Monograms and ciphers

I'm a monogram junkie, I'll admit it. I love monograms, ciphers, crests, coats of arms that sort of thing. As I really like Whitework embroidery as well, I am continuously drawn to Monograms... I haven't stitched that many but I sure do enjoy looking at them. Even though there are quite a few books out there that are free, downloadable patterns... somehow I need to have the glossy paper, the heavy, hardcover book - it helps with the mood of far-away times.

I have a gorgeous book from Italy on embroidered ciphers, in fact its called: Il libro delle Cifre Ricamate [The Book of Embroidered Ciphers] by Liliana Babbi Cappelletti. This is a very special book. Hardcover, large format (9.75" wide x 12.25" high), printed on glossy paper, it was recently reprinted in a third edition in a small print run of only 1000 copies. Each copy is numbered and signed by the author. Though the text is in Italian, there are many, many lovely colour photos of incredible, gorgeous embroidery, some of it done by Lilli, some done by her students or women she knows, some are antique pieces from various private collections.

The photography is also beautiful. The pictures are full of antique needlework tools, flowers, ribbons, old pattern books, pottery... giving everything a romantic 19th century sort of feel.

There are designs throughout the historical chapter but also lots of pages that are solely dedicated to designs: combined letters...

I thought this was a single "M" but the text made me realize that it is in fact, two "A"s intertwined together:


...various alphabets of all styles - many with shading or drawn details which make you think of the perfect embroidery technique for them like Cutwork, Padded Satin Stitch, needle lace, etc....


...some very elaborate letters designed to stand alone or be the central focus of the embroidery, some names - this is fun as there are many strictly Italian names like Giovanna but there are lots of other names too like Hans, Marcelle, Clementine. There is a section of pattern designs for sayings: Amore, Buon Riposo...


...one for numbers, one for ornaments and embellishments, frames and ovals, love knots. Diagrams in the back illustrate various stitches like Padded Satin Stitch, Raised Padded Satin Stitch, Overcasting, Cutwork, Stem Stitch, Chain Stitch, Bullions and Rush Stitch which is similar to Roumanian Couching. There's more... how to set up your frame or hoop; how to take care of your linens... the bibliography is two columns of historical books on embroidery.

Can you see the little half moon in the centre of the crest? He has a face!


It's just a lovely book to sit in your lap with a cup of tea beside you and daydream the afternoon away thinking of forgotten eras where a woman's trousseaux was filled with these lovely items and better still, when one used these items on a regular basis. The perfect way to spend some time to yourself on Mother's Day!

Il libro delle Cifre Ricamate is available from Tombolo Disegni (send an email request to order).
Or email Elena at Italian Needlecrafts and see if she can get it.

Looking for things to read to keep that 19th century feeling? Check out Tuttoricamo - under the 'History' heading there are articles on trousseaux, the handkerchief, the laundry, the tea towel, and others to help you keep the mood.

Italia Invita - Part Two - 2005

As Italia Invita has now announced their plans for the 2011 Forum in Parma, Italy, I've started a series of posts to tell you about this amazing bi-annual event. I started with the first Forum in Bellaria in 2003 here.

For me, the build up to the 2005 Forum was even greater than for 2003. By then I'd joined an Italian embroidery message board frequented by Italian women who were searching for the same information about Italian embroidery and lace techniques that I was! I learned that there wasn't a lot of information about Italian needlework, not even in Italy! Imagine my surprise. It seems that technical instructions were for the most part passed on verbally and that unless you frequented an embroidery school there wasn't any easy way to learn them. Books on technique were scarce. Imagine my surprise too when I discovered that these women who were searching for information were all young. Modern living in Italy, as in most other countries, meant less leisure time for women who were working and so techniques were in danger of being lost as the women of previous generations were literally taking their needlework secrets to the grave.

I joined an embroidery message board but didn't post - yes, I lurked for a whole year! I absorbed everything they learned about the next Forum which was to be held again in Bellaria on May 13th to 15th, 2005. Everyone was very excited about it and there were lots of messages. I also discovered the girl Agnese from SuperEva (see previous post) was now involved in the running of the Forum and she was a member of the message board, so there was lots of reliable information from her. My Italian needlework vocabulary grew as did my desire to go back to Italy. Again, I wanted to go so badly but just couldn't afford it.

For the 2005 edition of the Italia Invita International Forum of Lace and Embroidery the theme was Origins and this peaked my curiosity so much. There was to be historical data about Italian needlework – exactly the stuff I was searching for. All schools and associations exhibiting at the Forum were asked to produce a sample of a Border in the technique of their specialty. There was a competition open to everyone to produce a shoulder bag with the "Original Stitch - Basting" on it. There were special exhibits amongst which were: Byssus, a thread obtained from a Mediterranean sea mollusk; Hemp weaving and a stand dedicated to Elisa Ricci, an Italian needlework scholar from the early 20th century and her publications. There were lectures on the methods of transferring patterns, Elisa Ricci and her work, embroideries and laces from the 16th and today. There were workshops and mini-workshops called ateliers for learning techniques. The Forum had 3500 visitors - a good 2000 more than the 1st edition. It all sounded like a dream come true. I resolved that for the next one, I was going no matter what.

On the message board after the Forum I read about how everyone got to finally meet each other, having previously only known each other through email, how they were all overwhelmed with elation about all they had seen and learned. There had never been so many different Italian needlework techniques, masters, schools and associations together at the same event before. The newly born website Tuttoricamo now had a wealth of information to draw on having made so many contacts at the Forum. ** Update: Tuttoricamo has now changed to blog format, the link has been updated from my original post.

And it got even better... there was a book! ...and it was in Italian AND English! Of course I sent off a money order for it right away. It was a beautiful thing. Merletti e Ricami Italiani Forum 2005 [Italian Laces and Embroideries]. It was full of historical articles, colour photos, a regional breakdown of the techniques exhibited at the Forum with photos of all the Border samples the exhibitors had stitched, stitch diagrams, bibliographies... I had to go to the next one.

