as we had exchanged some emails some time ago regarding the curtains at the Castello Verrazzano. She has been very busy researching this technique and producing some wonderful needlework.

This shawl for a bridal gown is exquisite:

And there are matching shoes!

Maria decided to exhibit the work at the Italia Invita Forum this year to see if anyone was interested in it. From what I saw of the continuous crowds around the booth and the talk of the people attending, Deruta Drawn Thread Work has a solid future and we will be seeing more of it in the future.

The Association Ago, Aga e Fantasia is offering an intensive embroidery course on Deruta Sfilato from June 17 - 19, 2011 at the Hotel Leon Bianco in Pistoia - how I would love to go... isn't it beautiful?

Corso Intensivo di Deruta Sfilato

Some days later in Florence, we came across the hand embroidery shop TAF at no. 17-red in Via Por Santa Maria and spotted what looked like the same kind of needlework:

As the shop was closed, we returned the next day to ask about it. We were told that the price was reduced as they only had pink tablecloths left and didn't think they could get any more of this kind of embroidery as it was done by elderly embroiderers in the areas surrounding Florence.

I was also told by another person that this kind of embroidery is done in the Sorrento area of southern Italy. Hmmm... this will mean further investigation into the roots of this needlework!

At the website Tuttoricamo, you can read some history about Deruta Drawn Thread Work, from the homepage, click on the British Flag for the English pages, then on "Techniques", then on "Deruta Drawn Thread Work", there are some pictures of a couple of fantastic cushions there too.

Italian Holiday

2011-05-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

Well, if you've been wondering what had happened to me, I've been in Italy for a month!

I just got back and haven't unpacked yet but I wanted to give you a little preview of things to come...

I visited Bologna (needlelace piece from the Collezioni Comunali d’Arte Museum in Bologna):

...Sicily (sign for the Drawn Thread Work Museum in Chiaramonte Gulfi):

...Sardinia (Byssus Museum in Sant'Antioco):

...Parma (Puncetto stand at the Italia Invita Textile Forum 2011):

...and Florence (Palazzo Davanzati Museum and the trapunto quilt reproduction stitched by Silvana Vannini):

It was a needlework-themed holiday and I saw and did so very many lovely things!

Special thanks to Elisabetta for the photos of Bologna and Sicily!

Please be patient while I get myself organized and start to answer all your emails!!

Gabriella Pescucci

2011-04-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

There is a new television series on Showtime called The Borgias. Always a sucker for a period piece, I tuned in...

Wow! It's beautiful! Historical inaccuracies are a bit disturbing but it's worth tuning in to enjoy the costumes!

It did not surprise me in the least to discover that the costume designer for this series is the extremely gifted, academy award-winning Italian costume designer Gabriella Pescucci.

Gabriella Pescucci has caught my attention many times with her talents, perhaps you have admired her work without knowing who she was, there is a list of her projects here. She studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence and has worked with some of Italy's most famous costume designers, directors, filmakers and theatres. She worked with the Tirelli Costume firm in Rome, click on their name to explore their website for some eye candy!

If you can make it to Turin for the 150th anniversary celebrations, you can check out the Fashion in Italy exhibit at the Venaria Reale under the art direction of Gabriella Pescucci and Franca Sozzani which has some pieces from the Tirelli collection.

There is an interview with Gabriella Pescucci in the book Costume Design by Deborah Nadoolman Landis, and you can feel the love of what she does through how she describes working on costumes and with fabrics. Here you can see a short video of her talking about how she enjoys her work, and here there are a few seconds of her describing her work (with subtitles) on The Borgias (at 1:40).

Explore the Showtime website Borgia Wiki for more on the costumes of the series, as this show is brand new there is not a lot of material there but they add more after each episode.

Unusual Puncetto

2011-04-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

While admiring the geometric designs of Puncetto on this blog, I remembered seeing some unusual Puncetto work at the Poldi Pezzoli museum in Milan.

Check out these unusual designs:

I marvel at the skill and imagination and would love to know how to create these motifs!

