Then, I cover those in a blog post, including some stitch tips and whatnot that we can all benefit from. So I generally peruse through questions and try to group together the questions that people ask, that are relevant and that are not already clarified in the original article.
If I spent as much time as I’d need to answer every question that comes in from the website, I’d have to live on my computer. Illustrations by Ann Swanson.On Monday, I shared a weekend embroidery finish with you – this scrolly design embroidered on the corner of a cotton towel – and I got flooded with a heap of email with questions. Materials: Wichelt Linen, 32-count, Ivory DMC Cotton Floss, #310 and #986, one skein each, and #988, two skeins John James Needles, tapestry size 28 and crewel size 9 or 10. Stay tuned for more stitch tutorials from Deanna in the months ahead!įeatured Image: Assisi Flora model designed and stitched by Deanna Hall West. Today, this stitch is primarily used for samplers, household linens, clothing panels, framed pictures, or small personal or sewing accessories, such as bookmarks, needlebooks, eyeglasses cases, and pincushions.ĭeanna Hall West is PieceWork’s needlework technical editor she previously was the editor of The Needleworker magazine. Because it is a reversible stitch, it's especially useful for items such as table napkins, bed linens, towels, and other items in which both fabric sides may be seen. The two-sided Italian cross-stitch can be used as a solitary stitch (Figure 5), horizontal or vertical (Figure 6) straight line, border, or filling stitch (Figure 7). The thread should cover the background fabric completely but not pack the stitching space. Choose the correct thread or yarn size for the particular thread count of the fabric or canvas.
This stitch is traditionally worked on white, ecru, or other lightly colored evenweave fabrics or needlepoint canvas and with cotton or silk floss, coton à broder, pearl cotton thread, or yarn. Notice how tidy the reverse side of Deanna’s two-sided Italian cross-stitch piece is. American stitchers rarely used this stitch on their samplers and other needlework. The two-sided Italian cross-stitch also appears on 17th-century English spot samplers. This stitch appeared on the English Jane Bostocke sampler, signed and dated 1598, and is often referenced because it sets an absolute date for a particular stitch, stitching pattern, overall design, and stitching materials. In the late 16th century and all of the 17th century, English needlewomen used the two-sided Italian cross-stitch on their samplers. Assisi embroidery enjoyed a revival at the end of the 19th century and still remains somewhat popular today. Occasionally, today the background threads are gradated from lighter to darker colors, creating an ombre appearance. Today, it is more common not to pull the stitches and to create a more solidly colored background, thus making the design more pronounced. Assisi embroidery was generally worked on a loosely woven linen ground, and the filling stitch was pulled to create tiny holes between the stitches. Additionally, this embroidery was bordered with double-running (Holbein) designs (see photo above). The background stitching was done in a single color, usually dark red or blue, but sometimes a dark green or deep rose was used. In Assisi embroidery, the interior design is left unworked (voided or a negative image see photo above) and is outlined with thin black or dark brown backstitch or double-running stitch. Later, the basic cross-stitch was preferred for the background stitch because it's a less complicated and a considerably faster stitch to complete. This type of embroidery was used mainly for ecclesiastical linens. Assisi embroidery probably originated with the nuns at a local convent prior to the 14th century, who worked simple designs of geometric motifs and mystical or realistic animals, birds, and flowers, which resembled the local woodcarvings and other decorative art forms. It and the long-armed cross-stitch were used as the primary, strongly pulled, background filling stitch on the earliest Assisi embroideries, which are named after a town in Umbria, a province in central Italy. Originating sometime between the 13th and 16th centuries, the two-sided Italian cross-stitch was a favorite of Italian stitchers during the 16th century. It can be worked as a stitch without tension or as a tightly pulled stitch. It's composed of a single cross-stitch with two side stitches and is also known as the arrowhead cross, Italian cross, or Italian stitch. The two-sided Italian cross-stitch is a square, densely textured stitch and is another member of the large cross-stitch family.
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