Bargello Update - October 2011

My recent stitching work started and ended with something completely different.  Though most of my work continues to be various forms of Bargello, these two funnily enough were not.  The first was a Zigouigoui or two Zigouigouis to be precise.  I had never come across or even heard of such a thing before, but found them in Louison's ever interesting Biscornu blog.  A Zigouigoui is apparently a very small cushion and some stitchers had used Louison's biscornu designs to make a Zigouigoui.  So I decided to join them and used grilles 99 and 104.  Here are the completed pieces.

 The fabric is 19ct Aida in Christmas red and one zigouigoui is in emerald green and the other in electric blue.  Both use two strands of DMC cotton thread.  The now hang by our fireplace.


For my next project I finally managed to use up just about all of my stash of wool threads.  The design comes from Bargello Magic by Pauline Fisher and Anabel Lasker.  It is No 5 in a series called Fused Diamonds.  It is quite large for me - 38cmx46cm.  This is what it looks like.

The fabric is an antique double canvas and the colours were just what was left in my stash.


Next up was another Bargello design - Petals from The Bargello Book by Frances Salter.  The fabric is 18ct Aida in pale green and the threads are two strands of DMC cotton.  So far I have completed two pieces in this design.

The first was in violet and lavender and the second in shades of blue.  I  intend to do one more of this design in another colour scheme.  The idea is to hang them together in a vertical frame.


While in Switzerland I gave away some of my work - I am running out of space to keep them all.  Emma's friends and in-laws are the happy recipients.  I brought out some other examples of my work just for show and some of her friends were quite keen to get their own version of some of them.  It's always nice to make something for somebody, especially if it's someone you know.  So I now have to stitch three versions of No 5 in the Five Easy Pieces series.  They all wanted the same colour scheme.  Here is the first one.

Arlene wanted design No 3 from the same series, but in a different colour scheme, which made it a bit more interesting for me.  I have now completed this in reds and plums.

I need to get the remaining two pieces finished before Christmas as Emma is due to take them back with her after her holiday here.


The final piece I have just completed is a first for me and pretty much my own design.  I say pretty much as the basic pattern is an example of a Fractal.  Emma's brother-in-law, Luca, introduced me to the world of fractals.  I won't even try to explain what a fractal is, but if you google some images you will discover a weird and wonderful world out there.  Anyway, I used a particular fractal as the basis for this particular project.  It is an octomino and this is the basic shape, which as you can see is made up of eight squares - hence the name.

This octomino can then be used to make up what is known as Brigid's octomino similarity tiling.  

Basically eight octominos combine to form a bigger octomino which in turn combine to make an even bigger octomino.  The process can go on indefinitely, though you do end up with an awful lot of octominos.  The one above has 64 of them.  The next in the series has 512!


I chose the one with 64 octominos for my design.  To get a good contrast I used a bright Christmas red 18ct Aida fabric.  To highlight the octominos I used two colour schemes.  Blues for the outer octominos and greens for the inner ones.  Here is what it looks like.

Each square of the octomino is a Scotch stitch over two intersections.  I will experiment further with this pattern - different stitches, different colours and any other variations I can come up with.


I close this post with a photo of an earlier piece which I stitched for Emma.  It has a centre in Ripples surrounded by Hungarian stitch in yellow and orange.  Unfortunately the photo doesn't clearly show the colours in the centre - they are white, brown and green.  It is now finished and sits in the middle of a fabric I found in a fabric shop.  A simple alternative to framing.  Good stitching to one and all.

Stitching - Japanese Calligraphy

Since returning from our holiday in Switzerland I have been pretty busy stitching.  Though I have only managed to complete three projects, they have all been quite different.  The first was some more bargello work.  The design for this is my adaptation of a pattern for a pincushion in Brenda Day’s Bargello - A Fresh Approach to Florentine Embroidery.  It is stitched on Aida 18ct fabric and I used DMC cotton floss - two strands.  The colour scheme is made up of delft blues, gold, copper and pinks.  The idea is to insert this into the cover of a rectangular cushion.  But I will need to learn how to make a cushion first.  Unless some cushion maker is looking for an insert.  Anyway here is what it looks like just now.

The design is made up of the one pattern which is repeated in reverse direction - twice over.  It is almost continuous, though there is a slight drop when the pattern begins a repeat.  I can never tire of bargello designs and I particularly like this colour scheme.

For my next work I returned to Louison’s lovely designs for Biscornus.  Though on this occasion I decided to try and use them for something different - coasters.  I choose four different patterns of 50 pts and used each one to make a coaster.  The fabric is a pale green Aida 18ct.  All are stitched with two strands of cotton threads from Les Fils du Rhin.  Two of them are stitched with Alizées and the other two with Zéphir.  Les Fils du Rhin is a one woman company in Alsace and she produces some wonderful hand dyed threads.  Well worth a visit to her site.  Here are the finished coasters.

