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Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19512, 10 June 1933, Page 10

HOME ARTS AND CRAFTS

A SARDINIAN BISACCIA. The traveller in Sardinia cannot fail to notice the skilful method which the peasant adopts for balancing the weight of produce that he carries to and from market and field, says an English writer. He distributes his load into the two ends of his bisaccia, or double sack, and slings it over his shouider—or, should he be riding, across. the back of his horse. Bisacce vary in size, but are usually about 18in. wide. The materials of which they are spun, woven and embroidered by the peasants themselves. The whole spirit of the work, therefore, is singularly interesting, both from its traditional character and from the point of view of colour, design and technique. The hemp is generally woven in natural stripes for the back of the sack; but the turnedup ends are more patterned, and, when embroidered, the background of the embroidery is frequently woven in goats’ hair instead of hemp. The actual embroidery consists of the simple, well-known flat satin-stitch, the emphasis—necessarily, for such a purpose—being on colour, not stitchery. The sides of thes sacks are bound with gay-coloured linen or woollen braid.

A miniature double sack of this description is particularly suitable for use on the beach or for country expeditions. It can be carried over the arm, over the shoulder, or suspended from the hand, thus shifting the weight. With a lining of American cloth, one end would form a receptacle for bathing suits, and when the book, work, or lunch was removed from the other end, the sack would provide its owner with a perfectly dry seat for damp ground.

In lieu of weaving, the same effect of background may be achieved by means of darning on coarse canvas in wools of strong,- primitive colours. Scarlet, magenta, royal blue, grassgreen, and primrose are all particularly effective when worked in broad bands, outlined with narrow stripes of black. More ambitious, conventional designs, or central motifs will suggest themselves with practice. Forty inches of coarse single-bar canvas of 10 bars to the inch and 12in. wide, in old strong colour, wall be found a convenient size. The canvas is turned up to a depth of 81in. at each end to form the sacks. The approximate width for this length would be 9in. It is, however, safer to complete the darning before cutting anything off from the width of the canvas, as this avoids all risk of travelling. The darning proceeds by picking up one bar of canvas and passing the needle over five bars. In the succeeding row the middle bar, below the long stitch, is picked up, and so work continues as in basket weaves. Fresh needlefuls should be started at the edge by tying the wool to the selvedge. A blunt-pointed needle will be found most convenient for use, and four-ply tapestry wool is best. A bamboo stick sewn in across the centre of the miniature reproduction is an improvement, and the binding braid may be looped to form a handle for convenience in carrying the sack by the hand.