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Poetry and embroidery

Olá! Portugal is not only a country of embroiderers... It is also well known for being a country of poets... And I believe that embroidery and poetry make a unique combination...

This week I leave you with my stitches, using a pattern from agulha não pica inspired by Viana do Castelo Regional embroidery - a beautiful flower known as "japoneira", and the words (in Portuguese) of Fernando Pessoa - one of the most famous Portuguese poets.

In Portuguese the words sound very popular and sweet. In English it does not sound so beautiful, it is very difficult to translate such graceful words...

I dedicate it to each you...

De regresso com novidades... Coming back
Japoneira, my photo
 
Tome lá, minha menina,  
O ramalhete que fiz. 
Cada flor é pequenina, 
Mas tudo junto é feliz. 
                  Fernando Pessoa

Take it, my little girl, 
This bouquet I made.  
Each flower is tiny, 
But joyful when together. 
                  Fernando Pessoa
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Grass

I have been asleep ... and more  ... then some more. It is 3 and a half weeks post op and still my brain feels incapable of anything more testing than working out what to do in the next 5 minutes! The district nurse who comes out twice a week says this is all normal but I worry that the inactivity has curdled everything and my lazy gene has taken over, numbing all thought and willingness to move around. Maybe she's right. The dog is very down. She mopes about looking at me disapprovingly, then gets periods of utter exasperation and gives me a good talking to but there is nothing I can do ...

And the garden! While I was away the grass grew ... to a foot or more, then got tired of that and spread into the flower beds and began climbing up bushes and walls and over windows. I can't help thinking of Sleeping Beauty except I am no young beauty with golden tresses .... but I do sleep a lot! I can't mow or tackle it as it has gone crazy madness and I am a little frightened of it now, hardly daring to set foot out of the back door ... except to take these photos. My friends promise to come once exams, end of terms etc are over, and Joe ( maybe the rescuing knight?) promises to come next week as long as he can hack his way through and free me from the ever encroaching vegetation.

And as for work ... I am trying. I am trying to work a new tutorial and design a new kit for a little stuffed dog to embroider, but I manage only a half hour at a time before sleep overtakes me.

But despite the moaning, the garden is also beautiful too, full blown and resplendent as these "before" photos may show. My dear friend Bobby came yesterday and cut the ivy and roses from the windows so I can get some light into the cottage, then she polished and buffed the glass till the light poured back in. Bless her!
Back "meadow" remember this when I post the "after" shots




Front meadow

At last I can see out!

The honeysuckle is wonderful and as I sleep with the windows open the scent wafts in gently







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Flying from pottery to embroidery

Olá! When I started my project agulha não pica (needle does not prick), I decided that my embroidery patterns would be inspired by Portuguese culture, that they should have a "Portuguese soul". Soon I discovered that although the inspiration from Portuguese Regional embroideries would be endless it could be very challenging to bring some motifs from arts & crafts other than embroidery. One of those arts deep rooted in Portuguese tradition and culture is pottery, that you'll find from the North to the South of our country.

I bought this (and many other) pottery plate 20 years ago in Redondo, a beautiful small town in Alentejo, in the South of Portugal, renowned for its clay products and wine. It was made by an artisan, Adriano Martelo, that claimed to use ancestral techniques.

The richness of the work of the artisans from Redondo comes from the use of traditional patterns like floral motifs, portraits of the daily life from rural Alentejo region and reproductions of antique plates from the 17th century. Flower baskets, small cottages, birds, cork oak trees and shepherds deserve special attention.


Pottery from Redondo, Portugal
pottery plate, my photo
I love this plate and decided to transform it into an embroidery pattern. I asked the help of a friend with better drawing skills and I was delighted with the final result of this pattern inspired by rural pottery.

Recently I used it to decorate a linen/cotton apron made in the region of Guimarães and embroidered it with cotton pearl size 8 from Limol, choosing the pastel colors box.
Tranferring the pattern
Using carbon paper to transfer the pattern, my photo
Transferring the pattern
Transferred pattern, my photo

Bird Pattern and pastel colors
Patel colors, my photo

Embroidering "bird from Alentejo" pattern
Embroidering... My photo

Embroidered "bird from Alentejo"
Embroidered bird from Alentejo, my photo.
And here you have how a beautiful bird flew from pottery to embroidery... 

