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Summer always has me thinking of learning something new and I usually decide to tackle a technique that I haven't tried yet. This summer though I am thinking of getting to know some techniques a little better instead of taking on a new one. Lots of Italians head to Sardinia for their summer holidays and since I can't do that, I've been revisiting some of their needlework techniques in the unusually sunny weather we are having at home. There is nothing better than sunlight for visibility when stitching so I've been out on my deck under my own ombrellone. In the spring of 2011 I visited Sardinia and spent some time getting to know a few Sardinian needlework techniques like Puntu Vanu, a type of smocking and two techniques that are specifically from Teulada: Punt'e Nù and Punt'a Brodu. I'm running into all kinds of difficulties not the least of which is lack of good eyesight! Puntu Vanu is usually executed on percale cotton fabric as it is traditionally worked into a shirt or blouse. I honestly tried to perform an evenly spaced running stitch line on a piece of percale but I couldn't see well enough to do more than a few stitches a day without hurting my eyes with the amount of magnification I needed so I switched to a piece of Sotema Batiste cotton. Using Rosalba Lecca and Ebe Ciampalini's book, I chose a simple heart pattern and then withdrew one ground fabric thread into which I stitched my first running stitch line. The first stitching line of my Puntu Vanu piece. It was tough going as even the fabric count on the Batiste cotton is quite high. Eventually I figured out that if I wrapped my finger in piece of dark leather-like cloth and laid the work over it, I could see relatively well and the stitches went more quickly (the leather-like cloth was sent to me by the lovely Elizabeth Prickett for use when making Ruskin Lace. Unfortunately Elizabeth has since passed away so I cannot ask her for a supplier or even what the cloth is made of. If you really want to know, you could try contacting the webstore). As Puntu Vanu is a kind of smocking, the strip of embroidery must be long as it will be pulled so that the fabric bunches up to form the pattern. Roughly a 36 inch strip of the Batiste of this thread count will produce a 12 inch piece of embroidery. I'll update you as I stitch more. Photo from: Luoghi e Volti del Punto Filza For my Punt'e Nù practise, I decided to make a bookmark using some of the colours found on the traditional Teulada man's costume.  I took some patterns from this blog where you can also find the instructions on how to execute this embroidery. While you're there search Puntu Vanu, Punt'e Nù and Punt'a Brodu for some great photos!  I think I'll trim my fringe down a bit more. This was made on 28ct Jubilee cotton fabric using DMC no. 8 Pearl Cotton: Punt'e Nù stitching And for Punt'a Brodu, I've taken part of a pattern off of a lovely vase painted by Marilena Ledda that I saw while in Sardinia in 2011: The work of artist Marilena Ledda I'm still trying to perfect my stitching on this pattern that I proposed for the EGA magazine Needlearts, June 2013. In the magazine, I did the pattern using embroidery floss but here I've done it using DMC no. 80 tatting thread. I still need a LOT of practise! I hope you have enjoyed "travelling" to Sardinia with me. As far as I know there are no instructional books on Punt'e Nù or Punt'a Brodu. The instructions (which start in Febbraio 2010) for Punt'e Nù on the blog I mentioned above are quite good - give them a try! The only book I know of on Puntu Vanu is the one I mentioned above.

Using Crochet Cotton thread for needlework is something that different types of Italian needlework call for. Crochet Cotton is a twisted mercerized cotton thread. It is not shiny the same as Pearl Cotton but does have a sheen to it. It gives a different effect to the embroidery. There are various weights and I've done some experimenting with it for tassels, using DMC Baroque and Natura but until recently, I've never tried it for embroidery. DMC Babylo #10 ecru thread on 38 ct Sotema 20L linen. Here is a sample of Sardinian Knot Stitch done on 18ct fabric with Anchor Crochet Cotton and DMC Pearl Cottons (click on the photo for a closer look): When telling you about Giuseppa Federici's new book here, I mentioned that it called for Crochet Cotton and that in Italy (and other parts of the world) both DMC and Anchor offer a decent colour range in their crochet cottons. Alas they do not offer the same threads in North America and so I set about hunting down some Crochet Cotton in lots of colours. A kind friend from Italy sent me some Anchor Freccia #12 which is similar in weight the #10 Crochet Cotton we can find in North America. Then I found some DMC Babylo #10 on a UK website that I have ordered from often for other things. They appear almost identical in thickness. Pretty close to Pearl Cotton #5 but a bit thinner. Please note that I could not try all of DMC's products like Cebelia and Traditions or Coats Aunt Lydia's because I could not find them locally in colours that I wanted and there were only so many funds I wanted to spend on online ordering for an experiment. The point of my experiment was really to find a #10 Crochet Cotton in the widest range of colours possible. There are other products available in North America that you can try. An internet search led me to a website called Handy Hands which sells a line of various weights and colours of 100% Egyptian cotton cordonnet thread called Lizbeth. It comes in 102 solid colours, 87 variegated colours and 10 colours which are a mix of three different colours twisted together. Handy Hands is based out of Paxton, Illinois, though they do not have a bricks and mortar storefront. Now, Anchor or DMC #10 Crochet Cotton which is what I was looking to match, is made of 3 threads twisted together. Lizbeth thread is made of 6 threads twisted together so obviously the look of the Lizbeth thread is a bit different but I decided to see if it would be a suitable substitution. I wrote and asked them if they could help me match some samples of Anchor and DMC colours that I had gotten from Italy. They answered right away and gave me some matches but it's difficult to match from photos so in the end, I mailed them my thread samples because there just isn't anything better than having something in your hand when you're trying to match colours! I have to say, Handy Hands' customer service is excellent. They must have looked up the colours as soon as my samples arrived because, allowing for cross-border mailing, it was no time at all before I received colour-matches for all the colours I asked about. These colours are for a project which I will tell you about in a different post. The Lizbeth #10 thread is the same thickness as my Anchor and DMC threads but because it is made up of three sets of 2 threads twisted together, it's a little like stitching with a cord instead of a thread. I did three lines of stitches: stem stitch, chain stitch and Palestrina Knot stitch. The top or first line of each set is the Anchor Freccia and the other is the Lizbeth. Anchor Freccia #12 and Lizbeth #10 on Zweigart 36 ct Edinburgh linen. There is a bit of difference in sheen and of course the twist, but overall, I'd say it's an excellent substitute! I love the way the thread sits up on the fabric for a very textural embroidery. I'm thinking Palestrina Embroidery, Parma Embroidery, Umbrian Embroidery, even traditional embroidery when you want to create a more rustic, raised effect. Lizbeth thread is distributed worldwide, they have a list of distributors online for a store near you or you can order directly from their website. Signing up for their newsletter before December 31, 2015 gets you free shipping in the US. Much thanks to Barbara at Handy Hands for her infinite patience, valuable insight and quick, efficient service!

