Caterina Mele Su Telarzu | Vetrine dell'Artigiano Artistico

Caterina Mele Su Telarzu

Red moon carpet

The abstract decoration of this large carpet made of Sardinian wool is knotted and finished with artisanal mastery in uneven colours and graphic lines.

Caterina Mele Su Telarzu|Dorgali
Pibiones towels with rose and tulip

These loom woven hand-crafted fine linen towels stand out for the careful finishing touches that are made exclusively by hand with hemstitch and gigliuccio, distinctive features of the workshop.

Caterina Mele Su Telarzu|Dorgali
Pibiones curtains with roses and arches

Fine loom woven linen curtains with relief decorations featuring the traditional motifs of roses and arches. They stand out for the careful finishing touches that are made exclusively by hand with hemstitch and gigliuccio, distinctive features of the workshop.

Caterina Mele Su Telarzu|Dorgali
Nuragic Warrior carpet

The refined decoration with large figures of this brown and white carpet made of natural Sardinian wool revives the design of the well-known artist Mauro Marca, prominent representative of abstract art in Sardinia, specially made for I.S.O.L.A. by the textile workshop in Dorgali.

Caterina Mele Su Telarzu|Dorgali
Pipiones carpet

This elegant carpet featuring tradition-inspired motifs made according to the characteristic semipieno (full bodied) pibiones technique stands out for the carefully crafted fine linen yarns with elegant chromatic contrasts between the background and the design.

Caterina Mele Su Telarzu|Dorgali

The artisan

The production of carpets of the artisanal workshop Su Telarzu is mainly based on the characteristic “a fiocco” weaving technique typical of Dorgali, the only place on the island where this sophisticated and versatile technique is performed nowadays. The workshop was set up in the 1970s thanks to the insight of Maddalena Mula, a skilled weaver who learned the craft through significant professional experiences and who, building on her invaluable expertise with the loom according to exclusively artisanal techniques, turned her workshop into a well-established family-run business. Through her involvement in numerous activities of dissemination and modernisation, Maddalena contributed to the preservation and re-launching of local weaving, mainly thanks to the collaboration with I.S.O.L.A., the Regional Institute for the valorisation of the artistic craftsmanship of the island. She collaborated in new productions designed by important Sardinian artists such as Mauro Manca and Maria Lai. The expertise gained enabled her to participate in important projects and start several significant collaborations with famous artists and designers, thus increasingly characterising her production with contemporary aesthetics. Su Telarzu workshop, under the wise guidance of her daughter Caterina, currently carries on the vast historic production of carpets and home décor fabrics that link the traditional roots of the craft with an insightful attitude towards contemporary fashion. Their work can be found in their retail store in the centre of Dorgali, and is also promoted through the participation in important national fairs.

The collection

The easily recognisable refined production of Su Telarzu workshop counts wool carpets with a “hairy” surface made with a “knotted” technique called “a fiocco”, with contemporary taste and based on prestigious designs by important artists and designers. Noteworthy is the collection of linen and cotton home décor accessories and drapery crafted with artisanal techniques such as the pibiones relief and traditional decorations, made on the loom. All curtains, tablecloths, sheets, cushions, towels and other accessories feature handcrafted decorations and refined manual finishes of great aesthetic value, a hallmark of the workshop.

The technique

The large carpets are made entirely by hand with the “a fiocco” technique on oblique looms, the distinctive feature of Su Telarzu and the exclusive feature of the textile production of Dorgali. Fabrics and drapery are made on semi-automatic looms; the decorations are entirely handcrafted according to the typical a pibiones relief technique, and finished by hand with fine embroidery.