Bargello (needlework)

Bargello is a type of needlepoint embroidery consisting of upright flat stitches laid in a mathematical pattern to create motifs.

The name originates from a series of chairs found in the Bargello palace in Florence, which have a "flame stitch" pattern.

A number of alternative names are used by different scholars, including: Because of the potential for confusion, most books written in English refer to the technique simply as "Bargello".

Although early examples are from the Bargello Museum in Florence,[6] there does exist documentation that a Hungarian connection is possible.

[1] In the 18th century, Queen Maria Theresa of Hungary stitched Bargello and her work has been preserved in the Hungarian National Museum.

Petschek also cites legend of Hungarian noblewomen practicing the craft, including a Hungarian princess marrying into the de Medici family, and a princess Jadwiga (Hedwig) of Hungary who married into the Jagiełło dynasty of Poland.

This section describes the vertical stitch, and how it is combined with color and "stepping" to create different motifs.

Kaestner describes the origin of the technique: My first piece of four-way Bargello was started approximately ten years ago [in the early 1960s].

Bargello quilts are strip-pieced; the fabric is cut into long strips and sewn together in graduated color groups.