Reticello - New Book!

A very refreshing and colourful approach to an ancient Italian traditional needlework technique! This new book by Paola Barbieri, published by the Associazione Il Punto Antico is a delightful Reticello manual.

There are step-by-step photos and good diagrams as well as works in varying stages of progress to show you what your Reticello work should look like as you go.

Sample page showing a work in varying stages of completion.

There are 11 different delicious projects and countless filling stitches explained. The book has 96 pages and you can request a French or English insert when you order but the text in the book is only in Italian. The translation inserts will not be ready until September but they will be sent separately to those who would like them. The Associazione Il Punto Antico always has good English translations in their books. You can purchase Il Reticello interpretato da Paola Barbieri directly from the Edizioni Il Punto Antico website with PayPal or a credit card.

Old films on Lace and Embroidery

I just have to re-direct you over to Silvia's blog Dentelles d'Abord for lots of links to old films on YouTube on lace and embroidery from the 1920s, '30s, '40s and '50s!!!!!

Thanks so much Silvia for discovering these!

Italian Hedebo Embroidery

Most days, 50% or more of my readers come from Italy. I find this odd as I started this blog with the idea of exposing "English-speaking" embroiderers (read: outside of Italy) to the wonders of Italian needlework. Right from the beginning however, at least half the readership has always been from Italy. Why am I telling you this? Well, today we're going to walk on the fine-line of subject matter. I want to tell you about a new book that is about needlework and is written by Italians but it is not "technically" Italian needlework if you want to be black and white about it. Hedebo Embroidery originally comes from Denmark.

There are, however a lot of elements of Hedebo Embroidery found in Italian whitework embroidery and I have many times seen absolutely amazing pieces in museums, the work of Italian embroiderers.

Guida al Ricamo Hedebo by Laura Marzorati and Stefania Bressan is a very good book and I don't see why I can't tell you about it. The authors are talented Italian needleworkers and teachers and have a handful of other books on various embroidery and lace techniques written both separately and together. The collaboration of these two is fantastic for us the needleworkers as they both believe in exhaustive explanations and instructions.

Step-by-step photos which are taken from close-up and are very clear are complimented by accurate and impressive computer illustrations. There are tips and tricks scattered throughout the text (in Italian) and photos of both antique and contemporary pieces of Italian Hedebo Embroidery.

Sample page from Guida al Ricamo Hedebo.

The preface is followed by a bit of history and definitions of what makes up Hedebo Embroidery along with the materials required. Next is a section on the basic stitches and then the basic motifs, nearly 30 in all! Three projects are proposed and then there is a useful bibliography. This soft-cover manual consists of 64 pages.

So, if you're not in Italy, I hope you don't mind that we've talked about Hedebo Embroidery with an Italian connection here today and if you are in Italy, I hope that I've helped you out!

Pizzo Margarete

The other day, surfing around as one does, I stumbled upon a spectacular Flickr folder full of amazing works of art done in Pizzo Margarete.

If you're looking for some eye candy, grab a cuppa and google "Pizzo Margarete" images!

Here is my first attempt from Adriana Lazzardi's wonderful book: Macramè Il Pizzo Margarete.

My technique needs a lot of work but it was fun to do and quick! I used some fine hemp yarn which gave me blisters on my hands so I will be looking for some cotton threads to use next time. The bookmark measures 12 inches long by 2 inches wide (at the widest motif). I made an error in not attaching the diamond shape together in the centre but at least I recognized it (as soon as I was finished of course!). I am not discouraged from trying again which is the important thing.

In the May/June 2012 issue of Piecework you will find a wonderful article and projects by Marji Suhm who learned this technique from two expert teachers in Germany where the technique (known in German as: Margaretenspitze [Margarete's lace]) was originally created by Margarete Naumann around the turn of the 20th century.

I always love to see how Italians add their own flair and style to techniques and the Flickr folder mentioned above shows you some fantastic Italian creations in Pizzo Margarete.

Old Puncetto needle lace book in English

Some years ago while searching in the World Catalogue, I came across a book published in 1917 by Theresa Rizzi. It was called: Poncetto Lace. I wrote to the curator of textiles at the Smithsonian Museum where the book was held and asked if it was possible to obtain a copy since the text was old enough to be out of copyright. The curator sent me some scans of the text and asked that I not circulate them as they were part of the Smithsonian's collection. She also said that the Museum had future plans to start publishing scans of the texts in their collection on the Internet Archive and at some future date this book would be there in the public domain.

I'm excited to tell you that it has now been added to the Internet Archive and you can download it yourself here.

This is the only dedicated manual for Puncetto needle lace written in English that I know of. Before you get too excited, this is a manual from 1917, so if you're familiar with old instruction manuals, you'll know that step-by step photos didn't exist due to the high cost of reproducing photography so instructions were written out and sometimes very difficult to follow. Theresa Rizzi has, however written this booklet with the intention of her readers being able to learn from her instructions so it is better than a lot of old manuals from the period. The only thing I found unclear was how to start a piece not attached to a piece of fabric. However, thankfully today there are other ways to learn this, one being an excellent video series on YouTube (start with Puncetto Anfang).

Poncetto Lace is only 16 pages long and has a few patterns for insertions and edgings. While it is not an exhaustive how-to manual, it may just help you to understand a bit more if you've been struggling with Italian instructions.

Deruta Drawn Thread Work - New book!

 

What a lovely surprise in the mail on Friday! A long-awaited book on Deruta Drawn Thread Work by Maria Elide Melani of the Association Ago, Aga e Fantasia.

While the text is in Italian, there are a great many step-by-step photos to take you through the set-up, the stitches and the edgings that you should be able to understand what to do with little trouble. The book is packed full of colour photos of lovely projects and finished works. There are a dozen or so stitches explained and 13 patterns.

This book is the fruit of many years of research and exploration of this almost forgotten technique born in Quarrata in the province of Pistoia in the Tuscan region of Italy.

Maria Elide is a delightful teacher and it is well worth your time to take a side trip from Florence to visit her in Pistoia.

You can purchase directly from the publisher, Nuova S1 via bank transfer or with PayPal from Tombolo Disegni (send an email request to order).

Bosa Filet Lace - New book!

There are not many books on Bosa Filet Lace. In fact, there is only one that I know of which is out of print and completely unfindable (if that is a word). Imagine my excitement therefore to discover this new book which is available through the publisher Petites Ondes (free shipping until the end of June) or LuLu Print-On-Demand Books.

You can download a preview of the book (text in Italian) from the Petites Ondes page, click on "Sfoglia un'antiprima" on the right side of the page under the photo of the piece of netting mounted on a frame.

Image copyright Petite Ondes and Marina Mureddu.

The softcover book is 108 pages, printed in black and white with Italian text written by Marina Mureddu, a Sardinian woman from Cagliari which is in the southern part of Sardinia.

Signora Mureddu learned Bosa Filet Lace from the granddaughter of a famous woman from Bosa, named Olimpia Melis who achieved international fame with her Bosa Filet Lace at the beginning of the 20th century. Olimpia Melis exported works all over Europe and to New York, things like: borders, curtains, tablecloths and other household items made by several hundred Bosa Filet Lacemakers.

Over a period of several years, Marina Mureddu was able to study some of these original works and make patterns. The book contains some history, instructions, patterns and photographs.