If you can get your hands on the early 20th century booklet called Il Puncetto by Amelia Brizzi Ramazzotti, there are all kinds of pictures of unusual designs, like this one below:

I was lucky enough to download a copy when TuttoRicamo was still an active website, sadly their collection of downloadable books is no longer available. **Update, Tuttoricamo has been reborn in blog format, so I have updated this link!

There is a lady in Israel who is making nice progress figuring out how to do Puncetto and she's even done some animated YouTube videos. Check out her blog for the whole series of instructions!

Special thanks to Stefania for the photos from the Poldi Pezzoli museum!

Macrame Fringes

2011-04-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

I have been asked to tell you a bit about Italian Macramé Fringes for things like towels, placemats, tablecloths and other household furnishings. North Americans tend to think nostalgically to the 1970s and hemp macraméd plant holders and the like but in Italy, Macramé is still very much alive in the textile arts and in use frequently.

I showed you some summer Macramé purses that I saw in a shop window in Cesena and we talked about tassels and Macramé here and here.

What I saw most often in Italy however were Macramé Fringes of both the simpliest and the most elaborate combinations, all making the finishing touch on very attractive pieces.

In the Collezioni Comunali d’Arte Museum in Bologna there are several exquisite Macramé Fringe samples.

Here are a couple of my photos which turned out, there were many others but alas, my photographs are terrible! These Macramé Fringes are very small and delicate.

Here is an example of Macramé Fringe from the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan:

An excellent book on Macramé Fringes with text in Italian and English is Macramé in Toscana by Cristina Notore:

It has many clear colour diagrams and lots of full colour photos of magnificent Macramé Fringes.

Macramé Fringes are worked on pillows, held either in the lap or on a tabletop, covered in striped or gingham fabric to be used to keep the knots lined up all the way across and evenly spaced. Large-headed pins keep the work securely fastened to the pillow. Materials used can be the warp threads of the actual furnishing you are making the Macramé Fringe for, Pearl Cotton, Cotone Povero or just about anything you like. A crochet hook helps with the pulling through of threads.

Here Liliana Babbi Cappelletti demonstrates on a Macramé pillow made of upholstery foam of her own design:

Special thanks to Stefania for the photo from the Poldi Pezzoli Museum!

Aemilia Ars Exhibit in Bologna April 10 - May 15

2011-04-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

Oh to be in Bologna in springtime... this springtime!

At the Museo Davia Bargellini, Strada Maggiore, 44 in Bologna there will be an Aemilia Ars exhibit called: Aemilia Ars: merletti di inchiostro per merletti di filo. [Aemilia Ars: ink laces for thread laces] It is an exhibition of antique designs from the Aemilia Ars workshop, purchased by the City of Bologna in 1937.

I've translated the description from the website link above:

The exhibition is 30 antique designs from the early 20th century drawn for the embroidery and lace section of the Aemilia Ars Society.

Sketches of large tablecloths are exhibited alongside detailed drawings, designed by Alfonso Rubbiani, Alfredo Tartarini, Alberto Pasquinelli and other designers who prepared them in order to aid embroiderers and lacemakers to create with the needle the refined and much sought after textile products which were sold around the world.

Thanks to the efforts of the promoter of this commercial company, Lina Bianconcini Cavazza, at the end of the nineteenth century a new technique of needle lace was developed, today commonly called 'Aemilia Ars', suitable both for reproducing the drawings published in sixteenth and seventeenth century pattern books and to create works in line with the contemporary Art Nouveau taste; an essential step in the realization of the artefacts was the preparation of designs with specific characteristics which established artists performed by translating these cultural stimuli.

For the occasion of the exhibition Aemilia Ars: ink laces for thread laces, some events are dedicated also to modern 'Aemilia Ars lace' - at the Davia Bargellini Museum you can admire the lace and embroidery workshop's original designs which are usually kept in depositories to better ensure their conservation.

These valuable materials will be able to interact with some examples of decorative ironwork preserved in the first room of the museum, in particular the spectacular sign of the Sante Mingazzi workshop and the refined gate of the Matteucci of Faenza company; in fact, these craftsmen were themselves a part of the artistic craftsman redevelopment project sponsored by the Aemilia Ars Society, active from 1898 to 1903.

