Guimarães Whitework

Cover of Yvette Stanton, 'Portuguese Whitework', 2012. Cover of Yvette Stanton, 'Portuguese Whitework', 2012.

Guimarães whitework is a form of decorative needlework that derives from Guimarães in northern Portugal. It is a sub-group of Guimarães embroidery. Guimarães whitework was used to decorate both men and women’s clothing (especially chemises, shirts and waistcoats), as well as household items, such as curtains and towels.

The embroidery is based on a combination of drawn thread work and bullion knot work, and is embroidered in white, although occasionally grey and beige may be found. It was traditionally worked on an even weave, linen ground.

In the early to mid-twentieth century, the embroidery was worked in coton à broder, but by the end of the twentieth century it was often replaced by perlé.

Source: STANTON, Yvette (2012). Portuguese Whitework: Bullion Embroidery from Guimarães, Hornsby Westfield: Vetty Creations.

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Last modified on Monday, 08 May 2017 15:19