Three in One - new book!

The latest book from Giuseppa Federici revisits three techniques: Ars Aesis, Catherine de'Medici Embroidery and Buratto drawn-thread work.

This volume is 64 pages beginning with a little bit of history on Catherine de'Medici Embroidery, then some background on Buratto drawn-thread work and some instructions on how to do it and the things you'll need in general followed by a small ornament project which is used to explain how to execute the withdrawn area and fill it with a motif done in the linen stitch. There are a good 7 pages of step-by-step photos so if you don't speak Italian, you'll still get it. Ornament embellishment and assembly finish this section.

There are then seven projects combining Catherine de'Medici and Buratto drawn-thread work - some lovely border treatments here as well. After that are several pages of charted patterns for both techniques to be used with your own imagination to create other lovely things with the project of a small clasped purse to get you going.

Commercial Buratto fabric is loosely woven evenweave linen with about 16-18 threads per inch so withdrawing threads to create a netted ground lends itself beautifully to larger design areas which are completed relatively quickly. It goes fabulously with Catherine de'Medici Embroidery creating delights of light and dark areas of design.

The final section is on Ars Aesis and here you'll find several pattern designs, projects, borders and edgings though you'll need her first book for detailed instructions on how to execute some of the needle lace edgings. Just so I've said it, the text is all in Italian.

Now, you know how I love textured embroidery! I just had to get out my needle and thread to try one of the borders which I had previously admired in the first book:

Ars Aesis uses no. 10 crochet cotton for thread which provides a different finish from pearl cotton. In Europe, both DMC and Anchor market quite a few colours in this type of thread (DMC Babylo no. 10 and Anchor Freccia no. 12) however I'm having some difficulty sourcing much on this side of the pond.

If you know anywhere in North America which sells DMC Babylo no. 10 or Anchor Freccia no. 12 in anything other than white and ecru, would you leave a comment below?

In Europe you can purchase this book by bank transfer directly from the author herself. 

Tombolo Disegni has it for those of us not in Europe, it can be found in the section of books with Catherine de'Medici Embroidery.

Gigliuccio hemstitching done on the back side

A reader very kindly reminded me that I had never posted the second part of this post on finishing a hem with Gigliuccio hemstitching (Peahole hemstitch) executed on the back side of the fabric.

So, without further ado, here is how to do it. You need to execute this on the back side of the work because the four-sided stitching will match that of the series of stitches you have done to secure the hem. This step today will be knotting the bundles together to create the characteristic look of this lovely hemstitch.

Assuming that we are carrying on after having secured the hem as we did here, turn the work so that the already executed hem is at the top and work from left to right on the back side of the work.

Step one will form the first four-sided stitch:

Step two will form half of the second four-sided stitch:

Step three will knot the two bundles:

Step four will complete the second four-sided stitch and return you to step one:

Repeat the series. Here is what it looks like on the back side:

This is the front side:

If you do this in tone-on-tone you will not see the criss-cross of threads.

There is a great in-depth booklet on this and many other little tips and tricks for executing the Gigliuccio Hemstitch in a variety of ways which can be had by contacting the author, Liliana Babbi Cappelletti. Be sure to ask for the English version if that's what you need.

To see how to do the Gigliuccio hemstitch on the right side of the work, check out this post here.

Clean Edges on Drawn-Thread Work

Just a quick note to say that if you've ever wondered how Italian Drawn-Thread Work has such nice clean edges in their cutwork areas, get on over to Silvana Fontanelli's blog for an excellent tutorial with great step-by-step photos.

This type of turned-over instead of cut edge treatment is fundamental to techniques like Punto Antico, Reticello and other Italian Drawn-Thread Work techniques!

La Prilletta in Bologna

Some weeks ago, I received an email from Anna Rondelli of the Embroidery Association La Prilletta in Bologna.

She asked me to take a look at her website and her work.

You should too! There are photos of exquisitely delicate traditional embroidery techniques done with the utmost care and finesse. Traditional embroidery stitches like raised and padded satin stitch, shadow work, Broderie Anglais, needlepainting, cut work and drawn thread work are just some of the techniques used on fabrics like silk, organdy and fine Italian linens.

