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.

Gigliuccio Hemstitch - Attaching the hem

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 back side.

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 back side as well in order to have your stitching match. Click here for the second part of this tutorial.

An excellent publication 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 the author to see if you can get a copy from her. The step-by-step images are fantastic and even if you can't get your hands on the English version, you should have very little trouble with the Italian version.

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.

Romeyne Robert and Umbrian Embroidery - Part Two

Let's continue on with our investigation of Umbrian Embroidery. If you're just joining us, please start with Part One.

The embroidery school/workshop founded and run by Romeyne Robert, Marquess Ranieri di Sorbello with the able management and outstanding input of Carolina Amari enjoyed ever-increasing success from 1904 until about 1933 or 1934 when both the school/workshop and the Arti Decorative Italiane shop in Perugia closed. It seems a number of factors were involved in the closures, most likely being the economic difficulties of the times and the advancing age of the two ladies.

After the closures, the Marquess Romeyne exhibited a collection of the very best pieces from the school/workshop in the Palazzo Sorbello and went on to collect antique pieces of embroidery and textiles.

Some students continued to make Umbrian Embroidery and later to teach it to others. In the late 1990s a renewed interest in this needlework brought about a revival which still continues today. There are now a few embroidery schools in Italy who teach Umbrian Embroidery.

While at the Italia Invita Forum of Lace and Embroidery in Parma in 2009, I picked up a little book from the Associazione Culturale Femminile P.ES.CO. [Women's Cultural Association P.ES.CO]:


A small format book of about 50 pages, it has technical instructions of most of the stitches which define the technique of Umbrian Embroidery including how to do some of the tassels. The text is in Italian but there are lots of clear diagrams. I've had a bit of success trying it out, though, like any other embroidery technique, you must practice in order to perfect stitch tension. Some of my attempts are quite sad so I would really like to take a course in this needlework - I am especially attracted to it's tone-on-tone texture.

At the EGA Seminar in San Francisco, the Italian ladies brought some pieces of Umbrian Embroidery from the P.ES.CO. Association with them. The pieces were spectacular!



The P.ES.CO. Association's goal is the "defense, conservation and dissemination of the artistic, artisan and cultural traditions of the area". They also promote the local art of Crochet Lace which we will talk about in another post. This is a group of astonishingly talented women. They keep a permanent exhibit at the Palazzo del Rondò in Tuoro sul Trasimeno in the province of Perugia if you happen to be passing by.

The book is available directly from their website if you are in Europe, otherwise to pay with PayPal, check out Tombolo Disegni (click on Libri/Books, then Libri/Ricamo, then Ricamo Italiani - send an email request to order).

Next time we'll have a look at some characteristic stitches of Umbrian Embroidery.

Romeyne Robert and Umbrian Embroidery - Part One

Romeyne Robert and Umbrian Embroidery - Part Three

Places to buy needlework supplies

I'm back from the EGA National Seminar and I want to first post the links of websites that I like to buy Italian needlework supplies from as I promised my fellow classmates in Vima deMarchi Micheli's Notebook of Italian Embroidery class.

The following are two websites that I have ordered from many times and which also take PayPal as a method of payment which is so much easier for overseas customers than a money order.

Italian Needlecrafts - Elena speaks English well and goes the extra mile to make sure everything goes smoothly. Her website is in English, you can order through a secure socket and she will confirm shipping costs by email. She is based right in the city of Milan and so her deliveries do not take long to arrive. Elena is open to requests, if you are looking for something in particular, ask if she can get it for you. Her website is constantly growing and it is advisable to check back often as she is always adding new things. She carries books, patterns, fabric, threads and some kits and she is scanning lots of early 20th century Italian needlework books from her collection and making them available as free downloads. She also weaves in her spare time and you can buy her creations from her website or her Etsy page and follow what she's doing on her blog.

Tombolo Disegni - Gianfranca has a bricks and mortar shop in Grado which is a small island in the north-eastern part of Italy between Venice and Trieste. She is an accomplished bobbin lacemaker. Her shop is loaded with lots of things for all types of needlework. Her website is in Italian and you will have to send her an email with a list of the things you would like to purchase so she can then send you a PayPal request. She travels to many fairs and shows so sometimes she may not be able to answer your request right away and shipping takes a little longer as she is not on the mainland.

A note about ordering from Italy:
Italy has it's own culture and it is important to remember that you are not ordering from a country which is similar to your own. Most often, needlework is a hobby not a job and therefore it takes second place to family and work. What I'm saying is try to be patient as responses are not always immediate. The Italian postal service is notorious for doing the most inconvenient things. These two websites in particular do their best to serve their customers but if there is a glitch, most often it is not something they have any control over like the mail service or ordering from suppliers.

