Buon Natale! Reticello Kits & a Give-Away

Good morning from a cold and crisp and winterly Kansas. No snow – just grey. And cold! Rumor has it the sun will make a showing today, though. Ho ho ho. I can’t wait!

Speaking of ho ho ho, today we’re going to do another pre-Christmas give-away featuring new kits that I’m bringing in from Italy, to accompany the reticello books by Giuliana Buonpadre that we started offering this year.

I’m excited about these kits! I’ve brought in just a few at this point, to test the waters. My reasoning for bringing them into the US is that we don’t really have a wide array reticello kits on the market in the US (if any). And yet, I know there are many embroiderers who love reticello and traditional Italian needlework. There are many who want to learn it or to learn it better. The kits provide a structure for learning and all the supplies necessary for a project.

So today, I’ll show you some of the kits close-up and I’ll give away one of them, along with two of Giuliana Buonpadre’s beautiful reticello books, Il Reticello and Herbarium, so that you can learn the techniques and then take them further.

Right now, I have three different Reticello kits in stock, all designed by Giuliana Buonpadre.

The kits are an extension of her book Il Reticello, which is normally available here on Needle ‘n Thread. (It’s sold out right now, but more stock is coming.) I know many of you already have the book. The kits will give you the opportunity to test and learn different reticello skills, with the linen and thread that Giuliana recommends.

The first kit (category “easy”) Panels in Red, is available right now with a choice of fabric: a cream (deep ivory) colored linen, or a natural colored linen. Both come with red thread and three needles.

The kits include a pamphlet with a colored image on the cover, and a black and white image of the project inside.

There’s information on how to set up the fabric to start stitching the project, and then there’s a diagram to follow, that shows the layout of the design (on a grid).

You’ll also find diagrams for the decorative needle lace squares that are featured in the project.

Finally, there is information on how to construct a cushion out of the finished reticello panel.

The cream and red option for Kit #1 is shown in the first photo in this article. Above, you can see the natural linen with the red.

The Linen, Threads, & Needles

Each kit comes with a 60cm square piece of linen (almost 24″ square), so that you can finish the piece into about an 18″ cushion.

The linen is a beautiful Italian linen with a close, full weave, perfect for this type of work. The thread count is approximately 38 threads per inch.

The thread with the kits is Anchor Ritorto Florentino #12. (I wrote about this thread ages ago, here.) This is an Italian thread somewhat similar to perle cotton, but not exactly the same as perle cotton. It seems to me that it is a slightly firmer thread than perle cotton. It comes in a Huge Hank of 550 meters. You definitely will not run out of thread with any of these kits!

Each kit comes with three needles essential for this work: a sharp tip, a blunt tip, and “beaded” for withdrawing the threads.

The second kit (category “easy”) is Rhombi in Blue, with a lighter ivory fabric and blue thread.

This is what the design looks like.

Again, you’ll find the layout chart and the diagrams for the different elements in the accompanying booklet. You’ll find information on setting up the fabric and finishing the cushion.

Actual stitching instructions for this type of work are found in Il Reticello, or, if you have already done some reticello, you’ll be able to read the charts and diagrams and execute them in reticello techniques.

You’ll find black and white photos of the finished elements in the pamphlet as well.

The third kit (kit #5, in fact – I haven’t brought them all in!), Reticello Flower is categorized as “moderate.” The linen is natural colored and the thread is a lighter creamy color.

Like the pamphlets in the other kits, you’ll find a black and white photo of the finished piece.

You’ll find tips on setting up your fabric, and then the layout chart.

In this particular kit, you’ll find a little more in-depth instruction in the pamphlet, for the various needle lace elements. You’ll still benefit, though, from having a copy of the book, Il Reticello, for reference.

Available!

For those of you who have wanted to try out reticello, who have purchased the books but perhaps have not found the linen or thread you want to use, you’ll find these kits a great way to have the supplies at hand. They’re available right now in my shop. If they prove to be popular, I’ll bring in more.

Any kits purchased today and over the weekend will go out via Priority Mail by Monday, so there’s *some* chance you may still get it by Christmas. You can wrap it up and put it under the tree for yourself!

Give-Away!

I’m be giving away one kit – the Red Panels, in natural – along with a copy of Il Reticello and a copy of Herbarium to a lucky randomly-drawn winner. For the give-away winner, the kit and books will not arrive right away (and certainly not before Christmas!). We have to restock Il Reticello, and once I have the books back in stock, I’ll ship the give-away prize.

If you’d like to join the give-away, please read and follow the guidelines below:

1. To participate, leave a comment below. The comment must be left on this article on Needle ‘n Thread. Comments left on other articles or submitted by email are not eligible. Please do not use the “reply” feature to leave your comment. Replies to other comments are not eligible. You can follow this link directly to the comment box, to make sure you’re in the right place.

2. Please leave your name in the “name” line (no anonymous comments) and a valid email address in the “email” line on the form. Winners are contacted by email. If your email is incorrect or bounces back, I’ll draw another winner in your place. Leave the “website” line blank. Please do not leave personal contact information in the actual comment box, since anything written there is visible on the website.

3. In your comment, please answer the following question:

What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

4. Leave your comment by Wednesday, December 21st, at 5:00 am Central Time. I will announce the randomly drawn winner that morning and contact the winner by email.

The give-away is open for anyone, anywhere. Keep in mind that you will be responsible for any customs fees, taxes, or so forth that might be levied in your country when the package arrives.

Coming Up!

Hard to believe next week is the week before Christmas!

On Monday, we’ll talk shop. I want to show you some equipment that has turned out to be a Really Good Idea.

We are trying to put together a fun Eye-Spy puzzle for you, since we missed last year. Gosh, some things are a lot harder than they should be!

Hope you have a jolly weekend!