The aim of the Association La Prilletta is to rediscover and make known classic embroidery executed using a hoop which enjoyed its heyday in Bologna between the end of the 1800s and the early part of the 1900s. Anna has some of her grandmother's and great-grandmothers patterns and embroideries which she uses for inspiration along with some published designs from the period.

Taking their inspiration from pieces found in family trousseaux, the Association La Prilletta works to make this embroidery technique relevant to our modern times while being faithful to its past. They practise it so it will not be lost over time and in the hopes of enriching all those who encounter it with the beauty of this embroidery.

Anna herself spent 10 years learning from Vilma, a Bolognese embroidery master who attended the famous embroidery school headquartered at the Sacro Cuore Sanctuary in Bologna. This famous workshop was also renowned for the pieces of exqusite Aemilia Ars needlelace that it produced in the early 20th century.

The Association La Prilletta is currently working towards their first exhibition which will fall in September of 2012 in Bologna, watch their website for more details.

They offer classes in these beautiful embroidery techniques and a few didactic booklets, go to their website for more info.

Italian Drawn Thread Work Sampler

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.

Sicilian Drawn Thread Work book

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.

Chiaramonte Gulfi

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!

Sicilian Drawn Thread Work

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!

Sicilian Drawn Thread Work - II

Today a lovely little surprise came in the mail, a little coaster of Sicilian Drawn Thread Work '700. It's done on super-fine linen with what appears to be Pearl Cotton thread. The netted ground is made by withdrawing both warp and weft threads and wrapping the bars. The designs are executed in a Darning Stitch. The piece measures 4.25 inches squared.


Sicilian Drawn Thread Work dates back to the late 14th century and today falls into three main categories: '400, '500 and '700.

'400: designs are executed in the Linen Stitch on a netted ground described above.

Here is an example of the Linen Stitch that I showed you in a previous post. Note: this is Filet work and NOT Sicilian Drawn Thread work - the netting shown here is knotted and inserted. Sicilian Drawn Thread Work '400 is executed on a netting ground made from the ground fabric and uses the Linen Stitch for the motifs.



'500: designs are executed by constructing the netted ground around motifs formed by cutting away the ground fabric and then outlining them in overcasting. This is a piece of '500 that I talked to you about in a previous post:


('500 can also be reversed by executing the overcasting around a voided design area.) Here is a little example I did at the Italia Invita Workshop by Giovanna Gurrieri in 2007:


'700: motifs are darned onto a netted ground, described above (my little coaster would be an example of '700).

There were also two other categories of Sicilian Drawn Thread Work, the '800 and '500 Vittoria but I'm told that these types have all but disappeared.

The Anchor Manual of Needlework has a little section on Sicilian Drawn Thread Work but there is not much in the way of books on the subject. If you're lucky enough on Ebay and can afford the crazy prices, you might look for Lo Sfilato Sardo e Siciliano by Amelia Brizzi Ramazzotti published in the early 1920s. An excellent didactic booklet for making the netting from the ground fabric is: La Rete A Sfilato Eseguita Su Tessuto by Liliana Babbi Cappelletti. I don't see the English version on Elena's website Italian Needlecrafts, but you may want to write to her, or if the English version is out of print, then the Italian Version can be found at Tombolo Disegni (click on Libri/Books, then Libri/Ricamo, then Ricamo Italiani and send an email request to order - it's no. 6 in a listing inside a box with no photos near the bottom of the page).

Annalisa has posted a great tutorial on her blog of how to get started by making your basic netting ground. She will continue with a later tutorial of how to do the stitching of the motifs. She has kindly posted my English translations under the Italian.

Exquisite Drawn-Thread Work Corners

I showed you some of Elisabetta Holzer Spinelli's Drawn-Thread Work back in May of this year. I meant to show you a few of her corner treatments a lot sooner.

