Needlework in Martina Franca, Puglia

In Martina Franca, Puglia while I was picking up some handmade pasta and local cheese to take to a friend in Ferrara I asked the shop owner if there were any handmade embroidery or lace shops in town. She told me that there was one shop with things of the 'certain quality' that I was looking for in the main square.

Simply called: Pizzi e Merletti di Nella Acquaviva [Nella Acquaviva's Laces] the shop indeed sits opposite the big fountain in Piazza Roma, no. 17. We had missed it on our way through the square because it wasn't open yet and the sign is on the inside of the big brown wooden door which covers the window when the shop is closed. We arrived breathless with excitement to find the owner of the little shop, Signora Acquaviva among a treasure trove of needlework.

Signora Acquaviva's specialty is hand-knotted netting Filet embroidery and she showed us a few sets of guest towels and curtains that she had made herself, including one towel set of pale blue linen with the most amazing padded embroidery done on ivory-coloured hand-knotted netting - it was a masterpiece!

There were also many sets of Tatted earrings done with various semi-precious stones, crystals and pearls including a lovely set with cameos made in Naples!

We discovered some exquisite Tatted sachets and Filet lace inserts which we really couldn't help ooohing and ahhhing over. The work was so fine and all done by the Signora herself.

In the shop window display was a particularly fine piece of bobbin lace done in the technique called Rosaline:

Rosaline bobbin lace in front with Filet lace on the table.

Signora Acquaviva does work on commission as well and showed us some lovely wedding favours and a breathtaking large oval Filet Lace insert ready to be attached to a floor-to-ceiling-sized curtain. If you find yourself in Martina Franca, do not miss this shop!

A huge thank you to Susan for the photos!

Traditional Needlework of Locorotondo

When travelling through the Puglia region of Italy this past fall, I was always on the lookout for examples of local needlework. One morning while we were on a guided tour of Locorotondo which is a pretty little town in the province of Bari, I spotted an embellished curtain hanging in the window of a residence:

I took a quick snapshot but didn't have any time to study it as we were on the move with our guide. I thought it seemed to be some kind of needle lace but I really didn't get a good look and I resolved to study the photo later.

We ended our tour in the main square of Locorotondo and as the guide was wrapping up I glanced around and spied a small shop with embroideries hanging in the window. As we were being told we had 10 minutes for a bathroom pitstop before we would meet our bus to go on to an olive oil tasting, I was already backing slowly away from the group in the direction of the shop. As soon as the guide finished talking I pivoted and ran. I'm sure the proprietor of the shop (who was sweeping the pavement in front of the shop) wondered at the crazy tourist bearing down on her at speed!

Breathlessly I explained that I only had 10 minutes and could she please tell me of any local tradition of needlework? She dropped the broom and we rushed inside the shop - a woman who understood me! 

She showed me a shawl made out of wool in the unusual work that I had seen on the curtain pictured above. She also explained that it was a crochet technique called Margherita Stitch and that traditionally the shawls were made for wearing to church but that the technique had been adapted lately for different things like table runners, ornaments, earrings, wedding and other celebration favours, borders for curtains, towels, handkerchiefs and Christmas tree ornaments using different threads like embroidery and crochet cotton, silks and linen threads. 

I picked a small doily to take away with me and as she was ringing me up, the other ladies from my tour arrived breathlessly as they had discovered the textile museum next door and were looking for me because they knew I'd want to see it. Alas, our 10 minutes were up and I did not get to see the museum but I was told that there were some amazing pieces to see in the windows alone.

Signora Spalluto was lovely to come outside the shop and pose for a photo, if you look in the background you can see some ornaments and an amazing tablecloth done in Filet Lace hanging from the ceiling:

Signora Spalluto was able to tell me that she teaches embroidery and has a group of stitchers who make items for the shop and work on commission for trousseaux, weddings, christenings and the like. Her group is well versed in traditional embroidery, tatting, crochet, filet lace and many other techniques as well as the restoration and cleaning of antique pieces.

She has a website which has pages in English as well as Italian where you can look through the galleries of photos of works done in Margherita Stitch as well as other techniques.

We were sorry to leave without taking a good look at what was in the shop, but you can bet if any of us is ever in Locorotondo again, we will be back to the shop and explore the museum right away! I'd love to hear from you if you've been through the museum.

Thanks to Susan for taking the photo of the front of the shop!

Needle lace lady - Punto Maglie New Book

Two of the most characteristic motifs in Punto Maglie needle lace are the delightful human figures. The male figure is called the Pupo and the female, Pupa.

For their first book, the Associazione Punto Maglie has chosen to introduce us to the Pupa – a lovely little needle lace lady in a dress with a decorated hemline and three little buttons made of bullion knots down the bodice.

