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Make a spring Scandi pillow with Assisi embroidery, a kind of reverse cross stitch where the backgrounds are stitched and the main motifs left untouched. It originated in the Italian town of the same name. Holbein stitch is used to add finer details and flourishes, but in Assisi work it’s called Chiara stitch. Worked on an evenweave fabric, usually cream or white, the traditional colours are red, blue, green or gold for the backgrounds and black or brown for the outlines. Common motifs are mythical creatures, although flowers and geometric designs are also popular. For this stylish cushion, the Assisi embroidery is worked on bands of cross stitch fabric, which are then sewn to a plain cotton, and edged with ric rac.
Make a pillow
1 Download and print the cross stitch chart. Cut 5cm x 70cm of Aida in half. Fold one half in two to find the centre, mark with a small stitch and place in an embroidery hoop. Thread a tapestry needle with two strands of red embroidery thread. Knot the end and take it down through the fabric at the edge of the band. You can snip this off once the first few rows of stitches have been completed.
2 Starting at the centre of the charted design and working outwards, begin to work the cross stitches. Work in rows from left to right. Bring the needle up at the lower left hole of one square of the fabric and back down a
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