The knitwear of the Italian fashion house Missoni, is always one that is a wonderful springboard to needlepoint. Because they design knits and are renowned for their zigzag patterns and bold color choices, often you can use high fashion pieces as the starting point for needlepoint, especially for Bargello.
My recent free pattern for The Caron Collection is a wallet insert with colors taken from a Missoni pillow that used a similar zigzag pattern.
Although I’m too swamped to stitch it now, this Missoni purse from 2004 is a Bargello pattern that is easy to do.
It’s a shallow scallop pattern. The purse, a clutch bag, uses many different colors. Instead of trying to reproduce it exactly, I would pick 10-12 solid colors in one thread, I’m thinking Silk & Ivory or wool, and put them into a paper bag.
For each new row, pick out a color from the bag. Put it back when you have finished the row and pick another color. If you pick the same color, put it back and pick again.
Otherwise anything goes.
Once I get caught up, I’m going to do it as an insert to a Stirling tote in my stash.
The result will be something as unique as you are and for a fraction the price of the original.
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love this idea: Missoni must have been a early influence on several textile designers, and perhaps Kaffe Fassett also? People can use their stash, its not an expensive piece to do, one can choose someone’s favorite colors and make an insert for a Lee item. Personable, not so expensive and one of a kind. Janet, Thanks for the inspiration.
would love to make a missoni cushion or pillow as a gift to my daughter who is a lover of missoni.
where can the canvas of same be purchased
This is not a ready-made pillow. The picture is of a Missoni purse that is the inspiration for the needlepoint pattern in the blog post. You would need to either make it yourself or have someone make ir for you.
I’d encourage you to make it yourself, Bargello is incredibly easy to do, even for someone who has never needlepointed before.
Keep Stitching,
Janet