Italian needlework has the most elaborate Drawn-Thread Work that I've ever seen. The possibilities and combinations are endless and mixing in a superb design sense gives breathtaking results.

My photos do not by any means do these exquisite corner treatments justice.


I apologize for the blurry images, but these were the best that I took. There are several more but you only get a sense of what they are, so I won't post them. Poor Elisabetta! This means that I will have to visit her again with a better camera and beg to spend the afternoon oohing and ahhing over her linen closet.


Don't you love the colour combination too? The subtle use of a different colour accents the work beautifully!


Elisabetta has so much patience and skill and is a joy to watch when she's stitching or explaining something. I'm afraid that if I ever got a chance to enroll in one of her classes, I'd just sit and drool!

Links of Interest

I'm leaving on vacation on Friday and finding it very difficult to get everything done before I go. Please forgive me if I just give you a series of links to explore!

This is Elena of Italian Needlecrafts' blog, she weaves and likes textile history too!
http://rossiele.blogspot.com/

This is Renata's Blog full of lots of lovely pictures of her stitching and even a tutorial on some Sardinian needlework:
http://ricamoealtro.blogspot.com/

This is Elisabetta's blog which has all kinds of great pictures of the stitching she and her friends do for charity:
http://elisaricamo.blogspot.com/

This is Laura's blog where you can find lots of tutorials for hemstitches and other embroidery stitches (look on the left under the headings: Sfilature and punti base):
http://neofita.splinder.com/

This is another Elisabetta's blog - her stitching is exquisite!
http://elisabettaricami.blogspot.com/

Anna's website full of her amazing threadpaintings:
http://www.annavigo.it/imieilavori.htm

Stella's website on Palestrina Embroidery - get something to drink and enjoy!
http://xoomer.virgilio.it/stellachiap/

Sorry, I'm still too new to blogging to figure out how to make these links "clickable" - copy and paste them into your web browser.

New Drawn Threadwork Book

There is nothing like coming home from a difficult day at work to find a manilla envelope from Italy sitting in the mailbox. It doesn't matter what's inside, as soon as I see that golden paper sticking out of the top of the mailbox, I know my day is about to get infinitely better.

This is what arrived today:


It is the latest book by Antoinetta Monzo Menossi, collaborating with Laura Marzorati and Stefania Bressan. Three enormously talented needlewomen who have worked together to bring us lace-like drawn thread work.

While the text is in Italian only, the diagrams and step-by-step photos are so good, you can figure out the compositions easily.

The book is 64 pages and goes for 18 euros. There are over 30 stitches explained and many corner treatments as well as tips and tricks.

All stitches are accompanied with actual photos of what they look like stitched up.

You can purchase Guida al Ricamo Sfilato from Tombolo Disegni, click on "Libri/Books", then "Libri/Ricamo", then "Ricamo Italiani" – send an email request to order. I notice today that there is also a new book on that page on Punto Perugino which we talked about yesterday!

Gadgets

I want to share three of my favourite needlework gadgets with you. They may not necessarily be Italian, but I got them all and learned of them all in Italy so this is how they tie in with my blog.

The first is a small awl:


This awl is about 3 5/8" long, the handle is plastic and the metal shaft is a bit rough, that is, it's not perfectly smooth, its got a few burrs - so I wouldn't go near any silk with it. I was advised to use it to count ground threads on high count fabric (38ct shown above) when doing hems or other drawn thread areas. Count over 10 (or however many you like) ground threads and push the awl into the fabric between the ground threads. You are left with a little hole which stays visible for quite awhile. This is extremely handy when calculating or counting out Four-Sided Stitch-based hems or any other counting really. I think the roughness of the shaft of the awl helps in keeping the hole visible by roughing up the threads just a bit so that they don't fall back immediately into place. Once you do your stitching, washing and ironing, there is no trace of the holes.

