Punto Antico 20th Anniversary and a new book

The Associazione Il Punto Antico is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year and commemorate it with a new book (in English and Italian!) of projects on this lovely needlework technique.

From the introduction:

Twenty years of passion: 1995-2015. In this book you will find the latest work and designs, some simple, others more complex, with in-depth explanations for their realization and all the designs charted. The embroidery is coloured and the worked articles are cheerful, adapted for young houses, a little informal... You will also find some photos from our early exhibitions, a testimony of the route which we took.
Twenty years of research, of study, of elaboration and the teaching of Italian Openwork are an important goal, at which I never thought to arrive. It is thanks to my students, to their affection, and to their friendship that these years have flown by and I would like, on this occasion, to embrace everyone.
---Bruna Gubbini

The book proposes 11 projects: a lampshade, table sets, curtains, runners, a cushion, towels; there are 16 different embroidery stitches described; lots of large colour photos to show off this latest batch of tasteful, very modern designs.

It has been interesting to see the evolution of Signora Gubbini's interpretations of this technique over the years and I must confess that I have all of her books. I find her immensely good at colour combinations and designs which are tasteful and refined while at the same time modern and cheerful. And while I personally love traditional designs and works, I can seriously consider Signora Gubbini's latest designs for gifts for the younger people in my life. That way I can have the best of both worlds: the joy of stitching the project and then that of delighting a friend or family member with a tasteful gift.

The English translation is done by Patricia Girolami, a British embroiderer who now lives in Italy for some years who is well acquainted with this needlework.

These designs are not traditional Punto Antico patterns in the historical sense and they use many stitches from other embroidery techniques not necessarily associated traditionally with Punto Antico so if you are looking to approach this technique from a strictly traditional point of view, I suggest you start with their first book.

You can purchase this or any of the many other books that the Associazione Il Punto Antico has produced through their website: http://www.edizionipuntoantico.com/

Needlework adventures

One day back in the spring of 2011 I received an email from a Canadian reader who was looking for someone to teach her travel group an Italian needlework technique while they were on holiday in Italy. They planned to go in the fall of 2012, rent a place to stay and wanted a teacher who spoke English to come and teach them.

I suggested a few names and sent a few emails but the reader had some medical problems which ended up preventing her from making the trip as planned and I didn't think much more about it. Then in the spring of 2013 the same reader contacted me again saying she was all healed and was trying again to organize the trip she had been planning before.

Her group were stitchers of varying levels of experience and they liked to travel to different countries and learn a local needlework technique while there. They had already travelled to places like Ireland, Scotland, England and France.

Villa Saraceno in Finale di Agugliaro where the ladies stayed while in Italy.

They had rented the Villa Saraceno near Verona and this put me in mind of Anna Castagnetti who I have mentioned a few times here. The trip was planned for the spring of 2014.

I'm delighted to say that Anna was available and she put together an introductory class on the cutwork part of Punto Antico for the ladies.

Anna also took the group to the Don Mazza museum in Verona where they were delighted with the fantastic needlework collection there.

I received equally enthusiastic emails afterwards from both the reader and Anna about the whole experience. It seems it was a marvellous time for all involved and I'm very happy to have played my part in it! Many thanks to the ladies for sharing their experiences with us!

Preparing a skein of Ritorto Fiorentino

Recently a friend asked me what I do to manage my skeins of Anchor's Ritorto Fiorentino pearl cotton thread which is only available in Italy. It occurred to me that maybe readers of my blog might have the same question so here below is what an Italian embroidery teacher showed me to do. Sorry the photos aren't the best, they were taken quickly with my iPod Touch. For more information and a review of Ritorto Fiorentino thread, check out Mary Corbet's blog Needle 'n Thread.