Other events in conjunction with the exhibition will be three presentations sponsored by the Italian book store Feltrinelli in Piazza Galvani: a volume published for FENDI about the ability of Italian handicrafts; the books dedicated to Aemilia Ars needle lace produced by the Association Il Punto Antico of San Giovanni in Persiceto and a free workshop on the making of Aemilia Ars needle lace by teachers from the Association Il Punto Antico.

The event inauguration will be April 9th at 5pm at the Museo Davia Bargellini.

If you are in Bologna for this event, do not miss the stunning collection of needle lace pieces at the Collezioni Comunali d'Arte Museum!!!

Assisi Pattern Source

2011-04-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note today about a website with some fantastic patterns for Assisi Embroidery (among many other types!). Worth a look and some time spent exploring!

Check out Jos Hendrik's website Embroidery and Embroider.

Special thanks to Marnie and her Country Fried Stitches blog, without her I would never have discovered this wonderful source of patterns!

Cyber Classes

2011-03-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Something exciting for those of you who can't get to Italy to take a class in Reticello embroidery!

The Embroiderers' Guild of South Australia is holding cyber classes!

You don't have to be a member of the Guild to participate, though of course costs are higher for non-members. Costs, however are very low and the chance to study under embroidery master Christine P. Bishop is a treat in itself (click on her name to visit her website).

Right now you can sign up for a cyber class of an intricate cutwork purse with "reticella style fillings".

Cutwork purse with reticella style fillings by Christine P. Bishop.

Sign up ends May 9th with course completion by June 13th. This cyber class is a 4 week class so the cost is $35.00 Australian dollars for non-members of the Guild and an additional $17 AUD for materials plus shipping.

Take a look at all the pages under the Cyber Classes tab on the Embroiderer's Guild of South Australia website to fully understand how their cyber classes work. Christine tells me that due to her busy schedule of teaching, she may not be able to do another cyber class for some time so if you've been longing to study with her, wanting to try some Reticello, or been intimidated by non-English instructions, now is your chance!

If you would like to learn more about Christine P. Bishop visit her website or Tuttoricamo (click on the British flag for the English pages then click on "Prominent Characters" then under the "Today" heading click on her name).

One year later and an award!

2011-03-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

Well here I am one year after starting this blog. 176 posts was all I could manage in a year. I had rather hoped to post everyday and it started out that way, but then I took on more and more projects... I just can't say no to interesting collaborations!

However, I'm still here and I still hope for time to post more often. There are some 200+visitors a day which I find mind-boggling. I have heard from so many people! Some looking into research, others are people hoping to sell antique pieces of needlework, still others are people looking for appraisals!

I never even thought about what I would do about receiving messages from people... it never occurred to me that anyone would write to me. Now I am often overwhelmed by the amount of email to be answered and have some messages still in my inbox from last August!

I recently received an award from a fantastic blogger named Racaire who lives in Vienna. You can read her blog here. I received the same award from Eva in Finland, you can read her blog here. The requirements of receipt of this award as I understand them is to answer the following questions and then nominate five other blogs. I have to say that blogging myself has made me much more aware of other bloggers and it is difficult to choose only five gorgeous blogs but I will list my choices at the end of this post, they of course follow my interests!

Gorgeous Blogger Award questions:
When did you start your blog?
I started this (my one and only blog) on March 21, 2010.
What do you write about?
I write about Italian needlework and pretty much anything Italian textile related.
What makes this special?
When I first discovered the Italian needlework arena, what I noticed most was how little was known about it to the English-speaking world and how many treasures were just waiting to be brought to light. The more needleworkers and textile enthusiasts I met, the more I wanted to show them the wonders of the Italian needlework and textile world.
What made you start writing?
After 10 years of collecting and exploring and researching, I felt it was time to share what I had discovered as I don't feel that all the information that I have collected should be closeted away for my own enjoyment. I am still learning so much that I think I will never run out of things to blog about!
What would you change in your blog?
If I could change anything it would be the amount of time I have to blog. I wish there were more hours in the day and I could post more often!

