When we look to an embroidery is like travelling in a land of fantasy, colour, imagination and art. The art of the stitches and slipknots is where we discover many hours of work and dedication.
The Madeira embroidery is a souvenir searched by the visitors, both by its beauty and its perfection. We can find it under several forms that go from tablecloths to delicate handkerchiefs.
We can not assure when one began to do it in Madeira. However, we estimate that it has begun in the beginning of the 19^th century due to the British influence.
In June 1850, Madeira embroidery appeared as a novelty to the public in Madeira Industry Exhibit. It had its first presence in a foreign country a year later, when Madeira was represented in a several industries exhibition in London, by invitation of Queen Victory.
Miss Phelps, the daughter of a British businessman, who lived in Funchal, gave the great impulse of the embroidery industry.
Around 1860, the embroidery was a real industry. All around the island we could count with thousand of embroideresses. Only twenty years later, it arrived in Germany and then German’s trade men came here to do their business.
In 1900, began the industrialisation with the destiny to America’s done by the Syrian who were settled there.
 

EMBROIDERY INFLUENCES

Madeira embroidery suffered some influences; not only from British, Milan, Burano and Burge lace-trim, but also from the renaissance, Richelieu and Venetian lace-trimmed.
This influence contributed to another type of Madeira embroidery, very similar to a heavy, richer and more decorative lace-trim.
The oldest Madeira embroidery is characterised by embroidery in garland, sewed, range of eyelets, "garanitos" (small relieves), rosettes, stars, "viúvas" and "cavacas" that were employed at sheets, hand towels, dresses, shirts, night-shirts and handkerchiefs.

THE EMBROIDERY INDUSTRY

It is not at factories that embroidery is done. The embroideresses do it at their homes after the designs have been done in the factories.
The embroidery has its own history, before arriving to the hands of the buyers.
The fabrics used in this industry are linen, cotton, natural silk, organdie and synthetic fibres. Before arriving to the embroideresses (with a metal sheet indicating colours and stitches to be used), they pass through a process.
The designs must be conceived, fabric selected and imported, stitches decided upon and counted, a price must be decided for feasibility of production.
The designer will draw the complete design, colouring it and indicating the techniques to be used with appropriate symbols. A draftsman then redraws the design with a device called curnemeter carefully measures each line and calculates the amount of each stitch to be used. If the price is acceptable, the design is transferred onto heavy-duty tracing paper.
Afterwards, it is sent to the perforating department where a serious of tiny holes are punched along the outlines of the design by a thread driven hand guided needle as many as for layers of patterns can be perforated at the same time.
Then, it is transferred to the fabric. The perforated pattern is carefully placed on the straight grain of the fabric, which has been spread out and held in place by several weights. The design is then transferred to the fabric by means of a rubbing process. The workers take a clean rag, dip in a blue paste dye, then it is spread over the entire surface of the design.
The dye penetrates through the tiny holes to the fabric below. It stamped fabric and its required threads are then given to an agent for distribution to the women in the countryside.
After it is ready, the agent returns and collects the finished work and takes it to the factory. The goods are then taken to the receiving room and carefully inspected by the "verficadeiras" - quality controllers - before they are accepted.
The operational succession only ends with the final checking and fixing of the seal, which is put by IBTAM (Madeira Embroidery, Tapestry and Handicraft Institute) and which guarantees the work quality and perfection.
It is ready to be sold in specialised stores or to be exported.
At the end, success is on the embroidery appreciation by the most sensitive and supporters of the true art.