Simplicity and Tradition: the Broderie Suisse

Our catalog gets richer and richer with a new embroidery technique: the Broderie Suisse (or "chicken scratch" as it is known in the USA) through the works by Maria Concetta Ronchetti, who co-founded the Association Arte del Filo which is aimed at spreading the art of the Italian Antique Embroidery.
With the first two creations we present here, the cushions and the sampler, we introduce a technique which is born to enrich the simple objects and ordinary dresses based on simplicity and art, by creating some delicate and fine embroideries.
The name "Broderie Suisse" means "Swiss Embroidery" and from Switzerland it takes the white and red colors and the checked fabrics in linen or cotton.
It's on this checked fabric that this embroidery technique is realized. The classic fabric is the burgundy red little check (0,5 cm), but we can also use new and modern colors with larger checks.
With this first selection, we put together with Maria Concetta's works the 100% cotton thread-dyed fabric of the Italian enterprise Grigoletto Filati, fine checked fabrics presented in different colors. Brand new fabrics are on their way!

The embroidery is made by using a twisted one-ply thread like the perlé (DMC or Venus ) or the twisted (Retors d'Alsace), dimensions 8 or 5 according to the check dimensions. For 0,5 cm checks we use nr. 8 perlé and twisted threads. The classical color is white. Of course, you can free your imagination by using different colors, nuances, hand-dyed threads etc. all combined with the checked fabric.
The basic stitches used are double cross-stitch, running stich and the circle stitch, by themselves and/or coupled together. These stitches must be made in successive passages, by following the checks of the fabric which must be thightened, for example by a hoop, and made in a specific order to maintain the back of the work beautiful and clean as well.
An easy-to-make embroidery: the more expert embroiderers will be pleased by this new technique, whereas beginners will be satisfied by the result of this work made in a short time.