If you are searching for something that you don't find on either of these two websites, post a comment and I'll let you know if I know of any other websites where you might be able to purchase what you're looking for.

I have a lot of catching up to do with emails and translations, it may be a few days before I can start posting again but don't give up hope, I have lots to share with you!

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?

Italian Blackwork

In the Victoria & Albert Museum in London there is a 16th century Italian Blackwork sampler. This sampler fascinated American needlework teacher Dakota Rogers so much that she reproduced patterns from it to make an exquisite sampler of her own called Tiramisu.

This is my own stitched Tiramisu, I took the class from Dakota Rogers through the Embroiderers Guild of America in 2008:


La Muta by Raphael depicts some Italian Blackwork, check out the cuffs.

Here we see a late 16th century Italian man's shirt taken from At Home in Renaissance Italy, 2006:


In the Palazzo Davanzati in Florence there is a 17th century Italian sampler with Blackwork on it:


Elisa Ricci in her Ricami Italiani Antichi e Moderni, 1925 notes that Punto Scritto (Backstitch) in Italy is most often found in combination with some other embroidery technique like Satin Stitching or Cross Stitching such as the fretwork in Assisi Embroidery:


Lucia Petrali Castaldi in her Dizionario Enciclopedico di Lavori Femminili, 1941 lists Punto Scritto being interchangeable with Punto Volterrano [Volterra Stitch]. There are no examples pictured and no other information.

In the introduction of the 2007 book Volterrano 2006 by Antoinetta Monzo Menossi, Rosalba Niccoli talks about the difficulty she experienced in finding any trace of Punto Volterrano in Volterra, Italy. It seems there were two kinds of embroidery: the oldest being "il punto scritto volterra" [Volterra Backstitch], said to have been executed in gold thread though no proof or extant samples survive; and "il punto volterrano" [Volterra Stitch] created by a teacher named Emma Gazzarri from the Technical Institute in the mid 1900s. Antoinetta Monzo Menossi took all this information into account when creating patterns for the small volume of delightful designs (text in Italian).


Other Italian books on Blackwork are: Poesia di uno stile: Interpretazione Liberty by Manuela Alida D'Anna, 2009 (text in Italian, English and German) charming designs in Art Nouveau style with excellent technical execution instructions; L'Arte del Blackwork, 2007 and Idee in Blackwork, 2009 by Bruna Scagnetti & Gabriella Antoniazzi (text in Italian and English) of the association Il Friuli Ricama.

All books listed are available from Tombolo Disegni. Click on: Libri/Books, then Libri Ricamo, then Ricamo Italiani or Blackwork (different books are listed on different pages) – send an email request to order.

Thanks to Armida for the Palazzo Davanzati sampler photo!

Multicoloured Tassel

When Elena at Italian Needlecrafts got some no. 5 Coats Cucirini (Anchor) multi-coloured Pearl Cotton thread I immediately wanted some (my inner thread addict reared its ugly head). I was thinking of making tassels because no. 5 Pearl Cotton is so nice for that - even better no. 3 Pearl Cotton but that has become very hard to find. I ordered 4 skeins thinking that I'd make 4 small simple tassels for the corners of a tablerunner.

I chose colour no. 1385 which is brown/gold/cream but it was a tough choice. I really wanted no. 1355 (green/yellow/blue) too.


The skeins arrived quickly and I leafed through Nappe e Pendagli by Giuseppa Federici for something simple - I love this book! I found a tassel I liked right away and went hunting for a wooden bead for the head. Some years ago there was a HUGE crafts store near here and when they closed down I bought all kinds of things that I "might use later"... so I already had several sizes of wooden beads at home. I picked a 7/8" one and made a wrap around a pencil with a single thread to get started.

The pattern called for 10 Punto Avorio stitches around the pencil. (While Punto Avorio is used in Puncetto, it is also used in several different Italian needlework techniques.)

Now, here's where I didn't think ahead. The pattern in the book was made with Cotone Povero which is an undyed cotton yarn a little thicker than kitchen string. It is almost twice the thickness of Pearl Cotton no. 5. The pattern said I wouldn't need to increase the number of Punto Avorio stitches from 10 as the thread would stretch around the wooden bead. Great! I forged ahead.