I told my daughter that I was going. Period. I told her she was welcome to come and that I'd love to show her some of Italy but I was going in May of 2007 and she had better get used to the idea - we'd work out how to make up the school she'd miss somehow... nothing was going to stop me. I started saving every spare penny.

Here are some sample pages of the book:


Next we'll talk about the Italia Invita Forum 2007 which I actually got to attend and where I lost my mind...

You can learn more about Byssus at Tuttoricamo, look under the 'Materials' heading for the article entitled: Sea Silk. Information on Elisa Ricci can be found under 'Prominent Characters'.

You can still get the book Merletti e Ricami Italiani Forum 2005. Send an email request to Italian Needlecrafts and ask Elena to get it for you.

Italia Invita - Part One - 2003

Italia Invita - Part Three - 2007

Italia Invita - Part Four - 2009

Italia Invita - Part Five - 2011

Puncetto books

After getting lost in the mail, returned to sender and resent out, four books on Puncetto have finally arrived at Italian Needlecrafts.

Since these books are very hard to find and to purchase for those of us outside of Italy, I wanted to wait until they were available from a reliable website with PayPal options for payment before telling you about them. Many of you have asked for more about Puncetto needle lace and finally I can tell you something.

If you're wondering which one to start with, it should be this one, Puncetto Valsesiano, Manuale di Base by Anna Axerio:


It has the basics. While the text is in Italian, there are lots of step-by-step photos. I think the hardest part about making Puncetto needle lace is tension and keeping track of where you are.

I know I get lost in the counting all the time so my samples are definitely not worth showing you! I have watched my Mom knit and to avoid getting lost, she keeps a pad of paper and pencil beside her. She draws lines and other symbols to represent the number of stitches and which individual types of stitches she does per row when she's doing something particularly complicated. I am thinking that I might adopt this method at least until I get the hang of Puncetto.

The book has images of the symbols used in patterns, the different parts of the design, the basic stitches, how to add a new thread when you run out, how to start on the edge of fabric, how to start freestyle (like in the video here), then many patterns of varying difficulty and pictures of finished pieces, how to do arcs with picots similar to these that I showed you before:

... and finally how to insert Puncetto pieces into fabric.

At present, as far as I know there is no specific book in English on Puncetto needle lace. As mentioned in a previous post there are some pages in old needlework manuals (in English) which will help you out with the basics of the actual stitch but they don't have patterns or explain in detail how to build a design.

This book has everything you would need to make yourself many, many pieces of this beautiful needle lace. The other books listed at Italian Needlecrafts are specific to their subjects and explain with lots of diagrams and pictures how to execute more complicated (and delightful!) patterns. They do not however, have any instructions on the basics.

Ars Panicalensis - Embroidery on Tulle

Panicale is a small town in Umbria, Italy. It is where an Italian lady by the name of Anita Belleschi Grifoni founded a school of embroidery and named it Ars Panicalensis [Art of Panicale] in the early 1930s.

Born in Panicale in 1889, Anita lost her mother at a young age and was then taken in by the Institute of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish were she received her education and was taught embroidery. When she was in her forties, Anita was asked to restore a veil owned by the Countess Barabino di LeMura. Whether the veil was Venetian or French is unclear, in any event Anita was then inspired to start a revival of the technique of Embroidery on Tulle. She studied many antique pieces at the Collegiate Church of St. Michael Archangel and in other local churches and the embroidery school was born.

Anita's designs were of typical 19th century taste: mostly floral motifs enriched by volutes and festoons, or birds of paradise on flowering branches, love knots, ribbons, landscapes, swallows and rural elements.

The school provided a means for local women to earn some financial and moral independence by making and selling their work. Anita was so convinced of the potential of Ars Panicalensis that she sent some samples to the House of Savoy. As a result, Anita and her daughter embroidered the christening robe for Princess Maria Pia of Savoy. The embroideries became well-known and sought after by the upper class and noble families and the school was commissioned to do bridal veils, tablecloths and other items destined not only for individual use but also for Embassies and many pieces went out to foreign markets.

Today you can see many of these works in the Panicale Tulle Museum in the Church of S. Agostino in Piazza Regina Margherita, Panicale. A few photos are here. Paola Matteucci, a master of the technique of Ars Panicalensis consults and assists in the management and promotion of the museum. She also teaches courses on the technique and in 2004, wrote for and co-edited the book, Ars Panicalensis, il Museo del Tulle 'Anita Belleschi Grifoni'.

I was lucky enough to see her display in Rimini at the Italia Invita Forum. The work was breathtakingly beautiful and the display was the talk of the show. Be sure to watch the slideshow of the display at the Italia Invita Forum in Rimini in 2007.

Read about Ars Panicalensis at Tuttoricamo under the 'Techniques' heading, the article is entitled: Embroidery on Tulle. While you're there, check out the book reviews for a review of the book Ars Panicalensis, il Museo del Tulle 'Anita Belleschi Grifoni' and the CD offered by Paola Matteucci in the 'Books' section under the heading: Other Italian Techniques.

The book (with text in Italian and English) and the CD (Italian but has some English text - step by step photos are very easy to follow) are available directly from Paola Matteucci's website. She also sells kits!

Samplers

Italian needlework samplers are hard to come by. I'm not sure if this is because they were actually used as 'notebooks' in the sense that Italians embroidered samplers of stitches as the only record of the stitches that they were taught and therefore the samplers were handled more and didn't survive the years. This is only a guess. They are not as commonly found as they are in English-speaking countries and usually not framed on the wall like we do.

