Assisi embroidery
Assisi embroidery is a form of counted-thread embroidery from the
Italian town of Assisi,
practised since the 13th century and still to this day. It is a negative
embroidery, i.e., the background is filled in, and the motif itself is left
blank. Cross-stitch
is used for the background, usually in the traditional colours (red, blue,
green, gold). Blackwork Embroidery, i.e. Holbein stitch
is then used to outline the motif and some of the decoration. Traditional
motifs were largely heraldic, especially heraldic beasts.
In the last 20 years, a modern version of Assisi embroidery
has evolved. Many different colours and patterns are used for the background,
and the motifs are extremely varied. However, the traditional version is still
practised in the town of Assisi where one can see the local women sitting in front of
their houses and embroidering Assisi work items for the local cooperative
embroidery shop; this is based on the 'Laboratorio Ricreativo Festivo Femminile
San Francesco di Assisi', a handicrafts workshop established in 1902 to give
employment to poor women to supplement their income.