My last completed project was something completely different and one that took up a lot of time - over 44 hours of work over 20 days.  The idea came from a course on Japanese calligraphy at the DCA.  It was always at the back of my mind to somehow try and incorporate some calligraphy into a piece of stitching.  Flicking through some pictures on the internet I came across an example of a Japanese character which had been turned into a needlework pattern.  So I decided to give it a go.  The character I choose was Hou - which can represent fragrance or full of flavour, according to our tutor.  Here is my attempt at the character.

I then had to work out how to turn this into a needlework design.  After a few false starts I worked out that the best way to do this was to trace the outline directly on to the fabric.  I did this on some cut-off piece and was able to then experiment a bit to work out just how many stitches of what length to use to fill in the outlines.  For my project I decided to use horizontal stitches for this and it was stitched with two strands of DMC cotton thread in plum.  Here is what the finished character looks like.

For the other half of the piece I selected a couple of designs which I hope go some way to reflect the meaning of the character.  The central image is a rose and this is surrounded on three sides by other flowers.  I am not sure what they actually are meant to be as the original does not give a title.  They could just about be plums.  Whatever, both designs come from a lovely Dutch website - Tantes Zolder - which luckily also includes an English language commentary.  Somebody’s aunt had a large box full of handwritten charts for cross stich and these have now been digitised and put up on the web.  I used two of them which I subsequently adapted to suit my needs.  Here is what the completed piece looks like.

For the flowers I again used two strands of threads from Les Fils du Rhin.  Rose d’Été and Mousson for the roses and Quetsch d’Alsace and Brise Marine for the other flowers.  I use a simple, single diagonal stitch for this.    The outside border is a traditional Palestinian design known as Carnations - quite appropriate for the theme.  This was stitched in medium yellow green and medium antique mauve.  Though this piece took quite a bit of time and involved a fair bit of working things out, I am pleased with the result and hope to try something similar with another Japanese character.

More Bargello Pieces

All my latest stitching work has been in Bargello.  I also managed to finish off a previous piece.  I went on a course on mounting and framing and used this to complete the project I call Broken Ribbons.  This features a couple of bits of painting done by my grandson Jamie.  Here is the completed work.

My first new project was another Free Form Bargello design.  This one is loosely based on a Zebra pattern from Brenda Day's A Fresh Approach to Florentine Embroidery.  There it is in black and white, while I used lots of white and instead of black, a mixture of fuchsia, purple and magenta shades.  This piece was stitched on white interlock canvas with Anchor tapestry wool.  I am slowly working my way through my existing stash of wool threads.  Here is the piece, as yet unfinished.

Next up was a couple of bookmarks.  I haven't made a bookmark for over a year now.  So it was quite pleasant to return to these little practical pieces.  Each bookmark is made up of three tulips. The tulip pattern comes from The Bargello Book by Frances Salter.  I use a 14 count edged Aida fabric in white for these bookmarks.  The threads for the tulips are cotton threads from Les Fils du Rhin.  I used three strands and the first tulip was stitched with bourrasque for the flower and mousson for the leaf, while the other tulip was stitched with 1001 nuits for the flower and brise marine for the leaf.  The borders were stitched with DMC cotton threads using a simple diagonal stitch.

My current project is another attempt to add a bit of creativity to my stitching.  One again I will insert some other material into a stitched piece.  The main pattern is a slight variation on Florentine Signets, a lovely design from Bargello Magic, by Pauline Fischer and Anabel Lasker.  Here is what it looks like so far.

The framework pattern is stitched in greens - medium yellow green, ultra dark pistachio and bright chartreuse.  This part has been stitched with two strands of DMC cotton threads.  Each signet will then be filled with silk threads in blue and purple.  The central section will then be cut out and a filled with a cut off from a screen print which I found lying around at the DCA.  It is also in blue and purple.  Once finished this piece will be mounted and framed.  Still quite a way to go before then.

More Stitching News

I continue to stitch away on a regular basis.  In fact I probably spend more time on stitching than anything else.  I try to get in between two to three hours work every weekday morning.   Fairly keeps you busy.   Anyway I have now completed another four little projects.  The first was to finish the project I had started in January, which I call Broken Ribbons.  The basic pattern is from Pauline Fischer and Anabel Lasker’s wonderful book, Bargello Magic.  There the pattern is called French Ribbons.  As you can see I have cut out two little circles from the fabric, which I have filled with pieces of painting done by my grandson, Jamie.  Here is the finished piece.