I found some samplers in my travels to Italy last year, a few were at the Palazzo Davanzati in Florence. A couple of them looked to be mostly cross stitch, one was a darning sampler, the one I looked at the longest was one with various surface stitches and gold thread in one quarter with needle lace and some Macramé around the edges, another quarter of it was all Drawn Thread work. A lot of it was empty space as if it weren't finished – I later recognized this sampler in Elisa Ricci's Old Italian Lace, 1913. (you can find it on page 108 of the pdf file). How I would dearly love to be able to study this sampler up close at length!


Sorry the photo is blurry, the lighting was very low in this room:


In Verona at the little Don Mazza Museum in Via D.N. Mazza no. 14, there was a delicately stitched sampler done in such tiny stitches on very fine linen. Those bottom letters are made out of eyelets!


... we couldn't quite figure out how the cross stitches ended up looking like squares on the back:


At this museum we also found a long strip of wool done as a knitting sampler (this is only a small part):


There is a book I'd like to investigate called: Imparaticci = Samplers: Exercises of embroidery of European and American little girls from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth century by Marina Carmignani, 1986 (text in Italian). It's quite expensive so it's just on my wish list for now. Do you have this book? Can you tell me about the Italian samplers in it?

Thank you Armida for your pics of the samplers at the Davanzati Museum, mine did not turn out at all!

Ars Canusina

The Great Countess Matilda of Canossa is one of those historical figures who fascinates me. She lived from 1046 - 1115. Her lands spanned across much of the central northern part of what is Italy today. She was politically active and even hosted a reconciliation between Pope Gregory VII and King Henry IV of Germany at her castle in Canossa. She was apparently quite the military strategist as well, her forces achieving several successful campaigns. In the 1630s her remains were moved to St. Peter's Basilica in a tomb made for her by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and several other artists at the request of Pope Urban VIII.

In the 1920s Dr. Maria Bertolani Del Rio, a psychiatrist, had designs recorded from the stonework and architecture of the Canossa castle and surrounding churches. Putting them together with many Romanesque and Carolingian designs found on "Matildic codexes" (the Countess Matilda was responsible for a great many important documents and even had her own biography completed within her lifetime), a book was produced in 1935 called Ars Canusina [Art of Canossa].

Dr. Bertolani Del Rio was the Superintendent for the Antonio Marro scolastic colony, a project of the San Lazzaro Psychiatric Institute in Reggio Emilia. The purpose of the colony was to look after and educate children who had been admitted for psychiatric care or were abandoned by their families. Boys learned various trades and girls were taught embroidery and other textile arts.

In 1932 the colony was asked to exhibit works of local tradition in the National Exhibition of Woman's Work. This was when Dr. Bertolani Del Rio merged her two fields of interest: the children and the designs she had been collecting. With the help of the Drawing teacher, Professor Giuseppe Baroni patterns for embroidery were created. Beautiful embroideries stitched by pupils of the colony with the assistance of a few expert embroiderers won the gold medal at the Exhibition.

The colony closed down after the Second World War and the trademarked name is now owned by the Comune of Casina and authentic products are made by the Consorzio Ars Canusina.

Tuttoricamo has two excellent articles on the history of this technique and the colony under the "Techniques" heading. There are also some technical instructions in the "How its done" section.

Books on the technique include:
Reggio Ricama Racconta l'Ars Canusina, 2003 (text in Italian and English)
Ricamo Canusino, Comune di Casina (text in Italian - difficult to find)
Ars Canusina, Maria Bertolani Del Rio, 1935 (facsimile reprint 1992. Text in Italian - difficult to find)

Some examples of Ars Canusina embroideries are here, here, here, here and here.

Italian Needlework School Collaboration - History in the Making

I have been asked to tell you about a project I worked on in 2008. Many of you know (and many of you may not know) that I donate some translation work for the website Tuttoricamo.

In 2008 the Tuttoricamo ladies wanted to put together a book about Italian embroidery with the proceeds going to charity. Simona Bussiglieri from Mani di Donna had already put together a booklet of cross stitch designs in 2007 and was doing the same for 2008.

The ladies from Tuttoricamo sent word around to various embroidery schools asking if anyone would be interested in contributing to this worthy cause. (Proceeds went to the Pediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù of Rome which then used them to help the Bellosquardo House in Rome which houses low-income families from all over Italy and the poorer countries of the world). The response was good and the Tuttoricamo ladies embarked on the daunting task of coordinating and putting together the book: Un Natale da Ricamare 2008 con Tuttoricamo.


First a bit of background information: in Italy there are many embroidery and lace making schools. They are run by the various masters and teachers of Italian needlework techniques, usually as a second job, as most of you are aware, embroidery doesn't make anyone rich. These schools are generally in competition with each other, each one vying for students, teaching not just one, but many techniques in an effort to attract pupils. Some courses are carried out over weekends, some on specific days of the week, some over a period of weeks, months or years; in churches, community centres, private homes. Some schools and associations are fortunate enough to have some financial backing from community, provincial or regional funds and therefore have a fixed address and classrooms. It is a difficult way to make a living and the competition is quite fierce.

To ask these schools to collaborate together is something that had not been attempted before. Counting on the main goal of charity at Christmas time, the Tuttoricamo ladies went ahead and were successful in getting 13 associations to donate over 30 small patterns to be stitched up as Christmas cards or gifts. The techniques included: Classic Surface Embroidery, Drawn Thread Work, Palestrina Embroidery, Aemilia Ars Needle Lace, Cutwork, Reticello, Shadow Work, Cilaos, Filling Stitches, Bricco Embroidery, Cavandoli Macramé, Bandera Embroidery and Colbert Embroidery. Projects besides numerous Christmas cards were: table runner, table centre, needle book, lingerie envelope, wine bottle carrier, dish carrier, wine bottle drip-stop apron, napkin rings, Christmas tree ornaments, book cover, guest towel, advent calendar, sachet.

