Fabric and thread shops in Rome

I spent seven glorious days in Rome the first week of this past October with friends who live on the outskirts of the city. The first day after arriving from the airport, we headed out to celebrate our visit with a gelato. That was it, no big plans, it was late afternoon and I'd been up some 24 hours or more.

To get to the gelateria, you must pass a merceria which is a shop which carries embroidery threads, fabrics, buttons, ribbons, sewing notions and the like. We decided to stop in just for a minute...

I swear I only wanted to get the no. 30 coton a broder thread!
But then there was a table with discontinued Anchor threads on sale. I couldn't let that silk just sit there, or the pearl cotton either. After we had rung up the purchase, the clerk told us that he also had discontinued colours of Anchor coton a broder no. 25 on sale too...

... so we had to go back the next day. Luckily I had my iPod with my list of what I already have at home, even though in the end if I'd taken one of everything I would have only ended up with a couple of duplicates. Needless to say, we had a delightful time going through all the drawers filled with threads.

This merceria as I said is on the outskirts of Rome but in the case that you might be nearby on one of your travels to Italy, the store is in Via Millesimo no. 53 in the suburb called Torrevecchia.

A couple of days later we headed into the centre of Rome to see some newly restored silk and gold embroidered vestments at the Church of St. Francis a Ripa Grande. Along the way from the bus stop in Piazza Venezia to where we took the street car to Trastevere, we walked through the section of town where there are some textile-related stores.

Paganini Fabric Store, Via Botteghe Oscure, no. 50, Rome.

We stopped in at the Paganini fabric store which is a huge place with 14 window displays. They have been around since 1948 and carry all kinds of fabrics and rugs. You can see some photos of the inside of the store here.

I bought some "cencio della nonna" which is a linen gauze (11 threads per centimetre) for backing Trapunto. You can see it on the back of Silvana Vannini's Trapunto project here.

From there we headed to the Merceria Alfis in Largo Ginnasi no. 6 where (among the threads and other textile things) they have a large selection of buttons.

Check out my previous post for more shops in Rome. Do you have a favorite textile-related store in Rome? Leave a comment below!

New page added about buying supplies

As a permanent page like the one about my personal library, I have made a page about online needlework suppliers and ordering from Italy. I seem to be getting a lot of requests for shopping so I hope this new page will help you out!

Italian Needlecrafts Closing

It is with great sadness that I tell you that the Italian embroidery supplies website Italian Needlecrafts will be closing at the end of December (last day to place an order will be December 27th.
:-(

For me this is terrible news. Elena has tirelessly provided me with exceptional service. All those lovely Italian linens and threads, the books, the patterns... well, I'm very sad. If I could figure out how to change the blog to all black, I would do it.

Florence and Needlework shopping

I have a couple of other places to add to my post about great textile-related shopping places in Florence.

As some of you may have already read, in this post I told you about some of my discoveries the last time I was there (make sure to read the comments below that post as other people added places too).

This time we noticed a few other places worth checking out...

Campolmi Roberto Filati is almost right behind the Duomo in the historic centre of Florence in Via Folco Portinari no. 19/21 Red. The sell large cones and skeins of yarns and threads of all types, though they specialize in wools. Their prices were fantastic, we saw big cones of embroidery cotton no. 25 for 2 euros! The shop is quite large so make sure you go all the way in and around to the left at the back to see everything. The front window display is quite inviting and well presented but inside the shop there is no decor. Don't let that put you off and be sure to ask about anything you don't see, the ladies know their inventory!

There are the two TAF (which stands for: Tovagliati Artistici Fiorentini or Artistic Florentine Tablelinens) stores in Via Por Santa Maria, no. 17 Red and across the street at no. 22 Red which have beautiful hand-embroidered things, there is one store on one side of the street and the other store which specializes in baby and children's things on the other side, don't miss looking at the window displays of both stores... the children's items store also has a huge display window above the street level window.

We stumbled across this store at Via Lambertesca, no. 8 Red called Laura Nutini:

Unfortunately it was closed for the afternoon lunchtime but there was lots of needlework in the window! I'll have to check it out next time.

Places to buy needlework supplies

I'm back from the EGA National Seminar and I want to first post the links of websites that I like to buy Italian needlework supplies from as I promised my fellow classmates in Vima deMarchi Micheli's Notebook of Italian Embroidery class.

The following are two websites that I have ordered from many times and which also take PayPal as a method of payment which is so much easier for overseas customers than a money order.

Italian Needlecrafts - Elena speaks English well and goes the extra mile to make sure everything goes smoothly. Her website is in English, you can order through a secure socket and she will confirm shipping costs by email. She is based right in the city of Milan and so her deliveries do not take long to arrive. Elena is open to requests, if you are looking for something in particular, ask if she can get it for you. Her website is constantly growing and it is advisable to check back often as she is always adding new things. She carries books, patterns, fabric, threads and some kits and she is scanning lots of early 20th century Italian needlework books from her collection and making them available as free downloads. She also weaves in her spare time and you can buy her creations from her website or her Etsy page and follow what she's doing on her blog.

Tombolo Disegni - Gianfranca has a bricks and mortar shop in Grado which is a small island in the north-eastern part of Italy between Venice and Trieste. She is an accomplished bobbin lacemaker. Her shop is loaded with lots of things for all types of needlework. Her website is in Italian and you will have to send her an email with a list of the things you would like to purchase so she can then send you a PayPal request. She travels to many fairs and shows so sometimes she may not be able to answer your request right away and shipping takes a little longer as she is not on the mainland.