Ritorto Fiorentino is a pearl cotton thread that comes in two weights #8 and #12 just like the pearl cotton thread we know. It comes in hanks of 45 grams which is 350 metres of #8 and 550 metres of #12. I have heard different stories about why it exists but have been unable to confirm any. The legend I like the best is that it was created for the Tuscan market for the embroidery technique of Punto Antico. As works of this type of embroidery generally meant densely covered embroideries on large pieces like tablecloths, there was a need for more thread to complete them. Whatever the story is, they are lovely!

Slide the label off the top of the skein and open it out.

Look for the two ends which will be knotted together like so:

Cut the knot and cut through the threads.

Slide the label on one of the ends of the skein and position it at the middle of the length of threads.

Separate a small amount of threads to the inside of each leg on either side of the label.

Gather the two smaller sections into the centre to form a third leg and LOOSELY braid the three legs.

Near the label separate a single strand with one hand.

Grasp the rest of the skein firmly in the other hand and pull on the single strand.

The skein will bunch up but will relax again after you have extracted the single strand. If your braid was too tight this part will be difficult so make sure the tension on your braiding is loose.

The skein will stay braided. Cut your single strand to your desired thread length, eg. in half or into thirds or whatever you feel comfortable with. The strand is too long to stitch with without cutting it as pearl cotton thread loses its sheen if worked for too long.

Any unused strands can be attached to the skein using a lark's head knot near the label.

You can purchase Ritorto Fiorentino online from Italy from a number of shops like Tombolo Disegni or Casa Cenina. Ritorto Fiorentino is also available in cones for colours like white and ecru.  

Embroidery Museum in Pistoia

I always start out thinking that my next trip to Italy will be all long, relaxing days doing research or studying museum collections. I don't know why I think this as the trips always fly by and are full of frenzied trips to see as many people as possible. I always end up not being able to do all the things I wanted to and offending people that I am unable to visit. When I get back home I try to make sense of all the hurried snatches of things I've seen and done and resolve that the next trip will not be so jam-packed. I do however get things done and this trip I got to go to three museums that I've wanted to visit for a long time. One was the Museo di Tessuto in Prato, another was the Museo della Tappezzeria in Bologna and the one I'm going to tell you about today was the Museo del Ricamo in Pistoia.

An easy train ride from Florence, you can arrive in Pistoia in about 45 minutes, I'm not sure if you can take a bus in less time, I took the regional train which makes a few stops along the way but Pistoia is only 40 km from Florence. I was lucky to have Maria Elide Melani from the embroidery school Ago Aga e Fantasia waiting to pick me up from the station in her car. I'm sure there is a bus that can take you into the centre of town from the rail station. We did not head directly to the museum from the station as it was too early so I can't tell you how long it takes to get there but Pistoia is a relatively small town.

As the Embroidery Museum is run by volunteers, it's wise to double-check that they are open before making the trip. We arrived expecting there to be a lady that Maria Elide knew but instead her husband was taking her shift as she had had to attend to other business. The museum has a large collection of pieces and consequently they are always rotating the items on display. Maria Elide has been there many times but the day we went, she said there were pieces displayed that she had never seen before. This makes repeat visits interesting.

The first thing I noticed was that the placards were in English and Italian and that the English was good! Whoever is doing translations for the museum has done an excellent job.

Image copyright Museo del Ricamo

While the Embroidery Museum is indeed small (there are only two exhibition rooms), there is a valuable collection housed here and you could spend many days studying the excellently displayed and well-lit pieces. In the second room are two large storage cabinets filled with drawers full of embroidered things. Lots of Punto Antico, Casalguidi and even some Lamporecchio embroideries along with many other Italian and classic needlework techniques are to be found here along with gold and silk embroideries too. The elderly custodian showed us an amazing bedspread embroidered by his mother when she was young.

An exciting thing to find out was that the museum offers a research centre, documentation, didactic and historic study. I will definitely be going back!