The idea was to add a bit of texture to the stitched fabric.  I now hope to finish it off by mounting and framing the piece.  To this end I will be attending a two day course on mounting and framing at DCA next weekend.  So wish me luck with this new adventure.

The next project was also an experiment of sorts.  At least for me.  Another of my collection of books on stitching is called Free-Form Bargello, by Gigs Stevens.  I must admit that after leafing through the book I was never too sure about whether I liked this approach or not.  Basically you draw on the canvas a series of concentric and irregular shaped circles which you then fill in with simple vertical stitches.  Anyway I gave it a try and here is the outcome.

Now that it is completed I quite like the overall design.  It was also good fun filling in the rows as you could vary the vertical lines of stitches to create mini patterns within each row.  To add a bit of interest to the piece I started off with two pomegranates in a more traditional bargello style.  This project was stitched on white interlock canvass using Anchor tapestry wool.

For my next project I decided to give bargello a little break and went back to my collection of traditional Palestinian motifs.  Harp and Lilies has a harp in the centre flanked by two lilies.  The harp is framed with a line of edging known as Bachelors’ cushion.  To finish it off I added some Moons of Bethlehem.   This piece was stitched on an 18ct Aida cloth in bright Christmas red using DMC cotton threads.  The colour scheme was blues and greens.  As my collection of Palestinian motifs is only in black and white, I have no idea whether my choice of colours is is any sense “Palestinian”.  Anyway here is what it looks like.

My latest project was to make another little cube using some new designs from Louison.  This was Série No 8 négatif, which consists of six 30 pt squares.  Designed to be used to make biscornus, if you stitch all six squares together you can make a lovely little cube.  I have filled mine with hollow fibre and some lavender to make a lavender cube.  The fabric is an 18ct Aida in pale yellow and the threads are all DMC cotton in various shades of reds.  Here are two views of the completed cube.

For my next project I am about to start on another kind of Free-form Bargello, which should be pretty exciting.  Happy stitching to everyone.

More Bargello and a Lavender Cube

I have been quite busy stitching recently, though I have only managed to complete two pieces.  However one of these was the largest project I have worked on so far.  This was a mini tapestry piece, stitched in wool on Penelope canvas.  Here is the whole thing.

It measures 74cm by 21.5cm and is another Bargello design.  The original design comes from the wonderful book Bargello Magic, How to design your own, by Pauline Fischer and Anabel Lasker.  It was published in 1972 and I have a second hand version from the fourth printing in 1973.  I have already used a few of the designs and this time the starting point was a design called Austrian Plissé.  Quite why they named it this, I do not know.  Plissé apparently means pleats and is common in women’s dresses and curtains.  However I would have thought that the flower and butterfly motifs in the centre panel are the key focus of the design.  No matter, I loved the pattern and wanted to try and stitch something long and not too wide.  For a more detailed look at the pattern here is a close up photo.

As you can see I used pretty bright contrasting colours.  In the book the background uses more delicate colours and the side panels are more rose than red.  I chose these colours in part because I do like bright colours and also in a more practical vein, they were what were in my thread box.  I now need to finish the whole thing off.  I need to get some backing onto the fabric and will try and attach the piece to bits from my driftwood collection.

My latest completed project was a little cube which I made using six little designs from Louison.  The six make up a series of 30 pt grilles - Série No 2 and and intended to be used to make biscornus.  Louison runs a great site for anyone interested in biscornus.   Here are the six completed squares.  

The fabric is 18 ct  white Aida and the threads are DMC cotton.  For this I tried out some new colours I had just bought.  Four are shades of copper along with a medium mahogany and a very dark terra cotta.  A bit different from the bright colours of the mini tapestry above.  Here are a couple of views of the finished cube.

Though designed to make biscornus these little squares can be used for a variety of other objects.  I first came across the idea of making a cube from Valerie, another French stitcher who sent in some photos of her cubes to Louison’s site.  A delightful idea.  A cube is also slightly easier to sew into shape than a biscornu.  I stuffed mine with hollowfill fibre and added some dried lavender.

In addition to stitching I now have a new project to look forward to.  I will be participating in my very first SAL.  This stands for Stitch-A-Long and usually involves a group of people all following the same pattern at more or less the same time.  SALs seem to be an American invention, though they are very popular in France, where they just use the English abbreviation.  Anyway,  another French stitching blog Les Loisirs de LN, has proposed a rather different SAL.  The key to this SAL is that you don’t need to follow any pattern at all.  The lovely idea is to keep all the little bits of thread that you normally just throw away, or leave lying around, as in my case.  You then put these bits of thread into a glass or other see through container - bottle or whatever.  The SAL starts on January 1st and lasts all year.  Each month you send in a photo of your growing montage of threads.  I liked the idea so much that not only did I sign up but started a mini collection for December.  Here is what the bottle looks like so far. 

