Italian table cloth – Hardanger Embroidery

November 11, 2011, 12:01 am
Filed under: Vintage Linens

Finding these vintage pieces is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the craft of needlework. It looked like a Pulled Thread technique but wasn’t sure. So, I googled it. Thanks to Nordic Needle’s website, I learned about the broad categories of whitework & the more specific areas of open-work called Pulled Thread & Drawn Thread. This could have examples of both. Drawn work involves cutting threads & removing them. While pulled involves no cutting. But, I continued to explore & see that it may well be Hardanger Embroidery which employs a combination of techniques including the use of satin stitch & eyelets which this table-cloth has too.

All sorts of wonderful information at Nordic Needle!!

http://www.nordicneedle.net/guides/stitchology/pulled-vs-drawn-thread/

http://www.nordicneedle.net/guides/stitching-techniques/hardanger-embroidery/

This is a large table-cloth which measures 52″ x 68″. There is still a tag attached but all it says is Hand Embroidery Florence Made in Italy. Beautifully done!