You can watch a quick YouTube video which is narrated in Italian but which has a few photos of the interior of the museum and a few pieces of it's collection. The narrator says:

Passing through Pistoia, when you are in the Piazza del Duomo, don't miss visiting the museum, you will be amazed. Even in a few minutes you can see the most important finds. The entrance is free, the personnel are available, cordial and competent.

The Rospigliosi Palazzo is the home of the Embroidery Museum, a cave of wonders constructed with knowledge by patient hands. Exhibited here are hand-made articles embroidered in many techniques from the 17th to the 20th century. There are embroidered trousseaux, clothing, tablecloths, doilies and much more. Sacred vestments and antique ecclesiastical clothing of great quality are on display.

Periodically the museum gives embroidery courses. The embroideresses have produced and continue to produce cushions, purses and antique clothing. A 62 segment quilt was made in 2012. Francesco del Cossa's embroideresses.

In the hope that these few hurried images may have stimulated your interest, we await you certain to not disappoint. 

Punto Antico - Bruna Gubbini's Seventh Book!

Bruna Gubbini of the Associazione Il Punto Antico in San Giovanni in Persiceto, near Bologna has released her seventh volume about Punto Antico Embroidery.

This latest publication has Italian and English text, is over 160 pages packed full of colour photos and offers 20 projects!

From the introduction:

In this new book you will find, apart from bed sheets, cushions and towels, many tablecloths among which are different examples of runners.
My students appreciate this new way to dress the table because the runners are more elegant than the simple placemats, less onerous to work than the classic tablecloth and easier to wash and iron. They can make different designs which can be combined with each other in order to avoid repetition. The runner can also be used as a table centre.
The book concludes with a ring cushion and a series of beautiful favours entirely worked by hand.

There is a small how-to section at the beginning of this book and then more how-tos sprinkled in with the projects themselves. Signora Gubbini's impeccable good taste regarding colours and motif combinations is elegantly displayed with the help of her students and their works.

The photography and styling is delightful. If you are already a fan of Signora Gubbini's books, you will not be disappointed and if you are new to them, all I can tell you is that they are definitely worth the cover price. There are so many inspiring ideas and lovely embroideries to look at!

I am intrigued by the use of a large hoop stand which seems to enable four ladies to collaborate on the work of one piece! Not that I'd want to stand and stitch but it does make me think of an old quilting stand that I have which would be useful for executing embroidery on a tablecloth.

Indulge yourself! This book can be purchased directly from the Associazione Il Punto Antico.

Nordic Needle and Punto Antico

I used to write the newsletter for my local embroidery group and so I subscribed to many needlework newsletters and messageboards as sources for the latest news and products to report to the membership. Years have past and I no longer write the newsletter but I'm still subscribed to the various needlework newsletters.

Imagine my surprise to open the April 8th Nordic Needle Newsletter and see that the feature article was on Punto Antico and cited my blog and article for Piecework!

It is rather startling to open an email and view your own photo staring back at you.

I'm very glad to see that people are interested in Punto Antico here on this side of the Atlantic, Nordic Needle is a needlework store in the state of North Dakota in the US. In the newsletter they provide links to a designer called Gingerbread Girl who has designed some contemporary patterns for using Punto Antico stitches (follow the links in the newsletter to see them). I couldn't find out anything about Gingerbread Girl so unfortunately I can't tell you about her or her kits.

There is only one thing I wanted to add to what Debi says in the newsletter. While it is true that Punto Antico has become most commonly practised as a counted thread technique, it is also still done as a freestyle technique in Italy.

There is a delightful book called Punto Antico disegnato by Giuseppa Federici which describes how this technique is executed as a freestyle embroidery. The text is only in Italian but the step-by-step colour photos are easy to follow and there are over 50 patterns, motifs and designs - some of which use Cutwork and Reticello designs to compliment the Punto Antico stitches.

You can order this book from Tombolo Disegni, send an email request to order.

If anyone knows anything about Gingerbread Girl designs, will you leave a comment below?

