Published: October 3, 2011, By Abbe Fenimore

The Flame Stitch

I have had a love for flame stitch fabrics since I was a little girl. I always loved walking through our sitting room and running my hands along the back of my mother’s beloved pink, ivory and lavender flame stitch upholstered settee.  My mother would always tell me that the fabric was an Italian silk blend and that I should stop running my dirty hands across the back of it.  Only now do I look back and understand why she would yell my first, middle and last name across the room with a panicked look on her face as I walked by with my hand out.

A few weeks ago my mother and I were shopping for an eye catching fabric to use on the desk chair for Dwell With Dignity’s Thrift Studio project.  As soon as we spotted the yellow, grey and black flame stitch fabric we took one look at each other and said “that’s it!”.  Of course my mother had to bring up the “pink flame stitch settee” story to everyone in the fabric shop.  I can’t wait to share pictures from the event, but here are a few that I snagged of the flame stitch chair.  A big THANK YOU to Again & Again for donating the upholstery for the chair!

Here is what we dug up on the history of the flame stitch…

“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.

Traditionally, Bargello was stitched in wool on canvas. Embroidery done this way is remarkably durable. It is well suited for use on pillows, upholstery and even carpets, but not for clothing. In most traditional pieces, all stitches are vertical with stitches going over two or more threads.”