Until quite recently it seems, it has been relatively easy to find a wide range of Anchor Threads in Italy. In 1904 J & P Coats acquired the Italian thread manufacturer Fabbriche Italianne Filati Cucirini which became Cucirini Cantoni Coats. Production was very successful and at the beginning of World War I they had 1000 employees. In 1931 Cucirini Cantoni Coats acquired Industrie Sete Cucirine and became the market leader with their brand "Tre Cerche" [three circles]. In 1993 the company name changed to Coats Cucirini. They have become quite diversified from the early days and now produce and/or distribute products for clothing, footwear and leatherwear as well as threads, zippers and every kind of craft supply and accessory. Their head office is in Milan but the thread has been manufactured just outside of Lucca for over a hundred years. Until quite recently. Rumours of imminent bankruptcy have dogged the company for the past few years. Last year there was some pretty strange colour changes in their pearl cotton line exclusive to Italy called: Ritorto Fiorentino, causing speculation that they were having the threads dyed in Asia. They have undergone some massive restructuring and I assume "closure of the Italian production site with delocalization of supplies" means the manufacturing plant in Lucca but don't quote me on that, I'm speculating too. I have been told by a reliable source however, that some of the thread manufacturing is now done in Hungary. They have reduced the range of threads in Italy which is all I'm really interested in. For needle lace there were Coton a Broder numbers like 40, 35, and 30 which were quite easily found... threads which are almost non-existent this side of the Atlantic. Now they are getting harder to find in Italy too. These threads are still listed on their website, but try to find a shop that carries them. Even Coton a Broder number 25 has been vastly reduced in it's colour range. This weight is not that widely known in North America, but there are some stores that carry it at least in white, ecru and black. I never even knew it came in other colours until I went to Italy! Since I'm a thread-a-holic I bought myself every colour available from Italian Needlecrafts when Elena got her Coton a Broder no. 25 stock in mid-May. They arrived today! I had to break into them right away to show you the difference between Anchor Embroidery Floss (called Mouliné in Italian), Coton a Broder no. 25 and Ritorto Fiorentino no. 12 (which is like Anchor Pearl Cotton no. 12 - it just comes in huge hanks of 45 grams or on cones!) The top row is Ritorto Fiorentino no. 12, the middle row is Coton a Broder no. 25 and the bottom is Embroidery Floss. The linen is Sotema 20L - 38 count (an absolute dream!! Shhhh! Let's not awaken the linen-a-holic in me!). I did some buttonhole stitches: every two holes and then every one; stem stitches with the thread held to the left, running stitches, lazy-daisy stitches, french knots: one wrap, two wraps and three wraps, cross stitches over two and satin stitches. Remember, this is 38ct linen and this kind is quite compact. I did the scan at quite high quality, clicking on it should get you a pretty nice close up. I thought that for this linen (my preferred count) the Coton a Broder no. 25 was the perfect weight. The Ritorto Fiorentino no. 12 was a bit tight and started to look worn really fast and the Embroidery Floss didn't give me the coverage I like. What do you think? The label says they are colour-fast. One last thing to note. I already have a skein of Coton a Broder no. 25 - colour no. 131, which I got two years ago. The label says it's made in Italy and the company name is Coats Cucirini, Milan. The skein that arrived today says it's made in Hungary by Coats GmbH, Germany. Hmmmm. This made me check the label of the Anchor Embroidery Floss I have that I got last year from Italy... made in Germany. The Ritorto Fiorentino label says made in Italy by Coats Cucirini but I bought that in 2007. Notice the colour difference? Its more noticeable in real life but the Italian skein is the one on the left, the colour is richer, slightly darker. But I'm happy to get it! My daughter is out for the evening, I'm off to catalogue all those new colours! Oh! I almost forgot... on June 18th there will be a new Punto Antico book available with English and Italian text called: Ciclamino - Oggetti a Punto Antico di Bruna Gubbini. Projects will be smaller items than before. Watch this website for more info!