Brazil

The art of embroidery in Brazil has a rich tradition that dates back to the colonial times when women dedicated themselves to decorating clothing and household items.

Nowadays, with the emergence of new materials and technologies, old embroidery techniques have been given a new lease on life and new energy.

Traditional embroidery, combined with new fashions and styles, has given us unique modern-looking items. At the same time, it’s especially important that embroidery, having gone beyond a mere hobby to become a form of artistic expression, has preserved the history and culture of Brazil.

In Brazil, there exist a number of embroidery techniques, and each state, each region has its own unique characteristics, styles, and distinctive features in stitches, patterns, and symbols. This is a legacy of the colonial times — a memory of the various countries and cultures that shaped specific embroidery styles across the country. The main influences on Brazil’s development came from native Americans, Africans, the Portuguese, the French, and Italians.

The indigenous tribes, who lived in the region long before the colonization, expressed their identity through embroidery and natural fabrics. Geometric motifs and depictions of nature were common, reflecting a deep connection with the surrounding world.

With the arrival of enslaved Africans, new techniques and styles were introduced into Brazilian embroidery. Vibrant colors, intricate patterns, glass seed bead embroidery and weaving — all that highlighted African influence, especially in the northeastern and southeastern regions of Brazil.

During the colonial times, Europeans brought their own traditions into the world of handicrafts. Sophisticated and delicate embroidery with fine threads and floral motifs became an integral part of Brazilian culture, especially among the upper strata.

In the 20th century, Brazilian embroidery saw considerable changes and innovations. Brazilian artisans aimed at protecting and preserving the local traditions. The appreciation of handiwork gained great significance, and this, in turn, has contributed to the international recognition of Brazilian embroidery as a unique form of artistic expression.

Today, Brazil is renowned for the rich diversity of its embroidery, each style reflecting the unique character of its region. The country’s vibrant, multicultural spirit is expressed not only through embroidery, but through a wide array of traditional crafts.

And now, after a brief historical overview, let’s make a tour around some states and regions of Brazil and take a closer look at each type of embroidery.

Boa Noite Embroidery

For a start, let’s head to the village of Ilha do Ferro on the river of São Francisco in the state of Alagoas, which is famous for its picturesque  landscapes and hospitable people. The local people are mainly occupied by crafts, and in particular Boa Noite embroidery, which is literally translated as “good night”. It was named so after a local flower.

So, what makes it so beautiful and unique?

Boa Noite is a remarkable form of Brazilian embroidery, known for its intricate and sophisticated designs. It is handcrafted by local artisans from the Art-Ilha cooperative.

The uniqueness of this embroidery lies in the technique of pulling threads from the fabric — usually white linen — and rearranging them into ribbons with floral or geometric motifs, ranging from classic white to vibrant, multicolored designs.

Most motifs of this embroidery reflect Brazilians’ everyday life - from fishing to the scenes simply expressing a good mood. This kind of embroidery was mostly used for household textile (towels, napkins, window curtains). Embroidery with graphical elements was used as ornament or decoration of clothing.

Labyrinth Embroidery

Our next stop is the state of Paraiba and embroidery with an equally fascinating name — Labyrinth.

Labyrinth embroidery is an intangible cultural heritage of the state of Paraíba. The craftswomen skilled in this technique used to live mostly in a region called Agreste. The craft was passed down from mother to daughter and served as the main source of income for many families. Today, there are more than a thousand embroiderers in this region, spread across five different municipalities. This technique traditionally shapes life in villages, small towns, and rural communities. Day after day, at sunset, you can see women on porches, terraces, and in small coffee shops, chatting while embroidering. The smooth motion of hands pushing the needle through fabric creates various images, motifs, and stories with just needle and thread.

The Labyrinth technique comprises four stages.

At the first stage, threads are pulled out of fabric to obtain a straight woven grid, so- called canvas.

The second stage involves filling the grid with the intended design or pattern to create a scene or story, or making another grid on top of the first one, in order to give it depth and relief (this textured grid is called ‘little rain’).

At the third stage, all the  threads remaining on the surface need to be tucked inside by weaving them as precisely and neatly as possible into the base fabric.

Finally, the edging of the piece itself, to give the embroidery a finished and polished appearance, makes up the fourth stage.

This technique was mostly used to decorate bed linen, bed covers, and layette for newborn babies.

Richelieu Embroidery

The next place we are going to visit is in the north-east of the country — the state of Bahia, known for Richelieu embroidery (cutwork), which came from Europe and spread in Brazil during the colonial times.

Richelieu is based on only one main buttonhole stitch, used to create amazing cutwork. Simple patterns stitched with a white thread on white fabric adorned collars, cuffs, shirts, skirts, as well as various elements of home décor.

Although in Europe, this kind of embroidery has long been produced by embroidering machines, in Brazil, most craftswomen still prefer to create Richelieu embroidery by hand, putting their soul into  each piece and making their work all the more valuable.

Filet Embroidery

If we advance a bit further north-east, we’ll see that next to the town of Alagoa, they create wonderful filet embroidery (or filet lace) pieces. The work comprises two stages.

The first stage is making a net (you can feel somewhat like a fisherman while doing so, as the same technique is used in making fishing nets).

At the second stage, a pattern is created on the already woven net with a needle and thread.

This kind of embroidery is also a non-material heritage of the state of Alagoas. This technique, like many others, came to Brazil in the colonial times. It was brought from Portugal (Minho) and Italy (Pistoia), although, it’s still unknown where exactly it originated.

Renaissance Embroidery 

Another embroidery style, not less famous, is Renaissance embroidery (Renascence), also known as Renaissance lace. The technique came from Italy, presumably, Venice (although historians have yet to reach a consensus on that), and it was brought to Brazil by European nuns. The technique consists of connecting delicate braids with specific stitches, following a pattern, thus forming lace-like tablecloths, napkins, and decorative elements for clothing.

It was just a brief overview of the main embroidery techniques in Brazil. In fact, the world of handicrafts is extremely rich and vibrant in that country, with each state, region and settlement having something special and highly creative to offer.

Brazilians use embroidery not only as a way to create beautiful material objects, but also as a powerful means of expressing feelings and emotions. Embroidery can even inspire poets—and here’s a perfect example. Brazilian literature is rich in allegory, and in one of his songs, Gilberto Gil poetically weaves together embroidery and a declaration of love: “It’s your life that I want to embroider onto mine.”

If I had to describe Brazilian handicrafts in just one phrase, it would probably be: “An endless carnival.”