I came across this SAL via Rosali, a Mexican stitcher who runs her own lovely blog.  She had signed up for the SAL and was promoting it on her blog  - gracias Rosali.  If you are interested you can join right up till 31st December.  So good stitching and good thread collecting.

Bargello

I have been stitching as a hobby for just over two years now.  As I look back on my work I realize that most of my projects are types of Bargello needlework.  Not that I was aware of this at the time.  So what is Bargello?  Below is a typical example of traditional Bargello taken from a tapestry hanging in the National Museum in Zürich.

As you can see Bargello is a form of needlework which only uses vertical or horizontal stitches.  The stitches can be of varying lengths, but rarely over more than six meshes.  Each successive stitch or group of stitches goes up or down in a regular pattern of steps, usually just one or two meshes.  This produces an amazing variety of finished designs, from curves, waves to diamonds and ovals.  A key part of Bargello is the use of colour, in particular subtle changes in tones or hues.

The name Bargello comes from the palace of that name in Florence.  The Palazzo Bargello is now a national museum displaying the largest Italian collection of gothic and Renaissance sculptures.  The building itself dates back to the 13th century and in the 16th century the palace became the residence of the Bargello - the head of the police - from which the palace now takes its name.

Its connection with needlework comes from the series of chairs found in the palace which were the first to exhibit this type of pattern on their backs and seats.  Other names continue to be used to describe this work.  Since the first known examples were found in Florence, some people used the term Florentine Work for this type of stitching.  Another name sometimes used is Hungarian Point.  Interestingly this is how Bargello is known in Italy.  This term reflects the belief among Florentines that the technique originated in Hungary.  However English language writers have in the main fixed on the term Bargello.

Bargello was originally worked in wool as it was meant to be used in chair covers or in tapestries.  Since I only stitch for pleasure and not to produce anything particularly usable, most of my work is done using cotton threads.  However I do use wool and funnily enough my very first finished piece of stitching was in effect a Bargello design.  Here it is.

This shows the main characteristics of a Bargello piece - repeating patterns and the use of steps to create the patterns.  It is in fact my recreation of the design of the tiles on the cupola of the Chiesa Madre in Francavilla in Puglia.  This is the hometown of Cosimo’s mother and we had a holiday there in 2008.  One of the many photos I took on this holiday was of the cupola and once home I decided to use it as the basis for a stitching project.

This has become the norm for my projects using wool threads.  I try to turn a tile pattern from the roof of a church or some other building into a design suitable for stitching.  Here are two more examples.  Both come from photos taken in Switzerland This first is based on the very bright and colourful pattern on a church steeple in a village in the Klettgau in Kanton Schaffhausen, and the second is my attempt at recreating the tile pattern on the roof of a barn in Kilchberg.

Most of the projects that I have consciously done as Bargello, have been stitched using DMC cotton threads.  Usually on 18 count Aida fabric using two strands of thread.  One of my first pieces was this one, which unusually for me consists of just the one pattern.  It is a good example of how colour is important in highlighting the design.

Most of my Bargello projects in cotton thread are compositions which use several different patterns.  This one has four sections and is unusual in its formal regularity and use of a very restricted colour palette.   You can see clearly the contrast between waves and diamonds, hence its title.  This was stitched as a present for Emma for her birthday.

So far the other Bargello projects have been based on five sections, and make up what I call my Five Easy Pieces series.  Each composition has a different arrangement of five sections, as can be seen from the collage below which shows the first four in the series.  They show how a simple unifying feature - five sections - can generate such variety in composition.  They also show how Bargello can accommodate both contrasting colour schemes and monochromatic schemes.  Most of the patterns come from examples in The Bargello Book or Bargello, A Fresh Approach to Florentine Embroidery.

My latest Bargello project was the fifth in this series and the first time I have used silk threads.  I came across some Rajmahal Art Silk Floss in a country craft shop in Angus and bought two to try.  I must say they are the most difficult threads to use.  I find it almost impossible to get them to lie flat on the fabric and to stay in place.  I will need to apply some glue to the back to help fix the threads.  However the colours are very bright and vibrant and I will continue to use them, but only in small doses. 

The centre pattern, the one in silk thread, is Italian Brocade, a pattern I found on Bargelloneedlepoint.com, a wonderful online site for Bargello.  The other patterns are all adaptations of patterns in Bargello Magic.  Next up for me is another Bargello design, this time in wool.