Adventures In Assisi Work

Assisi snowflake chart

Assisi work is a very old form of counted-thread embroidery. Its first known use was in the late 13th or early 14th Century in Italy. The name comes from Assisi,  the little town in Umbria made famous for its association with St. Francis of Assisi.  Many of the best examples, made by nuns in the convent there for use as altar cloths in the cathedral, have managed to survive in museums. They were worked on white linen with single colors of silk thread, limited to red, blue, yellow, green and brown.  Only a few lines of stitches outlined features on the subjects of the design and those were sometimes omitted.  But the backgrounds were worked solidly in closely placed stitches.  As you might imagine, many of the subjects were Biblical scenes and depictions of familiar plants and animals. But a surprising number were of mythical creatures portrayed as monsters! There were also geometric designs following the Arabic motifs brought to Spain by the Moors and responsible also for the use and popularity of blackwork.

Heirloom Lithuanian embroidery (Annake's private collection)

The technique spread to other cloisters.  Nuns controlled the making of Assisi work until the beginning of the 16th Century, when it was largely taken over by the women of the town as a kind of cottage industry. The designs became more secular.  (Nonetheless, this embroidery remained popular in churches until the end of the 17th century.)  Because the outlines were frequently drawn on the fabric with ink, black stitches were often used to cover the outlines.  Red and green remained popular for backgrounds. However, some women began to use colors which were not the traditional ones.  Rose and blue were popular combinations, as were a slate blue combined with gold.  Gradually the technique began to influence the folk embroidery of Northern and Eastern Europe and Scandinavia and became integrated with their favorite stitch techniques. Look carefully at the enlargement of this 20th Century Lithuanian embroidery, You will see tiny flowers that are not embroidered, but simply suggested by stitches around them.

Assisi butterfly, by Annake

Today you need not be limited by any of the traditional restrictions. Simple subjects don't even have to be outlined; you can indicate their inner structure by extended the background stitches into the silhouettes to show important features. Take this butterfly for example. The traditional red is used here on white evenweave fabric, but you could use any color you like — including black — or even more than one color.  Try interesting color combinations like turquoise and lavender.  Use a metallic thread instead of floss or yarn for outlining, as I have done on this rose. Use stripes or blocks of several colors to emphasize a word or a person's name. Express your own style and personality.

Framed Assisi rose by Annake

Because of our modern penchant for words, logos, and slogans, Assisi work seems to me to be an ideal type of embroidery.  If you have children in pre-school or elementary school, you might ask their teacher if they would like some colorful reminders like "Indoor Voices" or "Reading Corner" for their classrooms. These are easy to make on plastic canvas, easy to handle and hang, won't cause injuries and can even be laundered in a sink if needed. I imagine your children might like signs on their doors at home that say something like "Joey's Room".  Waiting rooms, clubhouses, shelters, etc., may possibly be grateful for signage. Just ask.

Another place that I foresee for this type of embroidery is tote bags.  As we sharply reduce our dependence on plastic and paper bags, tote bags will become ever more popular. You can embroider your design directly on the side of the bag or make it separately and stitch it on the bag later.  The bag you take to the library or to book club might simply say "READ";  grocery store bags might say "RECYCLE".   Or you might feature a cause that is important to you, like "VOTE" or "VOLUNTEER". You get the idea.

Assisi "JOY" layout

I like single words displayed in ways that make me stop and think about the meaning of the word. I decided to do an Assisi embroidery featuring the word JOY against a background of “joyous” rainbow colors. I had a frame I wanted to use for it, so that dictated the size of the project. After working out my design on graph paper, I prepared my fabric and backing with easy-to-remove basting and centering stitches.  I decided to use the conventional black outline. I back-stitched around the three letters. Here is a picture of the project at that stage.

Completed projecct

The yellow and green center stripes were measured so that each would fill exactly half of the space allotted for the letter “O”. The other stripes are slightly wider. I wanted the blue and orange stripes to encompass the majority of their letter spaces and the red and purple ones to cover the small parts left over. I decided to leave a margin of unstitched background fabric at either end of the embroidery to set it off. This picture shows the project completed and framed.

Two styles of cross-stitch

By the 20th Century, Holbein embroidery had become popular for items that may be viewed from both sides.  Here is a link to our recent post on Holbein embroidery. The most common background stitches are conventional cross-stitches.  The British way to do cross-stitches is to make the bottom half of the stitch from lower left to top right and the top half from lower right to top left.  Connected, all the stitches seem to lean to the left. The American and European way to make them is to make the bottom half of the stitch from lower right to top left and the bottom half from lower left to top right.  Connected, the stitches appear to lean to the right.  I work in both styles, depending on where I start in the design. Left-handed stitchers may have a stronger preference for one way than right-handed stitchers do. Try both ways and use the one which is more comfortable for you. I don't think it makes any difference  —  as long as you do the same thing consistently throughout the whole piece.