This slim, hardcover volume has 30 or so pages which are packed with step-by-step photos - each area of the design is broken down and gone over. Who would have thought that you'd build your Pupa upside-down?

Instructions include the materials needed, where to place your support stitches which help you to execute the needle lace, the various needle lace stitches used, the order of the work and pages and pages of photos.

Text is in Italian but if you have a little experience with needle lace you should do fine. The finished project is a 1.75 inch by 1.75 inch insert.

I look forward to those long summer days filled with sunshine to try my hand at this lovely little lady!

The book can be purchased directly from the Associazione Punto Maglie.

Punto Maglie - prizewinner

Back in September I told you about the Hand Embroidery and Weaving Exhibition in Valtopina and how some Veronese Crochet Lace split the prize for the lace category with some Punto Maglie needle lace. I'm happy to tell you that I can now show you what the Punto Maglie entry looked like:

Napkin with corner insert of Punto Maglie needle lace. Image copyright Assn. Punto Maglie.

Central insert of Punto Maglie needle lace for the tablecloth. Image copyright Assn. Punto Maglie.

Following the theme of the exhibition: Green Monuments of Umbria - the trees, we can identify the leaves and the fruit of the Olive tree in the Punto Maglie pieces pictured above. Besides occupying an important role in mythology and symbology, the olive is also predominantly present in the two regions of Umbria (where the exhibition was held) and Apuglia (where Punto Maglie comes from) thus, this entry creates a bond between the two areas. Exhibition participants were required to demonstrate the development of their ideas for their patterns on paper and produce pieces of their chosen lace or embroidery for a six setting tablecloth (140 cm x 160 cm) with matching napkins (40 cm x 40 cm). The central insert of Punto Maglie needle lace pictured above measures 30 cm x 21 cm.

I wrote to Liliana Ciriolo of the Associazione Punto Maglie to ask her some details about this prizewinning lace which she made together with Anna Borgia, Mina Saponaro and Renata Skovran from a design by Alessandra M. Chiurazzi inspired by a 16th century model. It took them a month to make the pieces using white DMC no. 80 thread. Stitches employed were the buttonhole stitch, the cording stitch, picots and the net.

Congratulations to the women of the Associazione Punto Maglie and thank you for sharing these pieces with us!

On November 4th, the town of Maglie was featured on an Italian TV program "Ti ci porto io" [I'll take you there]. Around the 8:25 mark of the video below, you can see how they execute Punto Maglie needle lace and see some of the Associazione Punto Maglie's work which includes a bridal gown which took four women more than 5 months to make.
The interviewer says: Four people took five months to make it? Why do you do it?
Anna Borgia answers: For love.
The interviewer then asks how much it might cost and she asks for a ballpark figure.
Anna Borgia: Around six thousand euros.

Punto Maglie

Photo copyright Associazione Punto Maglie.

The town of Maglie is located in the Apulia region of south-east Italy. The heel of the boot if your Italian geography is a little vague.

Punto Maglie or Maglie Embroidery is a type of needle lace which takes its origins from Burano, the famous lace-making island in the Venetian Lagoon.

Photo copyright Associazione Punto Maglie.

Characteristics particular to Punto Maglie are the human figures (pupo or pupa, masculine or feminine) often found among the geometric motifs, the most important of which are the star motifs.

Inserts are built upon a support of fabric with the pattern attached on top and are then cut away from the support and inserted into fabrics. Whole pieces can be constructed in this manner or by withdrawing some threads of the ground fabric and building on top of it in a similar method to traditional Reticello.

In 1905, as an experiment, evening embroidery and lace classes were added to the curriculum of an Applied Arts school instigated by Egidio Lanoce, advocate and pioneer of technical schools for the working classes. It was here that Punto Maglie was born.

Photo copyright Associazione Punto Maglie.

Around the same time a local noblewoman, Lady Carolina De Viti De Marco in Starace started a group of embroiderers, some who had trained at the Applied Arts school, to produce embroidered items to sell in order to supplement their household incomes. Lady Carolina and her descendants would go on to become very important to the textile arts of the area, but let's leave that for another post.

Photo copyright Associazione Punto Maglie.

Embroideries and laces from Maglie were exported to America and other European countries and participated and were recognized in the various International Fairs of the period.

Magie enjoyed much success with these endeavours until the years of the First World War.

Today the tradition of Punto Maglie is continued by the embroidery school Associazione Punto Maglie located at no. 60 via Luigi Puzzovio in Maglie. You can contact them by email at: punto maglie @ virgilio . it (remove all the spaces between the characters).

Many thanks to Liliana for the photos!