After making 10 Punto Avorio stitches around the pencil loop, I slipped the loop off the pencil and held it on top of the bead to continue. This is a little tricky to do - you need a third hand to hold it all steady, so I dropped my bead enough times to work up a sweat in frustration.

By the sixth row I was really liking how it was looking:


A couple of rows later however the stitches were really opening up and you could see the wooden bead. I decided I didn't mind it so I didn't increase the number of Punto Avorio stitches. At the bottom I just ran my thread end under the tighter fitting rows of stitches to hide it.

I got out my trusty Kreinik Custom Cord Maker and wound four lengths of thread into a cord. Knotting the cord every centimetre I managed to get about 7 or 8 little pieces like the ones here. This time I was a little better at measuring one centimetre!

The pattern called for ten tendrils with varying numbers of knotted pieces tied to them. I made a few cords, knotted them and cut them into little pieces. After attaching a few tendrils I decided that I'd better use another skein of thread for more pieces because I wasn't anywhere near having enough - my tassel looked quite sad and its head was too big.

More cording, knotting, cutting... hmmm. Not enough - another skein! Cord, knot, cut.... uh oh! I certainly was beyond my original idea of doing four simple tassels. My tassel still looked skimpy and I only had one skein of thread left. What to do? There was no going back now! I used up the rest of my last skein except a little bit for making a top loop to hang the tassel from. It was getting a bit heavy and the stitches around the wooden bead stretch quite a bit. In retrospect I think I should have increased the number of Punto Avorio stitches at least for the 7 or 8 rows around the widest part of the bead:


I really love the way it looks: nice and full. The multicoloured Pearl Cotton is perfect for making an interesting tassel. Each little piece has a knot before and after to keep it in place on the tendril length and then between some of the pieces are one, two or three knots just to give varying length. I did end up with ten tendrils. Some have only seven knotted pieces on them and some have as many as 20. Each tendril is different which creates a lovely effect!


Now (darn!) I must order more thread.
:-D
Maybe I'll get some of that other colour too...

Nappe e Pendagli is available from Tombolo Disegni (click on Libri/Books, then Libri/Ricamo, then Ricamo Italiani - send an email request to order).

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.

Rodi Stitch

Punto Rodi or Rodi Stitch is a Pulled Thread Stitch used for filling spaces of a design and creating a light, open area. It is used a lot in Italian needlework especially for filling the insides of flowers.

This image taken from the book Nuova Enciclopedia dei Lavori Femminili by Mani di Fata:


When I went looking to find instructions on how to execute it, I found that there are many variations! All have one thing in common and that is that Rodi Stitch is executed in diagonal lines.

I took needle in hand and made you instructions of two different variations. First we'll look at the way Vima deMarchi Micheli teaches it in her Italian Needlework Techniques class that she teaches for the Embroiderers Guild of America. I used 38ct Sotema 20L ivory coloured linen from Italy and DMC Spécial Dentelles #80 thread.

Rodi Stitch - Technique 1
Worked from right to left, bottom to top, turn the work 180 degrees to do the return row. Pull the stitches firmly to open up holes which are bigger than the ground fabric holes for the desired effect. Each stitch is executed twice.

Click on the photo for a closer look:


I did it in coloured thread so you could see the stitches, then I did it in thread matching the background colour so you can see the effect. I also show you how the back looks:


With this method, the back looks the same as the front.

The second working I did was from Liliana Babbi Cappelletti's excellent booklet (see info below).

Rodi Stitch - Technique 2
Worked from right to left, top to bottom, you do not turn the work to do the return row. Again, pull each stitch to open up the fabric. Each stitch is executed only once. You must make a cross-over stitch at the end of the row in order to return.

Click on the photo for a closer look:


And here is the back:


As you can see, the back looks different from the front with this method. The overall effect is the same, though with only one stitch instead of two, this way looks a bit more delicate (it's hard to tell from these small patches, I know - it is the impression I get when looking at the two patches on my fabric here in my hand).

Liliana Babbi Cappelletti has at least six variations of Rodi Stitch in her instruction booklet: Il punto rodi e le sue varianti, il punto principessa e altri retini di fondo. Text in Italian but very clear diagrams. You can get this booklet from Tombolo Disegni. Click on "Libri/Books", then "Libri Ricamo", then "Ricamo Italiani", send an email request to order. (Note: there are no photos of this book on the page, it is the first entry in a listing.)


I believe the English terminology for this stitch is Faggot Stitch.

Here is a short video on YouTube.

Knotted Tassel II

Recently a friend from Italy sent me a small kit as a gift. I decided to document making the project here. It is a knotted tassel - I love making these and each one is a little different from the other.

