Rubelli | Figaro

An eighteenth-century embroidered waistcoat in the textile museum at Palazzo Mocenigo gave up the pattern: small motifs lined up in rows, as embroidery on a garment has to be, rather than the sprawling repeats of a furnishing damask.

The ground is taffeta and the motifs are worked in relief with a little metallic yarn among the silk, which is how a woven cloth acquires the raised look of needlework. At 34.5 cm the horizontal repeat is a quarter of the width, so the rows march rather than wander. Two colourways. Rated for light use, which suits it: curtains, blinds, cushions, and anywhere it will be seen from close enough to read. Made in Italy.