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FILI MAGICI – 4th Edition

FILI MAGICI 4TH EDITIONThis month will be held the fourth edition of Fili Magici, an extraordinary needlework exhibition in the Renaissance Della Rovere Castle in Vinovo, near Turin (Italy).

800px-Della_Rovere_Castello
Photo credit: Rik.gangi

For three consecutive days, from 23rd to 25th May, 64 Italian and French exhibitors will show more than fifty techniques of embroidery and lace. You will have the chance to admire authentic masterpieces and purchase books, kits, patterns, fabrics and threads.

Our designer Valentina Sardu will also be present with her exclusive and original blackwork embroideries, so if you are in Italy that weekend, don’t miss this fabulous event!

castello della rovere fili magici

FILI MAGICI
Vinovo (TO), Italy: Castello della Rovere, Sala Don Gerardo, Ala Comunale

Dates and schedule: from 23/05/2014 to 25/05/2014
Friday 23rd May 2014: from 14.30 to 19.30
Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th May 2014: from 9.30 to 19.00

Entrance: 5,00 Euros (free for children under 15)

FOR MORE INFO:
Gisella Tamagno
gisellarte@gmail.com
www.amoilricamo.it

 

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A few words about copyright violations

Our embroideries are appreciated all over the world and we often happened to find illegal copies of our designs on some cross stitch forums and blogs. At first, believing in the good faith of those who decided to share these patterns with their friends, we tried to explain that this is not correct, and we requested the removal of the illegal files.
Unfortunately, none of our requests has been heard. The illegal copies of the files have multiplied, and now we are forced to take legal actions.

snowball-of-infringements

Furthermore, we are very sorry to inform that due to these continuous copyright violations, our embroidery patterns will be no longer available in some countries, such as Russia, China, Vietnam and Eastern Europe area.

Behind every design there are thousands of hours of hard work that must be respected. Sharing a copyrighted embroidery chart is exactly like stealing, and hurts the designer, the publisher and all the other people involved.

If you love embroidery, and if you’re always looking for new and creative designs, please support the needlework industry and buy original.

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Thanks

The Ajisai Press team

___

UPDATE – April 2015:

Almost a year has passed, and after several requests, we have decided to re-open the sales worldwide. Anyway, we hope that this temporary block has helped to reflect on the consequences of copyright violations. Please, support the needlework industry.

 

UPDATE – August 2021:

Due to continuing copyright infringements, we have decided to stop digital selling of our designs. From now on, all our embroidery charts will be available worldwide exclusively in paper version through the international seller Book Depository.
Thank you for understanding,
The Ajisai Press Team

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A miniature embroidery on a small scrap of hand painted linen

 

Embroidering miniatures is a great way to use small scraps of fabric instead to throw them away.

keep calm cross stitch miniature

With a textile paint or dye you can also change the colour of your fabric (you can get an incredible variety of colours using just the three primary colours!).
In this case I’m going to use a red textile paint to recolour an ivory linen that has been left over from another embroidery project.

hand painted linen tutorial1

You can use a brush or a sponge to apply the paint, depending on the effect you wish to achieve.

hand painted linen tutorial2

After painting, leave to dry for a few hours. Then fix paint by ironing on the wrong side of the fabric for 5 minutes.
… Now the fabric is ready to be embroidered!

hand painted linen tutorial3 - stitching miniature

To make a really tiny cross stitch miniature, stitch over one thread of your evenweave fabric instead of two.

Here is the chart for the “KEEP CALM and CARRY ON” motif:

keep calm free cross stitch chart

Model stitched on a 32 count linen using one strand of white cotton over one thread of fabric

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Blackwork embroidery: a step by step guide

wip blackwork ladybug and daisy

In this post, I’m going to share with you some useful tips and some basic techniques to follow when stitching my blackwork designs.

blackwork embroidery equipment

MATERIALS

First of all it’s important to choose the right equipment:

blackwork fabrics and threads

– Fabric: although many embroiderers use Aida (blockweave) for their blackwork projects, for my designs I always suggest linen or evenweave fabric, because they are perfect for the partial stitches.
– Thread: traditionally, blackwork was stitched in black silk but, today, we can choose from a wide variety of threads, like cotton floss or sewing thread.
– Needle: always use a tapestry needle which has a blunt end.
– Frame: a frame is optional but helps to keep the fabric tight. I always use a scroll frame with a seat stand but, for little motifs can be helpful a smaller ring frame.

WORKING THE DESIGN

blackwork ivy front and back

People often ask me how to stitch a piece of blackwork embroidery with a perfect back. In my opinion, this is only necessary if both sides of the embroidery will be visible, also because many patterns are very intricate and not always reversible.
Anyway, in the video below, I will show you some tricks: how to start and end stitching without knots, and how to work the Holbein stitch (also known as double running stitch) correctly, for a neater back.

“Tea Party” chart: https://www.ajisaipress.com/product/mini-blackwork-motifs/