The kit is from the Laboratorio Tessile di Alice. Two very talented women are responsible for this workshop/embroidery school: Rosalba Pepi and Paola Baldetti. The Laboratorio's main home is in the 14th century Church of St. Stephen in via San Lazzo in Castiglion Fiorentino near Arezzo, Italy. Now a cultural centre, this church's interior walls are covered in frescos from the late 14th and early 15th centuries. The other seat of the Laboratorio is the 18th century Villa Candida in Viale Roma no. 21, in Foligno, Italy which is also home to a sporting club. Can you imagine going to a needlework class in one or the other of these fantastic settings?

In a recent issue of one of the Italian needlework magazines, I don't remember if it was RAKAM or Ricamo Italiano, there was a photo of a tassel sampler on the wall. A frame with a coloured background and different tassels pinned to it. I really like that idea and was thinking to work my way through the tassels in the book Nappe e Pendagli by Giuseppa Federici... it is still in the idea process but if I do decide to do it, I'll show you how it goes along.

Back to the kit! It is very simple, a piece of cardboard with a photo of the finished knotted tassel on one side and the instructions on the back, some Cotone Povero, (cotton yarn) and a ceramic bead.


The cotton is precut into six three-stranded lengths with a knot at one end, all ready to get you started on making your knots!


There is also one long length for stringing the pieces together.

I made a series of knots on each length about 1 cm apart and cut them every second knot to get six groups of 20 knotted pieces.


Next I took the long length and doubled it, then put it into a needle and knotted one end. Then I strung the pieces on in groups of 20, placing a knot before and after each group with about 1 cm between each group.


I always pierce the middle of a strand for the first and last piece so they don't slip over the knot that is supposed to hold them in groups.

Then I cut between the fifth and fourth groups so that I had a length with four groups and a length with two groups still on the end of the length in my needle.

I inserted the needle with the two groups on its length through the hole in the bead, made a loop the size I wanted for hanging the tassel and passed the needle through the hole in the bead again, making sure to hang on to the loop on top to keep it the desired size. I caught the length with four groups around the middle; that is: with two groups on either side so that now I had three lengths hanging below the bead with two groups each. I passed the needle back through the bead. At this point it says to overcast the loop that will be used for hanging the tassel. I don't usually do this, but I will do it here as I'm always game for new things!


I found that overcasting the loop was the hardest part of the whole thing! In the end I managed it and did my last stitch as a Buttonhole stitch to lock the overcasting in place. Then I plunged the needle through the bead one more time (my lumpy Buttonhole stitch ended up hiding in the hole of the bead). On the other side of the bead I made a knot close to the bead and cut the thread.

Now comparing my knotted tassel with the one in the photo, I notice that the loop on top in the picture is quite small and there is another piece of thread looped into it for hanging. Oh well, mine is quite twisty and I like it!


At this point you can move the pieces in the groups around so that they are going every which-way and for added fluffiness, get them wet and let them dry. You get a super fluffy tassel!

You can get the book Nappe e Pendagli from Tombolo Disegni: click on "Libri/Books", then "Libri/Ricamo", then "Ricamo Italiani", the text is in Italian – send an email request to order.

(p.s.: my tassel doesn't look like the photo in the kit because my idea of 1 cm was probably twice as long as it should have been! With smaller pieces, you get the effect of the individual groups whereas mine is a bit of a blob! – I need more practice!)

Chiacchierino ad Ago - Needle Tatting

Tatting or Chiacchierino [kjak-kjer-ee-no] in Italian, is stylish, daring, has good design, harmony and beauty - in Italy of course!

I recently received the gift of a new book on Needle Tatting written by a Polish lady who has lived in Italy since 1999. Alicja Kwartnik of the Laboratorio di Techniche Artistiche [Workshop of Artistic Techniques] teaches Needle Tatting in the Val d'Arno Region of Tuscany where she lives.

Some friends of mine took her workshop at the Italia Invita 2009 Forum in Parma.


Alicja's love affair with the manual arts has lasted almost 40 years and her work is precise, imaginative and very attractive.

In the book there are many Tatting projects of varying difficulty. I love the towel edgings and these little sachets:


There are also many jewelry projects and the attachment of beads and crystals; bookmarks, coasters, table mats, key fobs, table centres, Christmas tree decorations, and even a summer purse pattern!

Alicja writes that she likes to use unusual materials for Tatting projects like raffia, string, crochet cotton and wool.

This book makes me want to hunt down my Tatting needle which I set aside in frustration many years ago.