This is the sachet done by Gilda Cefariello Grosso (look her up at Tuttoricamo under 'Prominent Characters'):


This is the lingerie envelope done by the Association Giaveno Ricama:


Everyone donated their time, those who drew the patterns and wrote instructions, those who stitched the models, those who photographed, those who coordinated and me, who translated an English version (available as an insert upon request from Mani di Donna). The booklet is not for beginners, it is assumed that you have some working knowledge of the techniques as limits of space prohibited extensive instructions. It wasn't easy and it was stressful as putting together any publication is. Printing deadlines had to be met and asking people who are donating their time to conform to time restraints is not the easiest thing in the world to do. In the end however, a piece of history was made. This book represents more than the good will and charity of embroiderers at Christmas, it represents a sisterhood of sharing the art of Italian needlework and presenting it to the English-speaking world.

Bricco Embroidery

In 1913 Countess Tarsilla Petitti started a school for girls in a little town called Bricco de Faule (near Turin) in the Piedmont region of Italy. The people of the town were mostly poor farmers and the object of the school was to educate girls and train them in embroidery so that they could earn a living.

The Petitti family was in possession of a sacerdotal robe of richly embroidered fine cambric linen dating back to about the 17th century which they displayed in their chapel. At the time it was made, Church vestments were richly embroidered in what the Italians called Saxony Embroidery (Ricamo di Sassonia) which I strongly suspect is what we know today as Dresden Embroidery.

The robe was finely embroidered in white and silver threads with designs of roosters and peacocks, heraldic double-headed eagles, the emblem of Franciscan nuns, leaves and vines and many different types of stylized flowers. Tarsilla Petitti decided to create designs for her students using the robe as inspiration. Her pupils learned traditional embroidery techniques but became especially proficient at Bricco Embroidery as the embroideries born from the designs of the robe became known.

Instead of fine cambric, robust undyed homespun cloth made of hemp, cotton or linen was used. Thicker cotton threads replaced the fine white and silver ones of the robe resulting in a completely 'new' style of embroidery. Embroidered clothing done by the girls of the school were sold to the upper classes who were happy to support the project.

The outbreak of the First World War robbed the school of its pupils who were needed at home to replace the men who had gone off to war. Tarsilla Petitti then looked to the lower middle class women of the area who needed to supplement their incomes and to local nuns to keep her embroidery workshop open.

Bricco Embroidery took a gold medal at the 1923 Industrial Agricultural Exposition in Cherasco and became well known throughout Italy and abroad.

The Countess died in 1937. This unhappy event and the outbreak of the Second World War signaled the end of her workshop.

The technique had been all but forgotten until a recent revival has sparked new interest resulting in pieces of this unique and attractive embroidery being produced once again by various Italian embroiderers and the publication of the book: Bricco e Cavandoli, due favole in punta d'ago by Gisella Tamagno Gazzola. (Click on the author's name to go to her website where you can see pictures of Bricco Embroidery.)

This is a small purse kit that I purchased from the author in 2007:


To learn more about Bricco Embroidery, go to Tuttoricamo's website and look under the 'Techniques' heading. While you're there, read a book review of the publication mentioned above: click on 'Books', then 'Other Italian Techniques'.

The book can be purchased at Tombolo Disegni, click on 'Books', then 'Libri Ricami', then 'Ricamo Italiani'. The book has two subjects, Bricco Embroidery and Cavandoli Macramé and is printed in both languages (Italian and English) together. (You must send an email request to make a purchase.)

If you have the Anchor Manual of Needlework, there is a little bit written on this technique with a photo in the 'Italian Embroidery' chapter.

This is a fun Advent Calendar done in Bricco Embroidery:

Venice and Fortuny

If you're planning to be in Venice before the 18th of July this year, there is an exhibition on now at the Palazzo Fortuny called La Seta e il Velluto [Silk and Velvet]. There are a number of early 20th century clothing pieces on display including a series of rare Delphos (pleated silk satin dresses) owned by American collectors.

The Palazzo Fortuny is located in the historic centre of Venice near the Rialto bridge at: San Marco 3780, Boat Stop A, S. Angelo, Route 1. The museum is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm but is closed on Tuesdays.

Mariano Fortuny was a Spanish artist who became famous in Venice in the early 20th century. Fabrics of his design are still manufactured and sold today, you can see a number of them here.

The Venice showroom is now reopened and you can go for a look (and buy fabric!) Monday to Friday, between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm and then between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm on the Giudecca canal at no. 805.


A great book (if you can find it and afford it) is Fortuny by Anne-Marie Deschodt and Doretta Davanzo Poli. (text in English)

Hand-stamped fabrics

The tradition of hand-stamped fabrics goes back far into Italian history, at least to the 1400s if not farther. Some fabrics were stamped to embroider over and some were made just to be used as-is. Embroidery took a long time to produce therefore it was expensive, hand-stamping brought similar results at a lower cost.

Hand-stamped fabrics were used for table linens, upholstery, household furnishings, animal trappings and even clothing.

Traditionally the stamps were hand-carved into pear wood. Dye colours included rust, indigo blue, green and very rarely gold-yellow and brown.

Artisan hand-stamped fabrics are still produced today in Italy.

This is the corner of a small table cloth I purchased from Bertozzi:


This is a pear wood hand-carved stamp from the first part of the 20th century, part of a collection owned by Arnaldo Caprai.


Many more can be found in the book: In viaggio con Penelope. A catalogue of many embroideries, laces and textile-related articles owned by Arnaldo Caprai.

The area around Gambettola, Italy was especially productive in this art. Watch the video here that shows how the production is carried out, some patterns and also some modern designs.

This company specializes in Renaissance patterns and has some interesting slide-shows with English text.

To learn more of the history of hand-stamped fabrics in the Romagna region, go to Tuttoricamo and under the 'History' heading, you'll find a fascinating article called 'Hand printed fabric'.

There is an online museum of a collection of stamps from all over Europe here. You can visit this museum which is in Via Ugo Foscolo no. 4, Milan, entrance is free. I have not been there but it's on my list of things to do!