Scuola d'Industrie Italiane - Piecework article

For those who enjoy a good story to go along with your needlework, check out the Nov/Dec 2012 issue of Piecework magazine:

Inside you will find the story of the Scuola d'Industrie Italiane of New York by Ivana Palomba.

Some of you may remember me telling you about Ivana's thesis being published last year on Carolina Amari and her impact on the emancipation of women. This article tells of the school/workshop that Carolina Amari and Florence Colgate started in 1905 in New York for italian immigrant girls as a means to earn a living without having to work in a sweatshop or factory.

While translating this article I have to say that I was fascinated by the lives of the women we tried to research and found it immensely frustrating to be so far from New York and all the archives that are there. If you have an ancestor who was a student of the Scuola d'Industrie Italiane of New York. I would love to hear from you!

Photo by Joe Coca, image copyrighted by Interweave.

As Piecework required a project to accompany the article, there is a Punto Antico needlebook inspired by a card case featured in an advertisement for the Scuola D'Industrie Italiane from The Journal, November 1908.

I hope to have more news early in the new year regarding the Scuola D'Industrie Italiane of New York, so keep an eye out for further developments!

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!

Punto Antico & Reticello

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.

Punto Antico Bullion Flowers and a new book

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.

Quickie Punto Antico Ornaments

I've been asked about some quickie Italian needlework Ornaments. For those who are still playing beat the clock before the Holidays to get some ornaments done, here is a great suggestion from Barbara in Modena.

Barbara has taken some simple Punto Antico designs from Bruna Gubbini's Punto Antico books and changed the colours to represent the Holidays. Then she's covered styrofoam balls with the stitching and trimmed them with decorative ribbon, passementerie, etc.



You can check out the tutorial she has written for Tuttoricamo. (Click on the British flag for the English pages then on the left side of the homepage, click on "Arts", then "Christmas Decorations".

To find some free Punto Antico designs online, go to the Italian needlework magazine Ricamo Italiano's website and check out the files in these issues: 

No. 5 Marzo 2005
No. 7 Maggio 2005
No. 8 Giugno 2005
No. 9 Luglio 2005
No. 13 Novembre 2005
No. 14 Dicembre 2005
No. 16 Febbraio 2006
No. 22-23 Agosto-Settembre 2006
No. 29 Marzo 2007
No. 37 Novembre 2007

Punto Antico Tablecloth

Though I have visited Italy often, before 2007 I had never been to Mantua, the city of Isabella D'Este and the Gonzaga family. When I was going to the Italia Invita Forum in 2007, a kind lady who I only knew "virtually" that is, through online communication, invited me to stay a few days with her and her family in Mantua. As I was taking my daughter on her first trip to Italy, I wanted to show her places that I knew and loved, but I had always wanted to visit Mantua and so, not knowing what to expect, we arrived one hot afternoon by train in Verona where we were picked up, shown around central Verona and then whisked off to Mantua (about an hour's drive). It was fantastic. A smaller city surrounded by three man-made lakes, no throngs of tourists... I highly recommend it.

Of course our host did needlework, that was how I'd met her online and during my stay she showed me many of her ambitious and beautiful embroideries. Particularly outstanding was a set of numerous curtains which covered the windows on one wall of her living room. Done in Punto Antico embroidery, there were literally hundreds of Bullion Knots! I marveled at them (probably with my mouth hanging open) and was so awed that it never occurred to me to take a photo.

Then next time I went to Italy, I stayed my first few days in Mantua once again to visit my friend. This time I was armed with my camera and determined to capture those Bullions on film. I'm sorry to say that the photos did not turn out. If memory serves me correctly, this is pretty close to how they looked (that is: the open part with the Bullions - eight per cluster!), and there were more than one of these motifs on each curtain.