Five Gorgeous Blogs I pass on this award to:
Elisabetta - ricami a mano
The Textile Blog
Ricamo, fichi e fichi d'india
Dentelles d'abord
Ricami e... altro

There are so many others but I must stop at five.
Thank you dear readers for a very pleasurable year of blogging, I hope to deliver more interesting things to you in the year to come!

Italy's 150th Birthday

2011-03-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

2011 marks Italy's 150th birthday and the country is celebrating for 9 months! If you are planning a trip to Italy this year, don't forget to check for celebrations wherever you are going. Discover Italy in Turin has a lot to look at and plan for on their website (click on the British flag for the English pages).

Cover art for the book Le Donne del Risorgimento by Bruna Bertolo.

Among the things that are textile-related is the Fashion in Italy 150 years of Elegance exhibit which goes from July 23 to December 11, 2011 at the Venaria Reale about 10 km outside of the center of Turin.

There are several exhibits of Bandera Embroidery in Chieri.

Artisan exhibits with an "Arts and Crafts Supermarket" featuring textiles and other hand-crafted articles in Turin from March 17 to November 20, 2011.

In Como at the Silk Museum there is a lace exhibit from March 16 to April 29, 2011.

There are historical and cultural events in many cities and towns. Don't miss the opportunity to see period costumes and take advantage of reduced rates at many newly restored museums, palazzos and monuments. There will be shows, plays, films, books, historical documents - more than I can list.

Tricolore by Gaetano Ricchizzi.

Please let me know of any textile events you attend, I'd love to see photos!

Gigliuccio Hemstitch - Attaching the hem

2011-03-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

Lots of readers have asked if there is another way to attach a hem while doing the Gigliuccio or Peahole Hemstitch at the same time as executing the hemstitching instead of in a separate operation. The answer is yes! However, the rules of how to execute the Gigliuccio change and instead of executing the work on the frontside of your fabric, you will have to do everything on the backside.

I finally got around to reading up on my camera's settings and was able to do a relatively nice set of super-macro photos for this, though it took many tries and hundreds of photos! I got a great table-top tripod for Christmas from my photographer-daughter and with a ball-head attachment it is perfect for what I need it to do! (If you're wondering: the camera is a Canon S5 15 and the tripod is a Joby Gorillapod.)

So, withdraw your threads for the Gigliuccio hemstitch, turn up your hem and baste it down (to the backside of the fabric). I tied a knot in my thread and then went into my hem area about 2 inches away from where I wanted to start stitching. Come up at the top of the hem fold right where you want to begin. Just to be clear, you are coming up from inside the hem fabric, you are not catching any of the front fabric at all.

Step One: Moving left to right, slide the needle back toward the left under four ground threads:

Step Two: Insert the needle into the hem fabric without catching any of the front fabric to the right four threads, only catch about two ground threads of the hem fabric:

Step Three: Slide the needle behind the same four ground threads as in Step One:

Step Four: Moving diagonally to the right, go up and over four ground threads and slide the needle behind the four ground threads directly above:

Step Five: Insert the needle four ground threads to the right and down, coming out right where your previous stitching is:

Now we begin the whole procedure again, to the right four ground threads and slide the needle back toward the left under four ground threads and carry on from Step Two above:

This is what it should look like on the backside:

This is what it should look like on the frontside:

This is the first step of the Gigliuccio hemstitch which is, in this case, the Four-Sided Stitch and the Simple Hemstitch combined. You will have to do the second part of the Gigliuccio (the other row of Four-Sided Stitch and the bundle knotting) on the backside as well in order to have your stitching match. I hope to cover that in another post very soon.

An excellent book on the finer points of the Gigliuccio Hemstitch is Liliana Babbi Cappelletti's booklet which is available in Italian from Tombolo Disegni. There was an English version done (called Peahole Hemstitch), you may want to contact Elena of Italian Needlecrafts to see if it is still in print. The step-by-step images are fantastic and if you can't get your hands on the English version, you should have little trouble with the Italian version.