The second gadget is also related to drawn thread work, it is a long shafted, ball point needle:


My ball-point needle is about 1 7/8" long and is used for withdrawing threads. (Click on the photo for a close up look) They come in varying lengths and also with wooden handles. It is the best thing ever! I used to use a regular #24 tapestry needle for withdrawing threads but sometimes I'd have to slide the needle under the thread 5 or 6 times before pulling up at the right moment to pull it out as the thread would slide off the end of my needle. Now with the ball-point needle, the thread doesn't slide off the end and I'm able to go much faster when withdrawing my threads. The length of this ball-point needle makes it very easy to hang onto. It has revolutionized the way I prepare my drawn thread work channels!

The last item is again related to drawn thread work and hemming. It is a plastic adjustable finger shield called a Salvadito in Italian:


It wraps around your finger so it will fit any size. Placing the shielded finger under your work means that you can stitch "scoop-method" without stabbing yourself when using a sharp-tipped needle. It took a bit of getting used to but now I don't hemstitch without it, whether I'm using a tapestry or sharp needle. The Salvadito makes the going so much faster as the needle just glances off the plastic below - no stabbing, no catching.

Where to get these gadgets?

Well, I bought the Salvadito at the Italia Invita Forum in 2007 but I see they are at Lacis in California, under Thimbles.

The long-shafted, ball-point needle – which I understand are hand-made, I ordered from Tombolo Disegni. Click on "Negozio/Shop", then "Aghi", scroll down to the third row, they are the "ago/aghi con la punta a pallina". Send an email request to order.

For the little awl, I don't know what to tell you. It was a gift to me from a lady in Ferrara who bought it at her local Merceria which is like a haberdashery or notions store. There is no manufacturer's name on the one I have. I have tried using regular awls but they are too smoothly finished and do not leave the holes for long in the fabric like this one does. If you know where to get them online, will you leave a comment below?

Sicilian Drawn-Thread Work - I

I never get tired of looking at Sicilian Drawn-Thread Work, especially the style called '500 or Cinquecento. I am probably (once again) attracted by the texture of it as much as the motifs. Strange animals are the things I delight in the most and there are plenty of monsters in Sicilian Drawn-Thread Work - especially sea creatures.

Unfortunately I could not find anything with strange sea creatures that I could afford when I wanted to buy a piece of this technique but I was happy to settle for flowers...

This is a piece of '500 style on relatively high count ivory-coloured linen:


The work is done by cutting out the design, then building the surrounding netting and overcasting the edges. This must be done in an embroidery frame and the fabric must be on the straight of the grain and drum tight. I took a two-hour class and only got a small heart done but I have to tell you, I've never seen anyone stretch and pull fabric like I saw our teacher do to get it as taut as possible in the frame. I'll never handle my own stitching with care again... linen fabric is strong!

The fabric must be tight and not move because you actually cut the threads first and then overcast them so they can't be moving around at all. We basted our linen to a big piece of muslin first and then cut out a centre square window of the muslin so that the linen could be worked on. Tiny stitches overcast three ground threads using one or two padding threads. I kept forgetting to breathe while I was stitching! I was waiting for the ground threads to work their way out of the overcasting but they didn't. We didn't get to do any of the netting in class but I have made netting on fabric before so that was okay.

I bought a pre-cut piece to do at home...

I was afraid to start it as I didn't know if I'd be able to figure out what to do - then I remembered that the design is drawn on the back first and the work is executed on the front...

... okay, without the drawn design to distract me I feel better... maybe I can figure out what to do.

This lady does some amazing work, don't forget to click on "vai alla pag. 2" at the bottom of the page for more pictures!

I would love to have this tablecloth (middle picture - click on it for a closer look).

There are lots of things to look at here and even a video of a display of embroideries.

There is an article on Tuttoricamo with some instructions on how the different styles are executed.

The Anchor Manual of Needlework (Interweave Press) has a bit of information.

Elisa Ricci's Old Italian Lace has some great photos of antique works, you can download it at the Online Digital Archive.

One day I will get to the Museo del Ricamo e dello Sfilato Siciliano [Embroidery and Sicilian Drawn-Thread Work Museum] in Via Lauria, no. 4, Chiaramonte Gulfi, near Ragusa in Sicily...