Italian Banner Sampler - SA Embroiderers' Guild.

I have been in Sydney for a few days, helping my brother to photograph some paintings under glass - quite a difficult task, but one that can only be done in good daylight.

Christine Bishop's demonstration sampler

While there, and travelling, I have been progressing a sampler I started last week at an Embroiderers' Guild Italian Banner Sampler class taught by Christine Bishop. The Guild description of the class reads:

This sampler gives you the basics of 7 different styles of Italian embroideries from surface stitches , counted work and fabric perforated. Choose to work as many of the four sections of the sampler. Instead of Sicilian cut and drawn you will be given this same pattern in Assisi or cross stitch.

While the focus required wasn't ideal for travel conditions, it was all in one colour and there were blocks of repetitive work that could be memorised, so I found it worked quite well, especially for the time on planes without distraction.





In class we worked the little dragon at the top left,  in Perugina embroidery,  then the outline of the box for the Sicilian cut and drawn (Punto Tirato) dragon below it.

The first part of our homework, before the second day of the course in two weeks' time, was to draw the threads in this box in preparation for the weaving.

With a bit of planning I was able to set this up before I began my trip, cutting the threads before I left home, so I could work on the plane without sharp scissors! I could draw the threads quite successfully without scissors, and also secure them under the border.

I made two errors in drawing the thread - but was able to fix these by, in one case, inserting a new thread, and in the other, by gently moving a thread.

I also completed the Punto Antico quadrant - essentially satin stitch. I didn't get the spacing quite right in this - but I am not after perfection in this sampler. There is one component I may take out and redo if time permits.

Now all I have to do by next weekend is prepare the Italian four-sided stitch grid for the quadrant with the Casalguidi-style initial! Given that I am doing another Embroiderers' Guild class all this weekend, I may be pushing my eyes.