Too Hot to Handle

House & Garden Magazine; September 7, 2023

Disco, bell-bottoms, The Brady Bunch, and flamestitch… the 1970’s.

AI says, “Flamestitch, also known as Bargello or Point de Hongrie, is a decorative embroidery stitch characterized by a zig-zag pattern of vertical stitches, often used in fabrics for wall hangings, upholstery, and carpets.”

I say, “Groovy!”

According to Jill Lasersohn’s article in www.fredricmagazine.com (September 17, 2018), flamestitch dates back to ancient Greece. She writes, “flamestitch, as we know it today, most likely appeared in Italy in the 1600s and may have been a result of a Hungarian princess marrying a Medici.” 

Remember when the Italian, luxury fashion house, Missoni, introduced their iconic zig-zag products in Target? The Target website crashed, in-store customers grabbed handfuls of the printed items, and the line sold out in seconds. 

Today, flamestitch is making a comeback. One might categorize chevron and herringbone patterns as flamestitch but they lack the fluidity of the more organic motif.   

Think of the varying peaks of a mountain range seen from afar, an ECG heart monitor, the scribbles of a seismogram when an earthquake hits… organic… not geometric… a flame.

This pattern can be daring with lots of colors and dramatic zig-zags. A large area rugs, a loud accent pillows, a vivid pair of chairs, an eye-catching upholstered headboard - all command attention. All become the dominate focal point in a space. 

This pattern can be understated with muted colors and uniform movement. Using analogous colors, a flamestitch becomes soft, subdued, even delicate. Underfoot, on the walls, in accent pieces, the zig-zag acts as a supporting cast member to a louder print.

The flamestitch; fun, retro, daring, historic, modern. 

Would you use it? 

Or, is it just too hot to handle?