Bizantina Ars

Parts of what we know today as Italy were ruled by the Byzantines for a number of centuries. This influence is evident in some architecture, mosaics, marble carvings, frescos and... needlework.

Bizantina Ars or Byzantine Embroidery (the name Bizantina Ars [Byzantine Art] is actually trademarked) refers to embroidery made to resemble 4th and 5th century mosaics from the Basilicas of Ravenna.

This is a small piece of Bizantina Ars on a little rock salt sack that I purchased in Italy. It was made by the trademarked association which guarantees authentic designs and embroidery:


You can see the progression of the design from marble carving to stitched piece here.

Usually the designs are done as voided work, ie. the backgrounds are filled and the motifs left empty. Outlines are done in Stem Stitch, usually in a brown thread (DMC 801) and the filled areas are done in single coloured Punto Stuoia. The Anchor Manual of Needlework translates this stitch as Rush Stitch as that is the basic idea of it, it is meant to resemble the pattern of the rushes that covered European floors in ancient times. Single colour fillings are most commonly green, gold, red or blue. A high-count 100% Linen fabric is recommended in an ivory colour.

This example of Rush Stitch was sent to me by an Italian lady who does Byzantine Embroidery:


Here is what the back looks like:


(Note: these are examples of Rush Stitch, not Byzantine Embroidery.)

Rush Stitch is similar to Roumanian Couching though it is not meant to be evenly done but rather to have a randomness to it.

If you ever find yourself in Ravenna, all the Byzantine mosaics are worth going out of your way for. The churches of San Vitale and San Apollinare in Classe in particular.

Books about Byzantine Embroidery:
Il ricamo bizantino by Carla Scarpellini (text in Italian and difficult to find but worth it for the designs)
Bello come un sogno d’Oriente - Irma Scudellari Melandri, 2006 (text in Italian and also difficult to find but lots of colour photos of embroideries)
Treasury of Byzantine Ornament by Dover Publications is a good pattern book to use for this type of needlework.

To learn about the history behind Bizantina Ars, go to Tuttoricamo and look under the 'Techniques' heading.

For more pictures, check out the Gallery at the Bizantina Ars website.

Punto Avorio - Puncetto needle lace

Puncetto as it is commonly known today, has many other names, Punto Avorio being one of them. This needle lace is very attractive and though more commonly done in geometric designs, it can be used by the more advanced lacemaker to make curves. It is done in monochrome or even in bright multi-colours as on the traditional costumes of the Valsesia area in Italy.

If you've got access to Thérèse de Dillmont's Needlework Encyclopedia (also known as DMC's Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework), look under 'Needlemade laces' and check out the part on 'Knot Stitch Laces'. Look for Punto Avorio.

The best way to begin is to use the edge of a piece of fabric to attach to. Later you can try starting the way this lady does in her video.

There are a few books on this lace though all the ones I know of are in Italian and are difficult to find. Check out my library listing for titles relating to Puncetto. I have to admit to collecting everyone I have found so there are quite a few... to get you started I would say either the Manuale del puncetto valsesiano or the A scuola di Puncetto Valsesiano but if you are itching to give it a try right away, the Dillmont instructions are good or there are even some instructions in the Anchor Manual of Needlework under "Puncetto Work".

This is the corner of a fine linen handkerchief with Puncetto work that I purchased in Italy:


For free download of an Italian book from the early 20th century, go to Tuttoricamo, under the 'Books' section, then 'downloadable antique books', then under Amelia Brizzi Ramazzotti, click on the word 'Puncetto'.

UPDATE: Unfortunately the Tuttoricamo website is no longer active. You may search ebay for this book, it's called: Il Puncetto, insegnamento pratico illustrato.

Tassels and Macramé

I have always admired the Italian approach to Macramé. It recalls nothing like what North Americans tend to think of, which are the hemp plant hangers and decorative owls of the 1970s. No, Italians have a far more tasteful and timeless approach to Macramé which includes elaborate fringes for curtains and tablecloths, bags, cushions, Christmas Tree decorations, tablecentres and tassels! They also make figures out of Macramé, like Nativity scenes and angels and even animals, flowers and monograms!

I remember my mother attaching her work to corkboard or hanging it from a doorhandle and sitting on the floor... Italians have it all figured out, they have many different cushions for making your Macramé on and I have to say they are very comfortable to use, you won't go back to going without one!

Last year in Italy I took a class in how to make a Macramé tassel:


It was an intense 2-day course which lasted all day... I mean all day! Our tireless teacher Liliana Babbi Cappelletti held the classes in her home and served lunch and dinner. We practiced using different threads, from raw jute to pearl cotton, then we worked the tassel. I didn't get finished and had to complete it at home but it all worked out in the end. Lilli's instructional books are incredibly detailed and very easy to follow.

I'm hooked!

Ricamo d'Assia

When I first started researching Italian needlework I had a long list of names that I had taken off of an Italian stitching website which was in Italian (of course). I had no idea if these names were "Italian" techniques or just the Italian names for techniques from other countries.

Ricamo d'Assia was one that I liked very much, lots of Openwork and Whitework. When I was looking for instructions in English for the Gigliuccio hemstitch, I found Renate Fernau's book on Schwalm Whitework Embroidery. Long after I was done learning how to do the hemstitch that I had been so single-mindedly looking for, I noticed the rest of the book. The embroidery looked a lot like... Ricamo d'Assia. (Ricamo is 'embroidery' in Italian)

This was one of those times when the technique I was researching was not in fact an "Italian" technique per se... Ricamo d'Assia is the Italian term for Schwalm Whitework. What I did discover however, was that it is immensely popular in Italy and there are lots of embroiderers there who do it. I got a little sidetracked by seeing so many lovely examples of this embroidery done by Italian ladies that of course I even had to try a bit myself.

