bargello

[bahr-jel-oh]

noun

1. a straight stitch worked in a high and low relief pattern to form a variety of zigzag or oblique designs.

2. needlepoint work or a design done in such stitches, especially the traditional needlepoint created by a classic stitch Florentine stitch done in diagonal lines.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bargello¹

First recorded in 1920–25; allegedly after a set of chairs embroidered with such a stitch in the Bargello, a museum in Florence

Example Sentences

The Brooklyn Flea, the Hester Street Fair and the soon-to-reopen New Amsterdam Market have become tasting destinations, where handmade food is as much of a fetish as vintage Ray-Bans or bargello pillowcases.

Read more on New York Times

Related Words

• brocade 
• decoration 
• lace 
• needlepoint 
• quilting 
• tapestry