Assisi stitch sampler

This stitch chart shows popular background stitches for Assisi embroidery.  The first two rows are of long-armed cross-stitch (all stitches shown first in a single color and again in two colors to make the structure of the stitch clearer).  There are several versions of long-armed cross-stitch. I have chosen a simple one.  The next two rows are of zigzag stitch. The upright stitches may be done first and the cross-stitches put in later.  The last two rows show the four-sided stitch. The upright stitches are put in first. Then the top and bottom edges are back-stitched.  Outlining is usually done in back-stitch or Holbein stitch.  You can also use outline stitch, stem stitch, chain stitch or couching.  Detached stitches like French knots or wheat ear can be used for filling.  The four-sided stitch can also be used as a detached filling stitch.

Assisi work on needlepoint canvas

I had never seen Assisi work done on needlepoint canvas, but I could see no reason not to try it. I drew a simple outline of an iris bloom and a bit of stem and traced it with pencil onto #10 mono canvas. I worked the outlines of the design in continental stitch and the background in basketweave stitch. I decided it needed a bit of a second color, so I did the “stamens” in doubled six-strand floss. I like the result and am planning a long horizontal panel with several flowers (done so the white canvas becomes the flower), each with a different color background. There may be a place for the little butterfly above somewhere in the panel, too.

Since Valentine's Day is approaching, I'll leave you with this simple chart based on a design I did in a different style of needlework some time ago.

Click here to download

The heart and lettering are outlined in lavender backstitch; the heart is filled in with red cross-stitch, and the background is a light pink cross-stitch. But, as always, I hope you will feel free to use the chart as a starting point for something that is uniquely yours. You don't need a linen background and silk thread. Cotton fabrics and cotton or rayon floss, craft threads, and crochet cotton are inexpensive, readily available, easy to use and come in a multitude of colors. Hardanger, monks' cloth, and Aida are strong contenders for this type of work. I have a special fondness for linen thread and tapestry wool on coarser fabrics like hop-sacking and decorator burlap. (Whatever you use, use something that will not cause discomfort to your eyes or hands.)

I believe my interest in Assisi work stems from my fascination with positive and negative shapes in design. If you want to see the work of a master of positive/negative design (and one of my favorite artists of all time), look for pictures by Dutch artist M. C. Escher (Maurits Cornelis Escher, 1898–1972). They will exercise your mind and your imagination.

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Patterns, Pointers, and Practices: Fiber Arts Hacks

Above you can see a group of small color patterns. One of them should look familiar to you because you saw a version of it turned into a larger all-over pattern on a table mat not long ago. With this post I want to emphasize several points that I have made over time about patterns — but that I have not before grouped together for emphasis.

Needlepoint placemat from our first post of 2019

Archive your small needlework samples!

First of all, I want to remind you of the value of working a small sample of a new pattern, whether it is geometric like these or more representational. This is especially important if you are planning to change the color scheme or other aspects of the pattern. I make many of my samples on durable plastic canvas in tent stitch, largely because I learned it early in life and use it as a kind of "shorthand". (If you want to learn about how I got started in the needle arts, follow this link: February 28, 2013 post) These samples are durable and easy to file in a convenient box for future reference. They may also have other uses, as you will see later in this post. If counted cross-stitch is easier for you, get a quarter yard of the small "baby check" gingham. That will make a number of samples that you can tape or staple on index cards and store in a larger box.

"Ancient Pathways", framed needlepoint by Annake

We have worked with a few repeat patterns before, but now I want to show you how such a technique can work on a scale that is large enough to be suitable for framing or even larger projects. This one, like some of the smaller motifs on this post, was adapted from a Native American design. I call the resulting framed picture "Ancient Pathways", in honor of an ancestor who left the Appalachians and settled in the upper Midwest and all of the other Eastern Cherokees who settled there rather than follow the "Trail of Tears". Notice the alternation of colors at the edges of the motifs and the structure and strong diagonals of the turquoise background between the motifs. Negative spaces like backgrounds can contribute a lot to a design.

