Devon: The only thing I know about Buratto is that it uses the same stitches as filet lacis. There is a darning stitch and another that looks like woven cloth. But beyond those there are a great number of fancy filling stitches. Many of these latter are also used in Hardanger and other geometric cutwork embroideries. The square mesh creates a set of possibilities, and also a set of limitations on what kinds of fillings work.
Filet was very popular among hobbyists right around 1900, and I've seen lots of it in lace collections gleaned from yard sales and garage sales. Buratto is much more rare, at least here in the U.S. What I've just said is the sum total of what I know (obviously very little). And I will be very interested to hear what your student/apprentice learns about its history, and the variety of stitches used. A set of diagrams documenting the fillings used would be absolutely marvelous! hint hint Lorelei - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
