Note from Giulia Manfredini: this is a piece of needlework designed for fun. Any stitcher willing to make it should try to use other stitches or beads or charms and not be restricted or limited by these instructions. I would advise all stitchers to create a special needlework project from a design made by their own child; this would encourage their child's creative expression and would make your child realize how great and important he or she really is!

Model stitched over white monocanvas, 18 count
Stitch count: 242 x 237
Design area: 13 2/8 x 14 1/2 inches

Materials:
Impressions: 1 ply
Waterlilies Mediterranean: 6 ply
DMC OR: 2 ply
DMC 5 Perlè Cotton 775: 1 ply

Stiches:
Always use Continental Horizontal Stitch with the following exceptions:

- back stitch with Impressions 5084: mermaid's waist and fin

- cross stitch with Impressions 0020 (Black): eyes of mermaid, sun, fish, butterfly
and crab
- cross stitch with Impressions 0020 (Black): lips rim of mermaid's and crab's
mouth
- cross stitch with Impressions 2073 (Red): mermaid's lips
- cross stitch with Impressions 3041 (Red): sun mouth
- cross stitch with Impressions 4012 (Deep Yellow): sun nose
- cross stitch with Impressions 1112 (Brown) butterfly's body

- diagonal back-stitch with Impressions Peach Sherbet: shell under the sea

- vertical satin stitch with Impressions 4015 (Pale Yellow): butterfly's body

- mosaic stitch (see chart) with Impressions 5123 (Green): butterfly's green wings

- diagonal satin stitches as depicted in the chart for:
1) sun with Impressions 4003,
2) butterfly's pale violet wings with Impressions 6044
3) mermaid's hair with Impressions 2073
4) mermaid's shell with Impressions Baby's Breath
5) mermaid's ribbon with Impressions 5123

- fly stitch with Impressions 5123: mermaid's fin

- vertical knitting stitch with Impressions 5123: waist of mermaid

- horizontal giant brick stitch with DMC 5 Perlè Cotton 775 over one mesh with
variable counts of the canvas: sky background

Note: sun's rim: Continental Horizontal Stitch with Impressions 4012. Overstitch
with 2 threads of DMC OR with Continental Horizontal Stitch

Click here for Part II (October 2000)

SPECIAL THANKS (from Giulia Manfredini)
-To my daughter Sofia, for designing, charting (Yes !!! charting with Easy Cross software) and choosing threads and stitches
-To Patricia Hite, my dearest friend from Sacramento (CA) for her help in finding beads, charms and threads for the background and butterfly's body. We had a lot of fun and great time together while "browsing and surfing" most of Mill Hill Beads and Charms at the shop
-To Lois Caron for supplying all the threads
-To everyone involved with the Caron Collection website for giving us the possibility to realize and display this very funny and special mother-daughter project to be kept for the future as a family treasure

Giulia Manfredini

About Sofia Cornali

Sofia Cornali, who turns 7 this month, is a very happy and creative child who loves designs and crafts. Her full name is Sofia Fausta Sandy Cornali (Fausta is her grandmother's name, meaning Happy) Her love for design is very strong and she exhibits special talent in drawing and choosing colors. She also loves making ceramics and examples of these are displayed throughout the home she shares with her mother, Giulia and father, Mario. Sofia's favorite sports are classic ballet, swimming and skiing.

This is actually Sofia's 2nd published design; one of her drawings was shown in Feb. 2000 issue of Highlights for Children. She has a pet dog, Lilli, and a huge box full of Barbies. However, her real favorites are Deedee, a rag doll, and her American Girl doll, who matches her own blond hair and blue eyes (with glasses). Giulia often consults Sofia in choosing the colors for her projects, as well. Sofia is extremely proud to have her mom stitch the drawing she made especially for this month's teamwork themed website.