Let's consider how one of these small patterns would work as a repeating design. Here is an enlarged graph of the middle design in the set at the top of this article. Decide how many horizontal and vertical repeats of the design you want on your selected canvas or fabric. I have left an empty row of squares all around the design so you can outline it if you prefer, rather than joining the design repeats directly together. If you don't want to border the motifs, simply trim that row of squares off the pattern or ignore it.  Check your canvas or fabric very carefully to make sure you have enough room for all of the repeats you want, plus an edge to turn under all around. Outline the spaces for the repeats with a running stitch (yes, even on canvas) in a bright or dark color that you are not using in the design, and pull those stitches out as you finish each motif. That is a little more work, but it will keep you from making disappointing mistakes.

Some of these small charts work well as linear designs. They can be expanded from one end or from both ends at the same time. See how the ends are each half of a design feature? Linear designs are great for belts, hatbands, straps of all kinds, etc. They make interesting picture frames. Or, if you like, they can simply be used to border a piece that is done in a solid color. The following chart shows the third design above repeated linearly.

Graph of a simplified version of 3rd design at the top of post; choose your own color scheme.

I have a shady straw hat for the summer, a Stetson-like cowgirl hat, and a felt fedora for the winter — all of which can hold a series of changeable needlework hatbands. This has earned me the nickname of "The Lady in the Hat" at the local Farmers' Market (as in, "Ask the lady in the hat; she probably can tell you.")  For directions to center and join a hatband design, follow this link: post for Sept. 30, 2016. Ladies from a certain organization will understand the significance of the purple butterflies on the red hat.

If you look closely at the linear pattern, you will see that the top and bottom of the center of the motif are also halves of a feature, so this design can also be expanded upward and downward to make a 4-way design. Several others of these designs can be treated the same way.

Three more small needlepoint design samples

Pink & green diamond motif latch hook rug

These designs can be expanded for much larger articles like afghans and rugs, even tiled as flooring or back-splashes above kitchen counters. Here is a very simple design made into a rug. Notice that the changes in the shades of the selected colors creates an illusion that the designs are three-dimensional. This would be interesting on a needlepoint pillow, too. It also qualifies as an interesting optical illusion.

Simple optical illusion design in needlepoint

Optical illusions have been very popular with our readers and we have received requests for more of them. I promise to return to the subject in 2020 with more examples and patterns. I'm including a simple optical illusion in this group of sample patterns. Can you figure out how it is made? How might you use borders to make the design even more "dimensional? Think about it.

Those of you who have followed these posts for some time know that I like to start with a central design and "grow" it outward in all directions. We have worked with 4-way, 6-way, and 8-way designs. There will be new patterns in each category in 2020. When we do art and craft shows, we try to jot down notes about the questions and comments made by the people who stop by our booth. I base a lot of the next season's topics on those notes. We heard you "loud and clear"!

At the top of this post, I hinted that you might find some other uses for these small needlework samples besides practice pieces and reference. The most obvious ones are coasters from the square or diamond-shaped designs and bookmarks or luggage tags from the linear ones. I'm sure you can think of others (and we would like to hear about them). Each year I choose some of my favorite samples (often adding small decorative pins. buttons, or charms) and use them to decorate our holiday tree. Here are a few of our favorites.

Season’s Greetings,

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Wrapping Up the Season: Late Fall Q &A, 2018

Before I begin with recent questions, I want to pass along two items of interest from a benefit show and sale for a local animal shelter that we took part in a few days ago.

A charming couple purchased several of my puppets for their children. They said they planned to fill the bodies and arms of the puppets with "stocking stuffers" like candy, money, miniature toys and games, etc., and sew them shut with an easy-to-pull thread. Then the children would each have a puppet to play with after they had enjoyed their small treats. What a great idea! I learn so much from the people I meet! The same idea would work for birthday parties or sleep-overs. Here J.D. is showing the puppet of a girl elf with some stocking stuffers.

Elf puppet filled with goodies

Two of our puppet pets

The other thing I want to point out refers to our dog and cat puppets, like the Siamese cat and Yorkshire terrier seen here. You will notice that each of our dogs and cats is wearing a "collar" and a "tag".  This is to remind children that their pets should be licensed and wear identification tags for their protection.

Now to our questions.

I like the 4-way bargellos a lot. I understand how the pattern "grows" from the center out. I can follow your examples, but I don't know how to start a new design from the center outward. Can you give me some examples to get me started?

Certainly. I'll be glad to. And I can show you a "short-cut'" that you can use to generate new designs when you run out of inspiration. All you need is quarter-inch graph paper and something to color the squares. I'll show you that trick first. Take a piece of graph paper and mark off several frames around squares that are 6 graph squares wide and 6 graph squares high. Start with the square in the lower right-hand corner. Color it. With the same color or a second color, fill in a random pattern of graph squares in the next row outward. Repeat with a 3rd color in the next rows of graph squares. Continue as long as you like, with as many colors as you like. Repeat colors if you like. Make several of these designs on your sheet until you find one you like more than the others.

Three 6 x 6 designs on graph paper

First design rotated and repeated four times

Now take a clean sheet of graph paper and mark its center both horizontally and vertically. Repeat your desired pattern on top of the horizontal line, starting just to the left of the vertical line. Now repeat your pattern in reverse to the right of the vertical line. Turn the paper upside-down. Repeat what you just did below the horizontal line above the horizontal line now. Now you have a 4-way starting pattern.  Each colored square represents a stitch in your bargello pattern. Empty squares can be worked in white, black, beige, etc. Work the four parts of your design in the center of your canvas, then decide how you want to "grow" your finished pattern. Here is what the first of our small patterns looks like done in this way. This one is done in a single color with a white background.

Second design

Here is the second "starter square"done in the same way.  the more colors that you use, the more complex the design that you create. This one is done in two shades of two colors, plus a white background. Substitute your own choice of colors. Once you have gotten that far, you need to decide if you will continue that design all the way out to the edges or put in new directions of your own making, You may want to practice on graph paper before you start a large project.

Third design

And here is the third "starter square", expanded. Here you have strong diagonals balancing the vertical and horizontal lines. You might choose one over the other to change your design as you work outward from the center. This one also uses four colors, but the contrasts are stronger and the white background is greatly reduced. It is a good all-over design.

But remember these important rules:

1. Each square represents 4* vertical stitches, each over 4 threads.
2. No canvas is left bare; stitches share the squares of mesh.
3. There will be places where there will not be room for an entire square. In that case,work as much of the square as you can.

When you did the 6-way bargello you showed two optical illusions that you and J.D. saw. I liked them and copied them on plastic canvas, but now I don't know how to proceed. You didn't show any shading on the pieces, but it seems to me that shading is what makes the optical illusions work. Can you show those patterns with the correct shading, please?

You are correct that shading enhances optical illusions.  However, there is more than one way to shade a particular illusion, depending on where you decide the light source is.  We will be glad to show you how we would shade the two illusions.  Just be aware that there is more than one "correct" way to do them.

Annake's (left) and J.D.'s (right) illusions with shading

You can use black, white, and grays for your shading or you can use various tones and shades of a single color. If you use different colors, you may achieve an interesting design, but lose much or all of the illusion. I suggest you work the designs out on paper before you select the yarns. Think carefully also about your background and whether or not you are going to outline the sections with back-stitch or some other embroidery stitch.  Good luck.  It should be an interesting project.

You haven't mentioned latch-hook lately. Are you still doing it?

Yes, although it has been curtailed somewhat because of the increase in frequency of shows that we have done this year and the remodeling we have been doing to give me more studio space for drawing and painting.  Here is a rug that I finished at the beginning of summer. When I was doing research for the posts on creating landscapes in needlework, I came across a photograph of a Ming Dynasty scroll that had a beautiful butterfly on it. I wanted to do a rug with a similar butterfly, but in "hot" modern colors.  This is the result.

Latch Hooked Rug, "21st Century Ming Butterfly"

Have a happy holiday season for all the holidays we celebrate around the world.

*This post has been updated on December 15, 2018 to correct an error in content. Our thanks to the reader who brought this to our attention.

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Spring Questions and Answers 2018

Butterflies, photo by J.J.

I have been looking for the pattern for the yellow (middle) butterfly from your wall hanging (March 21, 2016) I can find the orange one on the top and the purple one on the bottom. Did I miss a post somehow?

I’m afraid the “miss” was mine. I am so sorry. I was sure that I had posted it, but a thorough search of past posts did not find it. Here it is, with my apologies.

Click HERE to download

You said we should watch the Questions and Answers for more blackwork. Do you have more?

Blackwork fish quilt block

Yes. Here is the fish block. You will notice that it differs from the original stitch pattern. I usually stitch a pattern first and make changes before I do the printed pattern. This time I was working from a pattern I made years ago and had never done as embroidery. As I worked, I found I didn’t particularly agree with some of the stitch patterns that I originally drew. I liked the partial stitches for the back of the fish, considering they looked more “scaly”. On the other hand, I thought the pattern for the lower part of the fish’s body needed more stitching, not less. I curved the lines for the tiny bones in the top and bottom fins, working them in alternating lines of small chain stitch and backstitch. If you like the straight lines of the original pattern better, I suggest that you use a straight edge to put in light pencil lines on the fabric before working the lines in the stitch of your choice. Never follow a pattern if you think of one that you like better. My patterns are suggestions — not commands!