Do you have a special embroidery pattern's story, too? Share it with us...
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Tutorial Tuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

I have a tutorial round-up for you today. I love seeing how these talented ladies infuse embroidery into fun and functional items, and I think you will, too. Hope you are able to give them a try!

If you are looking to give your t-shirts an update, Kelli Murray has a beautiful embroidered t-shirt tutorial over at A Beautiful Mess.


Maybe you want to add embroidery to your sweaters, as well. Meredith over at One Sheepish Girl has a great tutorial on how to embellish a sweater with embroidery. 


If you are looking for a fun embroidered item that you can wear everyday, Julie Schneider over at the Etsy Blog has a super cute tutorial on how to make merit badges! I think these would be really cute to give as an anytime gift to friends and family. 


I have been spotting embroidery on paper quite a bit lately, but this is one of the most adorable. Debra over at She is My Sister put one of Jenny Hart's Sublime Stitching patterns on a paper doily. A few of these would look great on a tablescape, or strung together to make a garland. 


Hope you enjoy these as much as I did and are able to try one or all of them out!

Have a great Tuesday!
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Lucky winners of Embroidery supplies with Portuguese Soul


Olá! Passing by to announce the winners of last week's giveaway.

I'm very happy to inform Crystal Prior that she will receive a pack of Portuguese embroidery supplies with pure linen, a box of "vibrant" (her words...) pearl cotton balls from Limol and two Portuguese patterns. And I look forward to see how she will use them on her wool felt embroidery...

I believe that receiving a box of pearl cotton balls inspired by Guimarães embroidery will remind Deb H of Portugal. She was the lucky winner!!

And I was so happy with her comment... Knowing that Deb already visited Portugal was very special to me. She stayed in Ericeira, a little town near the sea, very well known among surfers... I have to quote her words: "Oh, how I loved that little town and it's people. Every morning, I would take a walk and talk to shopkeepers and residents. How lovely it was. I long to go back."

DSCF8677
Pastel colors,  another choice from agulha não pca - not so traditional but still beautiful
Both winners gave the correct answer about the Portuguese traditional embroideries that inspired my color choices for the pearl cotton boxes... Guimarães embroidery has precise definitions on the colors that should be used in order to preserve the tradition: red, blue, gray, black, white and ecru. And these are the colors in the box that Deb H will receive.

Love or fiancé' embroidered handkerchiefs were the inspiration to the color choice of the pack won by Crystal. Although they do not have a rigid color palette and many colors can be used, primary colors predominate.

But Crystal and Deb were not the only winners... I was so surprised with all your kind comments, that I'm feeling like a real winner...

I loved to know that you think these pearl cotton balls look divine and have a pretty shine, that these collections are amazing and great color combinations that make you smile, that the traditional Portuguese embroideries inspired the work for an art lesson, that some of you recognize similarities between regional Portuguese embroidery and the stitching traditions of your country, that you've been learning and feeling inspired by my posts and look forward to reading more. And, of course... I was even happier to know that some of you have already visited Portugal and others will do it soon (contact me if you need some help...)

Heavy weight Portuguese linen
Portuguese heavy weight linen by agulha não pica
I loved your care... And how you took your time not only to apply for the giveaway but also to leave some kind words about my new products an my work...

You made me feel like a winner... Thank you so much - Muito obrigada!
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Inkjet fabric printing tutorial using Reynolds freezer paper


I want to get you excited by this wonderful technique if you have not yet tried it. There are ENDLESS possibilities ... I can give you tutorials but I want you to just play with it for your own purposes.
This tutorial is included in the Little Bird downloadable kit but here it is to comfort you and help you to see how easy it is. From the second we, as a family received a computer and printer into our home, I was trying to print onto fabric much to my ex husband's annoyance, ( we separated amicably not because of the printer incident!) as bits of thread invariably wound themselves around the rollers and whipped unfortunate lines of ink across subsequent important letters.

You can buy Reynolds freezer paper  at The Cotton Patch or on Amazon. It has many uses so it is worth getting a roll if you are an avid and insatiable crafter ... you can even wrap meat in it if it takes your fancy, what more could you want? When you have practiced this you will be ready to make the little bird and the other designs I am working on, to expand this side of the business.

cut A4 sheet from roll

Back paper onto fabric

Iron paper and fabric together

trim loose ends from edges

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