About Giulia Manfredini

Giulia Manfredini, Sofia's mom, is a Doctor who is specialized in Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology. Sofia's father is a Doctor also with a specialty in Radiology. Both of them work at the Hospital in Massa, Italy. Giulia's talents and passions embrace handcrafts and needlearts. Her paternal grandmother was a dedicated stitcher and Giulia's mother saved all the embroidered dresses which her grandmother made, so that they could be used by the next generation. Giulia's mother herself is a wonderful cook and craftswoman who introduced her daughter to many creative pursuits: cooking, crafting, crocheting, knitting, woodcarving, sewing, gardening. Giulia's father encouraged this creativity and engaged himself in binding books, building little toys and other quirky projects, such as keeping all the corks of Champagne bottles, used for the festivities. He used them to create mushroom-like gadgets, which were painted and decorated to commemorate special family occasions. Each was labeled with the date and fitted with hooks so they could be used as Christmas tree ornaments. Giulia retains corks from her own first birthday and that of her daughter's too. All this by a man who was a professor of Latin and ancient Greek and an internationally recognized scholar of Plutarch to boot!

Giulia's and Sofia's creativity continues to be nurtured by Mario. Giulia insists, "Mario is very much like my adored father and my new life and family is sort of a smoothed and lovely transition from previous family life." Giulia's needlework passion received a boost during a trip to the States in May '97 when she discovered the Caron website. She elaborates, "I saw the on-line Contest, and I decided to participate. Before that time I had never designed a piece on my ownWhen I received notice of the Award, I was very happy and Mario told me : 'I am not surprised.'" That first design was a Christmas Sampler, dedicated to a special Christmas with her family. Since then Giulia has designed many others: Sofia's Sampler, stitched for her daughter, Tyrolean Christmas Stocking, Lilies Wooden Box for Creative Furnishing of Saratoga, CA, Lilies Pinholder, to be published in the Spring 2001 issue of Sampler & Antique Needlework and displayed at TNNA Show of Anaheim, CA in Jan.1999, Parents Sampler, a tribute to her parents, accepted for publication for the Spring 2001 issue of Sampler & Antique Needlework, Wedding Ring Pillow, designed for the daughter of a friend, A Sampler for 2000, published in Fall 2000 issue of Sampler & Antique Needlework. Her most recent project has been stitching her daughter's original design Sofia's Mermaid, depicting the mermaid, Ariel, playing with a ball, shaped like a heart.

Giulia adds, "I like to get inspiration from the past as I love to study old samplers and learn different styles and stitching techniques. Designing old-fashioned samplers with variegated threads is really challengingand adds modern life to old styles. I strongly believe we have to look back to the past to realize our best future and while stitching I have inside my brain and my hands the past of my family. "
To view Giulia's winning contest design go to http://www.caron-net.com/galleryfiles/galapr.html

For instructions on how to stitch this sampler, see our previous Online Class at http://www.caron-net.com/oct98files/oct98cla.html

To communicate with either Sofia or Giulia, you may contact them at:
Via Palestro 16
54100 Massa, Italy
tel: *39 (Italy) 0585 499103
email: jmanfr@tin.it

Note about photos:
- Each year on the 1st Saturday in August, the inhabitants of Massa, Italy celebrate an ancient horserace named Quintana Cybea dating back to 16th century when the first stone of the town of Massa was deposed by Marquis ALBERICO CYBO MALASPINA and his wife ELISABETTA DELLA ROVERE, daughter of FRANCESCO MARIA I, the Duke of Urbino. Five men race on horseback to collect metal rings with a long pole. That same night an historical parade is held in the town. Costumes are sewn by professional tailors, as well as private citizens. Giulia herself designed and constructed her own and Sofia's splendid Rennaissance costumes and accompanying headgear for the event. Recently they journeyed to Urbino to take part in the parade which commemorates the birthday of the Duke of Urbino,since his daughter Elisabetta was the wife of their Marquis. This Rennaissance parade features flags, drums, old fashioned trumpets (chiarine), music, exibitions with a multitude of spectators.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: No part of these instructions/project nor the included diagrams/illustrations can be reproduced or distributed in any form (including electronic) or used as a teaching tool without the prior written permission of the CARON Collection Ltd. One time reproduction privileges provided to our web site visitors for and limited to personal use only.