As it appeared when it was first finished, I thought the fish looked rather lonely. One of my “doodles” was of a small fish that might have belonged to the same family, so I gave her some for company. I like the finished block much better now.

Graph of small fish from quilt block

Here is a little graph pattern for the “baby” fish.  I outlined them first. The interior lines are done in back stitch. The eye is a French knot. Fish change greatly during their lives, so they seldom look the same at all stages of their lives.  Many young fish are very nearly transparent, so you don’t need to put in many details. I didn’t make a transfer for the baby fish — just stitched them free-hand.

While I’m on the subject of fish patterns, here is the Siamese Fighting Fish (betta) that was done in reverse applique as it would appear as blackwork patterns. I told you I never discard a pattern I like!

Tropical fish done as blackwork pattern

Look for more about Blackwork and see more new patterns in our upcoming "Summer 2018  Questions and Answers" post.

You mention several stitches to use as outlines, but you seem to use chain stitch most of the time.  Why is that?

Examples of decorated chain stitch

It is because the chain stitch has so many decorative possibilities itself. Once you establish it, you can embellish it in many ways. For example, you can:

• backstitch the center of the chain;

• do a double-running stitch down the center with two colors;

• whip-stitch the chain;   

• whip-stitch the sides of the chain separately;

• work a Pekingese stitch through the chain;

• interlace the chain;        

• interlace the chain and then couch the laced loops down with a third color.

And that’s only the beginning!

Owls seem to be on people’s minds this month! That is shown by the following group of questions.

I’m working on the owl blackwork pattern and I’m really enjoying it, but I’m not sure what I am supposed to do with the parts that are solid black on the pattern?

I’m so glad you are enjoying the work. The solid black parts of the pattern, like the feet and the eyes, are supposed to be worked in solid stitching. I use Beauvais embroidery for mine. This is done in continuous chain stitch. I first outline the area with chain stitch. Instead of stopping when I join the ends of the outline, I move my needle just inside the outline and follow it around and around until no background shows through. You can do the same parts in satin stitch or long-and-short stitch, and outline them when they are completed. If making the circles for the eyes does not suit you, make them diamond shapes, with the corners touching the mid-points of the outer square. Or you can simply fill in the whole square with long, straight stitches. Your results will not be exactly like the pattern, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Keep up the good work!

Did you ever finish the little needlepoint owl sitting on a branch?

I did. I gave him a full moon to hunt by. Here he is, completed but not yet framed. I have not yet done the little fellow in Holbein stitch or counted cross-stitch, but you can easily stitch him in either technique from the pattern on the post for January 1, 2017, and give him any background that you like.

"Night Owls", Holbein embroidery on gingham

A long time ago you did a mother owl and her baby in colors. Are you going to print the pattern for that one?

Oh, my!  That was a very long time ago! That was a fairly large picture done in Holbein embroidery and the figures were larger than the blackwork animals that I have been making. I’m sure they would not fit a one-page pattern. Let me think about it. Maybe I can find a way to make them smaller without losing the Holbein patterns. In the meantime, here is the picture she is talking about.

Have you ever made a really BIG owl?

Well, I made a latch-hook wall hanging of an owl once that was larger than any of the owls you have seen in other techniques.

"Autumn Owl", large latch-hooked wall hanging

But last fall I made a really BIG owl. It all began with a dream I had about an owl being attacked by two boys with paintball guns. He suffered greatly, but one evening he awoke to hunt and something wonderful had happened. His feathers had turned to autumn colors. That wouldn’t be a problem while he hunted in the dark. In the daytime he could hide in trees where the leaves were turning autumn colors until the boys gave up hunting for him and turned to other pursuits. Waking, I thought,”What a nice story. I must write it down for Angie to tell her class.” (Angie is one of my “honorary” grand-daughters and a first-year kindergarten teacher.) I needed an illustration. J.D. and I thought of a poster the children had given me long ago of a bright-colored geometric owl. When we found it, however, it wasn’t as either of us remembered it. So I sat down with my rug canvas and yarn to recreate the owl of my dream. Here he is, just waking to find himself wonderfully changed.

Enjoy the Springtime!

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