Italian Banner Progress

I managed to get the homework done for the second class of the Italian Banner sampler.

The most important preparation was the stitching of the background square for the Casalguidi initial.

The background was worked in Italian four sided stitch.








Mostly out of curiosity, I worked it around the square, rather than back and forth in rows. This gave the piece a mitred corner effect - probably not what was intended.

In the event, we didn't tackle the initial! The main stitch is, however, the same as that for the tongue of the Peruginan dragon - just a lot more of it!

We worked on our other piece of homework - the Sicilian cut and drawn dragon. In my last post on this sampler I commented that I had made an error in drawing the threads, but had fixed it. Ha! So much for smartness. In fixing it, I failed to take into account the need for absolute precision in the weave of the threads both drawn and remaining. I ended up, in both weft and warp, with two threads together with the same under-over pattern.

The idea with this style, is that you create an open grid by removing threads, then re-weave a picture or pattern into the spaces created. To create a smooth and perfect picture, you must weave under and over to match the weft and warp of the natural linen. In failing to retain the original unders and overs, I made it impossible to achieve this. So I spent quite a bit of time rectifying the grid threads.



In the end I got there - and I'm quite pleased with my dragon.

I will now put this aside. I might attempt a bit more of the Casalguidi initial - but the rest can wait until we have the additional class Christine Bishop generously offered us in January.

I am learning quite a lot through this sampler!

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.