Mani di Fata has several Italian pattern books for Tatting, occasionally there are patterns in RAKAM magazine as well.

For some eye candy, check out this website of a couple of Italian ladies from Apuglia. (I don't know if this is Needle Tatting or not.)

To purchase Chiacchierino ad Ago by Alicja Kwartnik, send an email to either Elena at Italian Needlecrafts or Gianfranca of Tombolo Disegni.

Thanks to Isabella for the photo of the Tatting workshop!

Different Styles of Reticello - Part Three

Sometimes there are people or animals in Reticello as is the case in this border, taken from Old Italian Lace (1913) by Elisa Ricci, preserved now at the Victoria & Albert museum.


(As mentioned in the two previous posts in this series, Old Italian Lace can be downloaded in pdf form from the Online Digital Documents website.)

How can you tell this is Reticello and not Punto in Aria or some other needle lace?
Antonio Merli in his 1864 text - Origine ed uso delle Trine a filo di Refe says the following:
"Reticello is made in two ways: the oldest consists of withdrawing ground threads from a part of the fabric and working a design with the needle over top of those [threads] remaining - perfected then by sometimes adding additional threads when the design requires; the other [method] is by building a square or rectangular framework on top of parchment and working it similarly to the preceding method."
So, see those vertical bars? Reticello. Remember though, very often different techniques were combined on one piece. It is not always easy to find one classification for some embroideries.

From the Collezioni Comunali d'Arte Museum in Bologna:


There is something really interesting in discovering and identifying human figures and animals in needlework. I know some people who even collect all the examples they can find. Figures are found in needle lace (and embroideries) especially in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Maria Del Popolo's style of Reticello is different again from the previous ones we've looked at.


She does some of the most amazing Reticello work which she learned from her mother! This is the cover of her third book: Disegni di Reticello Antico which is just for drooling over, there are no didactic instructions inside like there are in her first two publications: Il Reticello Antico and Reticello Antico e Filet. You can see some examples of her work here, here and here.

Next time we'll visit some of those elaborate Reticello collars and cuffs from Renaissance art and antique pattern books.

You can get Maria Del Popolo's books from Tombolo Disegni. Click on "Libri/Books", then "Libri Ricamo", then "Libri Ricamo Italiani" - send an email request to order.

Different Styles of Reticello - Part One
Different Styles of Reticello - Part Two

Different Styles of Reticello - Part Four

Thanks to Elisabetta for the Bologna Reticello photo!

Different Styles of Reticello - Part Two

As mentioned in Part One of this series, Elisa Ricci has an entire chapter dedicated to Reticello in her book Old Italian Lace (1913) which can be downloaded in pdf format from the Online Digital Documents Archive.

Here is a 16th century shirt from the above-mentioned book with Reticello worked into the sleeves and body. Notice how the designs work together to flow along inside the zig-zagged open parts:


And here in the Collezioni Comunali d'Arte museum in Bologna the design works its way across window after window...


In the past there were works with bigger or smaller areas of Reticello and the same goes for the works of today. While you might think that no one takes the time to work elaborate embroideries of Reticello anymore, there are still embroiderers in Italy who dedicate lots of time to this art.

Laura Marzorati, born in Milan but who now lives in Treviso works some beautiful and intricate designs in her Reticello work. She has learned and continues to learn from some of the best maestras in Italy. Every year she takes courses in different techniques of needlework to keep herself "updated". In 2005 she started teaching needlework at the University of the Third Age in Treviso and in 2008 she founded the non-profit needlework association Treviso Ricama where she teaches a long list of embroidery and needle lace techniques.

In 2007 she published her first book called: Guida al Ricamo Reticello e Merletto Veneziano.


While the text is in Italian, the step-by-step photography is totally amazing! I'm not sure if she put each piece into a scanner or had a super-macro lens but there have never been closer, clearer photos before for this kind of work!


Her second book published in 2009: Guida al ricamo Reticello Liberty has even clearer photos (I didn't think it was possible!) and Italian text. Both books cover the basics and then move on to the filling stitches so you're safe to purchase either one to start. These books can be purchased from Tombolo Disegni. Click on "Libri/Books", then "Libri Ricamo", then "Ricamo Italiani". Send an email request.

In the next installment we'll talk about human figures in Reticello and some of the most intricate modern Reticello needlework being made today.

Thanks to Elisabetta for the photos from Bologna!

Different Styles of Reticello - Part One

Different Styles of Reticello - Part Three

Different Styles of Reticello - Part Four