For my third and final area to study, I just had to choose Italy!
I have been to Italy a couple of times and I loved it! The food is delicious, the landscape is beautiful, the weather is lovely and there are so many interesting places to visit. Italy has such a rich history of Art and culture, of course the embroidery is going to be amazing too. So Italy was a very easy choice to make about a country to study.
Different techniques
Italy is known for a range of different stitches and techniques. Counted thread techniques such as Assisi, Bargello, Punto antico and Catherine de Medici stitch all originate from Italy. As well as Italian cutwork (punto tagliato) and the drawn and pulled thread techniques of Punto tirato, Tirato, Casalguidi and Deruta Sfilato.
I love using raised stitches in my embroideries, so was interested to find out that Palestrina, Parma and Sorbello stitch are all named after the towns they originated from.
However, what I love most about Italian embroidery is the embroidered lace. There are several different types of embroidered lace from Italy including Buratto, embroidery on tulle (Ars Panicalensis), Reticello, Punto in aria and Aemilia Ars.
Reticello
I have had a go at some Reticello. I do love doing drawn thread work, and needlelace, so for me this technique which combines the two is perfect! It is very difficult to find any instructions on how to do Reticello in English, so I had to use a book written in Italian. I have been learning Italian, but I am still somewhat of a beginner, so with my basic knowledge and google translate, and some excellent pictures in the book, I managed to work out what to do!
My first attempt! Far from perfect, but I think not too bad considering the language challenge.
Second attempt, a sampler of different fillings for the squares. Getting better.
This piece is the first one I've designed myself, based on what I've learnt, and also the first one using colour. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and can't wait to get started on some more designs.
Aemilia Ars
Once I'd tried out Reticello and had learnt about Aemila Ars I was keen to give this technique a try too. This technique is different in that no background fabric is used.
Again I had to stretch my Italian language skills to read the instructions, but I managed to make wired petals using the technique. Another success!
I really love these techniques and I can see I will use these a lot in the future. In fact, I have chosen to do my final C&G assessment piece incorporating both Reticello and Aemilia Ars.
But before we move on to my final assessment piece, the next thing to talk about is modern pulled and drawn thread embroidery. You can read about it here: Modern Pulled and Drawn Thread (claireharveyembroidery.com)
If you're interested in trying out Reticello embroidery for yourself, this pattern is available in my Etsy shop: