Try a free assisi pattern

This free Assisi pattern will give you a chance to try a wonderful embroidery technique from the Italian village of Assisi. Yes the same place that St Francis the patron saint of animals came from.

The original pieces of assisi work were created back in the 13th Century for the churches. Near the end of the 19th Century the craft was revived by village women to help them increase the family income. In fact a Convent started a school in 1902 to teach the technique to the local girls, and this started a whole industry!

What is Assisi work?

Quite simply, it consists of a voided design, surrounded by a form of cross stitch and double running stitch. Both normal cross stitch and long armed cross stitch can be and were used. Traditionally the designs were worked in red or blue with black outlines. In the 19th Century other colours were introduced such as green or gold.

I blended the idea of assisi work with blackwork and came up with three animal designs.

What will I need?

Aida 14 or 28 count evenweave fabric about 8" square
Stranded cotton or floss (I used red - DMC498 and black - DMC310)
Tapestry needle size 24 or 26

How do I do it?

It is best to start this free assisi pattern from the centre of your fabric to make sure the design will fit onto the fabric. Personal preference will dictate whether you stitch the outlines first in double running stitch (Holbein stitch) or the cross stitched background. There are benefits to each method.

Outlines first - this is easier for counting purposes.

Cross stitch first - working the double running stitch after the cross stitch gives a neater finish (in my opinion).

As I mentioned above you can work the background areas in either normal cross stitch or long armed cross stitch.

How do I do Long Armed Cross Stitch?

The diagram below shows how to work your free assisi pattern using this stitch. Start with a normal cross stitch following the numbers 1-4. Then continue by making the longer stitches as shown. Make sure that the shorter stitch always crosses in the same direction. Stitches 7-8 and 9-10 repeat along the row. I like to finish with a normal cross stitch as shown by the darker blue stitch.