Shadow Work Embroidery

2011-03-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

While Shadow Work Embroidery is thought to have originated long ago in India, it is well known in Italy. There are lots of pieces to be appreciated in museum collections, look for it on handkerchiefs and table linens especially. The following three photos are of works at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan.


Here Shadow Work is used in the swirly designs which surround other techniques.

Made with the Herringbone Stitch (worked very close together) or the Double Back Stitch it can be worked on either the back or the front of the fabric and Italy's fantastic gauzy linen fabrics lend themselves nicely to the transparency which is an immediately recognizable characteristic of this technique.

Shadow Work is used here in the filling of the letter A.

In coloured or white threads, it is usually combined with other traditional needlework techniques like padded satin stitch, pulled thread filling stitches and many others.

Shadow Work fills the hanging flowers in this monogram.

Another recognizable characteristic is the bas-relief effect which can be rendered more dramatic with heavier threads and fabric. These images are from Punto Ombra by Carolina Maraini, N. Zanichelli, Bologna, 1924.

Front side of the work using heavier fabric and thread.

Back side of the work using heavier fabric and thread.

In the first years of the 20th century Carolina Maraini started a women's committee in Rieti (a couple of hours north-east of Rome) to promote local techniques and Punto Ombra or Shadow Work was the basis of the work. The designs and execution of the work coming from this group were widely known to be of very high quality giving a re-birth to this technique using floral and Vinci knot motifs. Signora Maraini used ivory carvings, wrought ironworks, designs from paintings, marble carvings, fabric designs, print designs and even floor patterns as inspiration for her works.

More can be learned about Carolina Maraini and her Shadow Work at the Tuttoricamo website. Click on the British Flag for the English pages, then "Techniques", then "Shadow Work". Make sure to click on the link to see a gorgeous coloured Shadow Work tea service tablecloth!

Thanks to Stefania for the use of her photos!

Rolled Hem - Corners

2011-02-26T14:32:00.000-08:00

Many people have written asking about how to do corners when doing a rolled hem. I have been trying to work up a tutorial for a while but I did about a dozen corners until I got one that was passable to show you - aside from the very first one I tried just to see if I remembered how to do it which of course, I didn't photograph! It is difficult to photograph and stitch at the same time and my daughter doesn't have the slightest inclination to help me out, so you'll have to forgive the photos. I hope they give you a little bit of an idea anyway.

One thing to note before we get started. I received lots of photos of what readers were trying out after following my rolled hem tutorial and I just have to tell you that when you are stitching into the roll, you do not exit out on to the front of the fabric. That is, when you catch a couple of threads of the roll to secure it down, you do so on the back of the work and you enter and exit the rolled fabric without ever coming out on the front.

Okay, so the corners: they are tricky but with a little practice (and some spit) you can do it!

When you get to the corner intersection of your Four-Sided Stitches, go up over a couple of ground threads and this time you do exit out onto the front of the work, catching one ground thread and the roll to secure the hem. This works great if you are stitching tone-on-tone, you'll never see this little stitch. However, if you are stitching with a thread colour that will be visible, go up a little farther so that when you roll the top hem over, your catching stitch will only be visible on the back of the work.

In the case of this hem, I have ten ground threads of fabric to roll. On the already rolled hem, I trim off the last bit of the roll (in this case about 4 threads):

This will make the top roll easier and less bulky but you must be careful that your edge does not unravel. Use a needle to wrap the top roll tightly - spit on your fingers for a better grip! Take your time with this step, if it's not a good roll, it will show.

The little catching stitch will now serve to hold down the roll as you turn the work and start your stitching as previously done when securing the rolled hem - that is, by entering the roll like the first photo here above.

The rolled hem corner works in theory just like a folded hem corner (not mitred), that is, one fold over the other with a little bit snipped off the edge of the hem that will be hidden. The photo above is the backside of the corner after completing the stitching.

This is the view from the front side:

I wish it was a little more even, but as you can see - I need to practice! I will be hiding my corners with tassels as they do in Assisi embroidery.

If anyone has any other tips for making this easier, please post a comment!