Last year when I was in Italy I couldn't help myself and just had to get a book on Ricamo d'Assia as it was written by an Italian embroidery teacher. Guida al ricamo d'Assia is packed full of colour instructional photos explaining over 30 stitches. There are projects with varying levels of difficulty and even a bit about the stitches that surround the traditional motifs. The text is in Italian but the photos and diagrams are so good that you'll be able to figure out what to do without the written instructions. You can get it direct from the author Stefania Bressan. There is a book review at Tuttoricamo under "Books" and then "Pulled Thread and Schwalm Embroidery".

I mention this technique here because it did have me researching it for awhile before I figured out what it was, so if anyone else out there happened to wonder, now you know. If you're anything like me though, you are easily distracted by beautiful embroidery and this is well worth a look from the Italian point of view.

This delightful little pincushion is a gift that I received from Italy:

Punto Antico - Antique Stitch

I absolutely love this technique so you will probably read a lot about it here. Known under many names, Punto Toscano, Punto Reale, Punto Riccio and others, the term Punto Antico seems to be a relatively recent (early 20th century) name used to encompass needlework that uses the basic elements of this technique: Satin Stitch motifs, Curl Stitch curlicues, Overcast Stitch for bordering Openwork and Drawn-Thread work areas, Four-Sided Stitch, and very often Gigliuccio hemstitching. It is often paired with Reticello, Aemilia Ars and Punto in Aria needle laces.

Today it is largely done as a Counted Thread Technique but in the past (as even now) some do it as a classic embroidery technique, that is with traced designs on the fabric to be executed not by counting ground threads.

Going through the museums all over Italy I found extant pieces of this technique dating back quite far. There are pieces of fabric with Punto Antico elements on them dating back to the late 15th century. The pieces are quite complex suggesting that the technique goes much farther back in time.

This is some work at the Collezioni Comunali d'Arte in Bologna:


Ancient pieces have almost the whole surface of the fabric covered in stitching while modern pieces are quite sparse in comparison though done with no less good taste. I like the texture, the bas-relief effect, it seems to me like carved marble. The openwork spaces balance the textured areas using chiaroscuro effects so that this mainly monotone embroidery does not suffer in the least for lack of colour. The curlicues are my favourite element.

Another piece from the Collezioni Comunali d'Arte in Bologna:


This is some work exhibited at the Palazzo Davanzati in Florence:


As with any embroidery technique, there are a number of ways to execute the stitches. Taking the curlicue (Punto Riccio) as an example: it is executed in three parts with a base of Double Running Stitch (or Stem Stitch or Cable Stitch or Back Stitch) which are then whipped with an Overcast Stitch for each base stitch and then the whole line is covered in Overcast Stitches done side-by-side to create a wonderful raised stitch. Time consuming? Yes! Worth the effort? Very much so! It takes a bit of practice..


My first ones were quite lumpy but after many attempts, they are pretty smooth now...


Here's what they look like over Stem Stitch with only one Overcast Stitch per Stem Stitch (overcast the overlap) ... This gives quite a different effect which is nice too.


Anyway, its a fun stitch to play around with, giving your work some texture.

There are some Punto Antico online tutorials at Tuttoricamo under the "How it's Done" section (Antique Stitch). While you're there you can download some old books on the subject from the "Books" section: look under 'downloadable Antique books' - L. Vannini, there are three there.

I did a couple of articles for Piecework which are available for download from their website.

For some modern books:

Associazione Il Punto Antico (all books are either in Italian/English or come with English inserts upon request).

Tombolo Disegni (click "books", "libri ricamo", "ricamo italiani" - you need to send an email request to order) There you will also find a book called Punto Antico disegnato which is not a counted thread technique book but rather designs for traditional freestyle or non-counted thread, Punto Antico embroidery.

Most of the Carmela Testa books at Iva Rose also have some elements of Punto Antico in them though the instructions are a bit vague.

Check out YouTube as there are some tutorial films there too!

Old Books

At some point I decided to start a library and collect all the books I could find on Italian Needlework. This was (and still is) an expensive endeavour as usually I end up paying twice the cover price of the book because the shipping costs from Italy are so high. Long ago I told myself it was worth it and so I stopped being freaked out by costs and learned to treasure my books for the individual delights that they are. Sure I sacrifice, I don't spent a lot on going out to restaurants, etc. so I allow myself the cost of building my library. I try to limit myself to those books I would really like to have but once in awhile I splurge and buy ones that are just great eye candy.

The first old book I bought was one year at Christmas. An original 1925 edition of Elisa Ricci's Ricami Italiani Antichi e Moderni, Le Monnier, Firenze [Italian Embroideries, Ancient and Modern]. This book is outrageously priced at antique book stores in Italy but I happened across a copy being sold from England for about half of what it was usually going for. I don't even remember where I purchased it from but it wasn't through Ebay or any of the big book chains. The bookstore told me that it wasn't in great shape but that it had all it's pages. That was good enough for me. I told myself it was an essential book to research on Italian Needlework and that sooner or later I would have to have it – and I might never find it so "reasonably" priced. Ah! ...the ways we can justify things to ourselves! I worried and sweat for a month waiting for it to arrive. When it did I understood the shipping costs as it weighs 3.5 lbs!


Hardcover, embossed and gilt. I didn't own anything like it. It is kind of worn away around the edges and two pages were folded over. Other than that, it is pristine. Moreover I don't think anyone ever really studied it. The pages are clean on the edges and there were even four pages that hadn't quite been cut apart properly so that they were still attached to the preceding one at the top edge.

And the contents! I had never seen one book with so many different Italian embroidery techniques and though the photographs are all black and white, there are a great many of them. Of course the text is in Italian and so I had to set about researching some embroidery terminology translations but in the end it has and still does given me countless hours of enjoyment.

A few years later an Italian woman who was (still is!) researching the life and work of the author was able to have this text reprinted in a smaller paperback format. She enriched the text with a detailed index and it is the copy that I use most for research now. I still take the original edition out quite often as the pictures are larger – being that the book is much larger – so I can get out a magnifying glass and really study the details.