Photo from Il Punto Antico, Book 1 by Bruna Gubbini:


All was not lost however, the pictures that I took of her tablecloth done in Punto Antico turned out and she has graciously granted me permission to show them to you:


Click on the photos for a closer look, there are lots of Bullion Knots (Punto Vapore in Italian) here as well!

New Punto Antico book!

Nothing cheers me up more than a package from Italy. When I arrived home after a long shift yesterday, my spirits were immediately uplifted by seeing an envelope sticking out of the mailbox with Italian postage stamps on it.

It was the latest book on Punto Antico by Bruna Gubbini! It is called: Ciclamino, oggetti a punto antico and has designs done in mauve tones. The introductory page says that this is the first in a new series of smaller projects in Punto Antico embroidery which "...can be made in a weekend, to pass a rainy day, to make an unusual gift..."

This is the sixth book on Punto Antico that features Bruna Gubbini's interpretations of this type of Italian needlework. While previous books were full of breathtaking but larger projects, this one has smaller things like napkin rings, scissor fobs, a box top, buttons, tassels, needlebooks, coasters, pincushions, a handkerchief carrier, a needlework roll and small bags for bomboniere. (A needlework roll is a cylinder covered in fabric for you to roll your projects up in for storage or when traveling.)

There are 60 pages and at the beginning are the stitch instructions for the stitches used in the projects found in the book, the text is in both Italian and English and there are lots of close up photos. There is very little cutwork, only a few designs call for it, so if that's what has been stopping you from trying Punto Antico, here's your chance to try it out without stressing too much over cutting the fabric.


You can purchase this book directly from the Associazione Il Punto Antico. Many patterns call for Graziano 28 ct Riviera linen. Thread listed is Retors d'Alsace or Alsatian Twist by DMC which is not available in North America, you can use Pearl Cotton as an acceptable substitute. If you're like me and like to hunt down what is called for in designs, Tombolo Disegni sells it, (Click on: "Negozio", then "Retour d'Alsace" - send an email request to order) colour numbers correspond with other DMC threads.

Castello di Verrazzano

I told you in a previous post about Deruta Pulled Thread work and in that post I also told you that Deruta Drawn Thread work was something different. I will show you the difference here.

Last year on my tour with Vima deMarchi Micheli we visited the little town of Greve in Chianti in the Tuscany region of Italy where I bought a great woven tea towel with the Chianti region depicted on it from a little shop that sold household linens along the main street of the historic centre. We went on to visit the Castello di Verrazzano in the hills outside of town.


We enjoyed a guided tour of the grounds which were breathtakingly beautiful and looked down onto a wild boar reserve. After a tour of the wine cellars we went up to the loggia to admire the view and listen to some of the history of the company and the area. While listening to our guide I glanced over to some windows across from the loggia and started to examine the curtains which were really interesting...

This is my photo from outside, sorry it's not more clear but you get the complete design:


To my delight we went into the room where they were. All along the one wall in sets of two were windows, each with the same curtain in this intriguing embroidery.

This photo is much better, taken from inside:


There were six small tassels along the bottom hem which hung down, made of the same linen fibres as the curtains - I wondered if they were made out of the withdrawn threads.

I found out later after translating an article for Tuttoricamo on Deruta Drawn Thread work that that was indeed the technique that these curtains were embroidered in.

In fact, there was embroidery throughout the Castello... when we entered the dining room to have lunch we noticed that all the curtains there were embroidered in Punto Antico. We said to each other that we'd get photos after lunch but of course after many wine tastings we completely forgot!

A few days before, we had dined at the Cantinetta di Verrazzano restaurant in Via dei Tavolini no. 18 in Florence - enjoying the Verrazzano Chianti with Focaccia samplers for lunch. They have Verrazzano wine labels available for those who collect them. I picked up these two because they had photos of needlework on them!



To learn more about the history of Deruta Drawn Thread work, look under the 'Techniques' section for an article and more photos on the Tuttoricamo website.

There are some close up photos here.

Thanks to Armida for the photo of the curtain.