A note about ordering from Italy:
Italy has it's own culture and it is important to remember that you are not ordering from a country which is similar to your own. Most often, needlework is a hobby not a job and therefore it takes second place to family and work. What I'm saying is try to be patient as responses are not always immediate. The Italian postal service is notorious for doing the most inconvenient things. These two websites in particular do their best to serve their customers but if there is a glitch, most often it is not something they have any control over like the mail service or ordering from suppliers.

If you are searching for something that you don't find on either of these two websites, post a comment and I'll let you know if I know of any other websites where you might be able to purchase what you're looking for.

I have a lot of catching up to do with emails and translations, it may be a few days before I can start posting again but don't give up hope, I have lots to share with you!

Shops in Rome

In the spring of 2007 I packed up my daughter and we went to Italy. It was her first time and I dragged her all over before abandoning her with the kids of embroidery friends of mine so I could enjoy the Italia Invita Lace and Embroidery Forum in Rimini. I thought it was a good deal. I spent nearly two weeks agreeing to her every whim so that in the end, all she had to do was hang out with friends while her mother went crazy. We'll talk about how crazy I went in another post!

At the beginning and again at the end of the trip we stayed with a stitching friend and her family in Rome. One afternoon after fulfilling my daughter's wish to see the Castel Sant'Angelo and St. Peter's Square, we took a side trip to try and find a little shop in Borgo Vittorio called Italia Garipoli Laboratorio. We came along to number 91 to find that the shop was closed. This didn't stop us from pressing our faces to the window to see the embroideries and laces on display inside. My friend's husband found us amusing:


The sign read "embroideries and restorations"... we were intrigued but alas could not go in. In the photo you can just make out some needlework pinned to the wall on the right-hand side. They were lovely drawn-thread works.

The next time I was in Rome was in 2009 and this same friend took us to a different shop near Piazza Navona, Le Tele di Carlotta in Via dei Coronari no. 228, where we met the owner Simona Virgilio and observed a one-on-one lesson being given to a girl who'd come from France to learn Reticello. We bought some lovely pieces of Italian linen there!


I have a list of shops I want to visit but never seem to find the time, I'll list them here in the hopes that perhaps you might be able to visit them:

Downtown near Piazza Venezia there is Canetta in Via IV Novembre n. 157/B, they are the company that publishes the embroidery magazine Mani di Fata and here you can get fabric, books, patterns and stitching supplies. I have only peered into the window of their shop in Milan, but they seem to have lots of embroidery stuff.

Then there are many textile shops along Via delle Botteghe Oscure near the Ghetto in the Largo Argentina area.

A little ways out of the "downtown" area (you can take the metro and it is apparently well worth the trouble) there is Rinaldi-Decoricamo in Viale di Valle Aurelia no. 61.

I would really like to visit the embroidery school/laboratory CBC Needlepoint in Via Confalonieri n. 1. They do some absolutely stupendous goldwork embroidery.

Please leave a comment if you know of other stores!

Check out this post for more shops in Rome.

Shops in Florence

Long ago and far away I wandered the streets of Florence looking in vain for a needlework shop that someone had told me about. Never mind that I didn't have a map, the directions were... go to the Duomo, face the Baptistry, in the left corner of the piazza take the road called Borgo San Lorenzo, it turns into Via de' Ginori... walk until you get to number 23. Well, frustratingly I couldn't find no. 23. The addresses completely skipped over the 20s on the odd numbered side of the street. I never found the shop, though I wandered up and down the street, peering into all the shops that were open. More frustrating was the fact that I had seen some painted canvases with Florentine scenes on them in a window while I was wandering around and thought "oh, I'll come back here on my way back and take a look", but I didn't take note of the address or even the street name so of course I never found my way back. Note to self: don't do that again. If you see something you like, go in right away and look at it because even if you do miraculously find your way back, the shop will inevitably be closed for lunch. Most shops are closed from 1 - 3 pm.

Last year in May, I took one of Vima diMarchi Micheli's fantastic needlework tours of Italy. If you ever get the chance, you should do at least one of these in your lifetime. Vima knows all kinds of interesting shops in Florence... and other cities too! She took us to lots of places but my favourites in Florence were: Casa dei Tessuti in Via dei Pecori, no. 20. What a fabulous fabric shop! Passamaneria Valmar in Via Porta Rossa no. 53. An amazing passamaneria shop with tassels and buttons, and trims and braids and cushions and more! Right next door at no. 51 is Bruno Falugi a store where you can buy needlework fabric and threads and household linens. I went back every day we were there and bought more.

On our own, my roommate and I stumbled across Ricamo e Cucito in Piazza dell'Olio, no. 8. Lots of cross stitch and needlepoint but mostly American and English stuff you've already seen on the internet or in stores at home. They did have some Italian and French patterns which were interesting and some lovely work on display.

With Vima we also visited the Scuola del Cuoio, in the Monastery of Santa Croce, Via S. Giuseppe, no. 5. Breathtaking leatherwork - purses, wallets, home decor stuff like frames and desk accessories, cosmetic accessories holders... just an incredible display. If you go, do not miss the handbag display - each one is an individual creation hand-decorated by a very talented lady.

There are some special places to look at needlework in Florence but I'll save that for another post!

This is one of the hexagonal carvings from the face of the Duomo... now kept inside the museum.