Oh I was so hooked after that on old books!

Since those days, the internet has opened up many opportunities and it is much easier now to spend my money. I also now know a bit more about what I'm looking for. Now I have to weigh the pros and cons of each purchase... is it out of copyright and available on websites like the Antique Pattern Library or the Digital Archive of Documents on Weaving and Related Topics? How much of the content is text and how much is patterns or pictures? Will I be able to easily find another copy another time? Other things to consider are things like: does it come from a smoke-free environment? Has it been kept in a moldy basement? If these things are important to you, ask the bookseller. I once bought a stitch encyclopedia that had to sit outside in a bag with a carbon filter and a bag of coffee beans for a really long time before I could handle leafing through it.

Best of all old embroidery books give us a window to the past. A different way of life, a slower pace. A time when there was more opportunity to embroider, and more things to be embroidered!

Websites I like to haunt for old Italian needlework books are:
Maremagnum
Abebooks Italy
LibriBooks
MareLibri
Ebay Italy
Please note that most of these website also sell modern books so watch for publication dates!

You can learn more about Elisa Ricci at TuttoRicamo under the headings "History" and "Prominent Characters", you can also read a review of Ricami Italiani Antichi e Moderni in the "Books" section under "Antique Books" (right hand side of the page), click on "comments".

Adele della Porta

Many books on Italian needlework were written by Adele della Porta in the early part of the 20th century.

I thought it might be interesting to find out a bit about this woman who wrote so much. Initial searches on the internet turned up nothing but every now and then I check out all the links I can which quote her name. I wish I could search genealogy records in Italy in person, but that is not possible at this time so lets just say that for now, this in an incomplete biography.

Adele Colombini was born in 1859. She married Augusto Mazzucchetti, a journalist and writer, and had two children: Mario and Lavinia. Mario died at 23 in 1910 from typhus. Both her family and her husband's family were Milanese but I can find no data as to whether that means the city of Milan proper or it's surrounding area. I cannot find a marriage date either.

Due to the political connections of her husband and his involvement in the emancipation of women, she was able to publish her writings with the Sonzogno publishing house of Milan. She assumed the pseudonym of Adele della Porta and compiled and edited books and magazines on women's fashion. She gradually became the director and managing editor of the magazines: La Novità, Il Ricamo, La Moda Illustrata, La Moda Illustrata per Bambini, La Biancheria Elegante and Parisienne Grande Mode. It seems her daughter Lavinia, then a high school student, helped her mother with both the compilation and translation of foreign texts especially those in French and German. Lavinia would go on to become an important literary scholar, critic and translator.

Adele died in Milan in 1948, she was predeceased by her husband who died in 1914.

I have been able to compile a list of the books that she wrote, edited or illustrated for the Sonzogno publishing house. Please leave a comment if you know of errors or other publications that I may have missed. Some of these are available for download at Tuttoricamo, as they are no longer covered by copyright laws. Some can be found occasionally on Ebay or its sister site Italian Ebay. There are a couple of digital copies for sale here.

One day I hope to have them all in one form or another as they are valuable resources in the research and understanding of Italian Needlework. One day I hope to know more about this incredible lady who assembled all this information.

Il Grosso richelieu, 1915 [Large Richelieu Cutwork]
Il punto di Palestrina, 1919 [Palestrina Embroidery]
Il punto filet. Album 1, 1915 [Filet or Lacis]
Il punto filet. Album 2, 1915
Il punto filet. Album 3, 1919
Il punto filet. Album 4, 1919
Il punto filet. Album 5, 1919
Il punto filet. Album 6, 1920
Il punto filet. Album 7, 1920
Il punto filet. Album 8, 1928
Il punto filet a maglie larghe, 1922 [Filet or Lacis on large grids]
Il punto Milano, 1916
Il punto norvegese, 1917 [Hardanger]
Il punto norvegese a colori, 1917 [Hardanger in colour]
La sarta, 1926 [Sewing manual]
Nuovi pizzi rinascimento. Album 1, 1924 [New Renaissance Laces]
Nuovi pizzi rinascimento. Album 2, 1924
Nuovi pizzi rinascimento. Album 3, 1924
Pizzo ad uncinetto, 1917 [Crochet Lace]
Pizzo Irlanda, 1915 [Irish Crochet Lace]
Pizzo Irlanda fine, 1915 [Fine Irish Crochet Lace]
Punto a Giorno, 1923 [Drawn Thread work, hemstitching]
Punto d'Assisi. Album 1, 1916 [Assisi Embroidery]
Punto d'Assisi. Album 2, 1916
Punto di Rodi e Punto Barro, 1919 [Pulled Thread work and Cutwork]
Punto di Venezia. Fasc. 1, 1919 [Venetian Lace]
Punto di Venezia. Fasc. 2, 1919
Punto di Venezia. Fasc. 3, 1919
Punto in Croce moderno. Album 1, 1915 [Modern Cross Stitch]
Punto in Croce moderno. Album 2, 1915
Punto in Croce moderno. Album 3, 1915
Punto in Croce moderno. Album 4, 1915
Punto in Croce moderno. Album 5, 1915
Ricamo con nastrino Graziella, 19??
Ricamo di Casal Guidi, 1915 [Casalguidi Embroidery]

Victoria and Albert Museum

Sooner or later I think, if you are interested in needlework, you become interested in fashion, clothing and costume if only for the embroideries that decorate them. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has studied Italian needlework quite extensively and is a great resource for printed material in English on the subject, though you may have to dig around a bit to find it. I have never been to the museum itself though I have talked to those who have: they describe it as utterly amazing. I believe it. If you search Youtube, there are various videos about the museum and it's projects. Some made by visitors, others made by the museum itself.