Luoghi e Volti del Punto Filza - new book

2011-02-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I received a lovely package of things from Italy which included a book on Punto Filza or the Running Stitch. Now, you're thinking: the Running Stitch – really? You might pass it by thinking you already know all about the Running Stitch. I must tell you, this book is definitely worth hunting down.

The Running Stitch might be a simple embroidery stitch that you think you know but here it is used to execute some very special embroidery techniques. Luoghi e Volti del Punto Filza translates as: Places and Faces of the Running Stitch.

The book is softcover with 95 pages of glossy photos, historical information and how-to instructions for a type of Sardinian embroidery known as Puntu Vanu and su Bastonete and other names, depending on the region. This is terribly exciting as Sardinian embroidery in general has been jealously guarded for centuries. Up until very recently it has been impossible to learn the stitches of the many beautiful styles. We talked a little previously about Punt a Brodu and Punt'e nù and this is another of the Sardinian techniques that has long eluded me.

The first half of the book is dedicated to the different regions of Sardinia with emphasis on Puntu Vanu which is kind of like smocking... but different. There are step-by-step photo sequences and charted patterns and though the text is in Italian, those that already know how to smock may be able to figure it out from the photos. I don't smock but I'll be trying it out just as soon as I can find the time.

The second half of the book looks at the Running Stitch in other kinds of Italian embroidery like Catherine de' Medici Embroidery, Assisi Embroidery, Trapunto, Ars Panicalensis and Embroidery on Tulle, Lampugnani and Antique Deruta Pulled Thread. Then the last section is about the Running Stitch in other kinds of embroidery in other countries of the world. There are lovely large photos accompanying almost every one.

The authors, Rosalba Lecca from Sardinia and Ebe Ciampalini Balestri from Tuscany have worked hard to present a comprehensive and fascinating text. Email Rosalba Lecca for purchasing information. When I have some info on overseas purchase availability, I will post again.

I have just learned that the book is available through Tombolo Disegni - send an email request to order and she accepts PayPal.

Botticelli in the Lombard Collections - Poldi Pezzoli Museum

2011-02-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

If you are anywhere near Milan before the end of this month and want to see some fantastic goldwork embroidery from 15th century Florence when it was at its height of splendor, you should head off to the Poldi Pezzoli Museum.

There you will find the hood of a cope executed from a cartoon by Botticelli (c.1480s) as part of a collection of liturgical vestments commissioned most probably by King John II of Portugal. The Portugese ambassador to Florence at the time, Cardinal James of Lusitania died in Florence in 1459 and was buried at the San Miniato al Monte Basilica of Florence. Great expense went into building and decorating the Chapel for the Cardinal and some of Florence's leading artists at the time contributed to the artwork and its construction.

The hood of this cope is done in silk shaded goldwork embroidery. Florence was well known for excellency in this technique as I told you about previously. The design is the Coronation of the Virgin. Information on it from the museum says "...is absolutely the most beautiful embroidery that has been handed down to us executed on the design of the artist."

Check out the details on the folds of this angel's robe (click on the photos for a closer look):

And the pattern designs on this architectural representation:

More exquisite details:

The exhibit: Botticelli in the Lombard Collections is to mark the 500th anniversary of the artist's death in 1510 and has been on display since this past November.

Photos courtesy of the Poldi Pezzoli Museum and are subject to copyright. They can be downloaded from the Museum's website and used only to promote the exhibit.

Thanks to Linda for making me look!

This exhibit has been extended until the 25th of March, 2011!

Italian Hope Chests

2011-02-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

I really am still here... just very busy, it won't last too much longer. In the meantime it occurred to me to point you to an article I wrote about the Italian Hope Chest (cassone in Italian) for TuttoRicamo. (**This article can now be found here)

It is a subject that fascinates me. Do you see the two ladies in the background of this marvelous Titian painting digging in what looks like a matching pair of cassoni?

A great book in English on painted cassoni of the Renaissance is The Triumph of Marriage by Cristelle Baskins. The painting above was done for a cassone by Botticelli and depicts the story of Lucrezia.

Venus of Urbino painted in 1538 by Titian - image courtesy of Wikipedia.
Story of Lucrezia painted between 1496 and 1504 by Botticelli - image courtesy of Wikipedia.