Day 78: Geometric Bargello Diamond Design

Bargello diamond designs offer endless opportunities to stitch decorative items for the home or to give as gifts.

This geometric diamond design on pp. 77-79 in Traditional Bargello by Dorothy Phelan has a 4-2 step and is created by working three diagonal lines of stitches across the needlepoint canvas from top right to bottom left, and then stitching three diagonal lines from top left to bottom right to intersect with these.

Interestingly, each of the three right diagonal lines use one uninterrupted color. The three left diagonal lines change color with one stitch at the intersection of the other diagonal.

For stitching success, work the three right diagonal lines first; and then the opposite ones. Fill in the diamond shapes from bottom to top later.

I used 5 shades of Twedie 18 and 2 of Silk n’ Ivory threads to stitch the design.

Interesting Tidbit about Dorothy Phelan

According to Dorothy Phelan’s research, the French queen Catherine de Medici, originally from Florence, is said to have worked some of her embroidery in the “Florentine Style”.

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