The museum bookstore has some of the most beautiful publications. I only have a couple of them, but many more are on my wish list. At Home in Renaissance Italy by Marta Ajmar-Wollheim and Flora Dennis is a particularly good one with a section on textiles and clothing which features some excellent colour photographs. In truth there are embroideries and textiles scattered throughout the other sections too. A detailed summary catalogue lists everything they know about the pieces shown. There are also many plates of paintings which depict clothing and therefore show decorative embroidery.

On the museum's website, you can search the collections for Italian pieces. For example, inputting "embroidery Italy" or "lace Italy" results in many pages of results with photos. Clicking on an image that interests you brings up a pop-up window with minimal information like the date, place and maker but also two important links: 'view details' and 'add to order'.

'View details' brings you to a page with all the known information regarding the piece and the option to zoom in closer to look at the photo. Sometimes there are other photos of the same piece with details of the needlework. You can download a .pdf page with all the info contained on the page for future study, or explore related subjects by clicking on links provided on the bottom part of the page. There is a place to click for a summary, more information and even a map to show you where the place of origin is located. From this page you can order a high resolution photo of the image but you can also do that by clicking on 'add to order' from the previous pop-up window. Signing up for an account is free, and you can then download high resolution images to study. There are some limitations on the amount of images you can download per session, and there are some use and licensing restrictions. However, if you just want to study a piece close-up for your own interest, this is a great way to do it for those who cannot get to the museum itself. Images are available for download within 15 minutes of ordering, just refresh your order page in your browser and after a few moments a link will appear and you can download the image.

Best of all: it costs nothing!

Arezzo Embroidery

At the end of the 19th century excavations in Arezzo, Italy revealed some pieces of unevenly woven cloth dating to about 1400. Embroidered on these pieces were some patterns executed in Cross Stitch using only rust and blue coloured thread.

Just after these discoveries some women of the area decided to recreate and revive this embroidery. At the time, women in many cities and areas of Italy were developing or reviving local embroidery and lace techniques.

Fabric was handwoven in the nearby town of Città di Castello especially for this project. Designs of traditional motifs like stylized birds, fantasy animals and Romanesques were used with geometric patterns – designs very similar to the traditional designs of Perugian weaving.

Essentially a Counted Thread technique, the designs were filled in with Long Arm Cross Stitch over four/eight ground threads, and lines were done in Double Running Stitch over four ground threads. The narrow hems of the pieces were finished with Four-Sided Stitch. Hemp threads were used in rust and blue colours.

Items made were: placemats, bags, curtains, tablecentres, panels, cushions with inserts of bobbin lace and sometimes with knotted fringe or tassels.

Works were exhibited in local and regional exhibits.

This embroidery enjoyed some popularity at the time and other areas like Florence adopted it.

Over time it went into decline and is today almost forgotten. I have seen only a couple of modern pieces – one is pictured in the catalogue for the Italia Invita Lace and Embroidery Forum of 2005, executed by the Laboratorio Tessile di Alice in Castiglion Fiorentino; the other can be found if you click on the 'english' button in the top right hand corner of their homepage, then 'activity' at the bottom of the page, then 'weekly courses' there will appear a row of six images along the bottom left-hand side of the page: in the third from the left, is a small bird stitched in blue and rust. This is the only online picture that I can find to show you - if anyone knows of others, please, please – leave a comment below!

Black and white pictures of works from the beginning of the 20th century can be found in:
Anchor Manual of Needlework, Interweave Press
Dizionario Enciclopedico di Lavori Femminili by Lucia Petrali Castaldi
L'Opre Leggiadre by Lucia Petrali Castaldi

Aemilia Ars needle lace from Bologna - Part Two

After stumbling awestruck from viewing the Aemilia Ars needle lace at the Collezioni Comunali d’Arte Museum (see Part One) my two lovely companions took me off to an exhibition of pieces displayed for a limited time by the Association I Merletti di Antonilla Cantelli. This association is composed of past pupils of the maestra Antonilla Cantelli who practice the Aemilia Ars needle lace as it was taught to them in order to keep the art alive. At this exhibition there were pieces made by her pupils but also pieces made by the master herself on loan from her granddaughter. This is actually where I broke down and cried – overwhelmed by the beauty of these laces. I wish I could show you all my pictures but here are just a few of my favourites:

If you ever get the chance to get to Bologna, do not leave the city without experiencing this incredibly beautiful art!

Okay, now for books!

Merletti e Ricami della Aemilia Ars is hard to find but worth the hunt. This is a reprint of the 1929 publication showcasing the masterpieces of the original Aemilia Ars Society. Text in Italian, tonnes of good black and white photos!

L’Aemilia Ars di Antonilla Cantelli – A granddaughter's tribute to the maestra, showcasing her designs and laces. Text in Italian, lots of great photos.

Aemilia Ars, Arts & Crafts a Bologna 1898-1903. Exhibit catalogue full of photos and the history of the original society and more. Text in Italian, difficult to find but well worth it.

Old Italian Lace, Volume One by Elisa Ricci - downloadable in .pdf format from the Online Digital Archive of Documents on Weaving and related topics. Lots of black and white pictures and some history too!

If you want to try your hand at this lace there are a few technical manuals out.
For florals there is: Fiori - Quaderni di Aemilia Ars - Nuova S1, 2009. The text is in Italian but the book is packed with step by step clear photos.

For geometric designs, there are a couple to choose from here. These texts are in Italian and English with lots of diagrams. There is also an exhibition catalogue with historical info and pictures.

If you've got the May/June 2009 edition of Piecework, there is a small project there.

To learn more about Aemilia Ars needle lace, visit Tuttoricamo (click on the British flag for the English pages, there are articles under both the "History" and "Techniques" headings. While you're there check out "Prominent Characters": Antonilla Cantelli, Virginia Bonfiglioli and Christine Bishop for even more photos and info. Check out the book reviews to help you make a decision!

Aemilia Ars needle lace from Bologna - Part One