Cecilia Pisano — Trapunto “C’est pas faux” inspired by the Tristan Quilt

• Name: Cecilia Pisano
• Title of the project: Trapunto “C’est pas faux” – Inspired by the Tristan Quilt
• Location: Baronnie du Havre des Glaces, Québec
• Category: Textile

Trapunto “C’est pas faux” – Inspired by the Tristan Quilt
This piece was created using the trapunto technique, inspired by the famous Tristan Quilt, preserved at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This work is considered the oldest known example of quilted embroidery (boutis). It was made in Sicily, during the second half of the 14th century. Trapunto is a form of raised embroidery, achieved by padding certain motifs. In this project, I aimed to reproduce the materials, tools, and methods as faithfully as possible to their historical counterparts.

The process starts with two layers of linen fabric, a finer one for the top and a slightly coarser one (woven more loosely) for the backing. From the underside, padding is inserted into spaces carefully opened between the threads, using either cotton wadding or, as in this case, carded wool. The narrower motifs are worked using the corded technique, in which thick threads of wool are drawn between the fabric layers to create texture and contour. I used backstitch for outlining the designs and running stitch for the filled areas. The thread is handspun linen, spun by myself from flax plants that I cultivated, processed, and prepared entirely by hand. I love the journey from fiber to fabric! One small drawback: unwaxed linen thread tends to fray easily, so I had to work with short lengths of thread.

The Tristan Quilt illustrates the story of Tristan and Isolde, the legendary Breton lovers. Several excerpts of the text are embroidered in charming Gothic letters. I decided to keep the Breton context while adding a personal twist: instead of a passage from the tale, I embroidered the character Perceval’s iconic line from Kaamelott, the French medieval comedy series:

“C’est pas faux” (Nun è falsu, in Sicilian)

These first steps in trapunto work have already inspired new ideas, I’m planning a more complex and ambitious piece in the future. For now, however, I no longer have access to this one… because my cat has claimed it as her official cushion, and she defends it fiercely!