Brazilian embroidery is a type of surface

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...

that uses

rayon Rayon is a semi-synthetic fiber, made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has the same molecular structure as cellulose. It is also called viscose. Many types and grades of viscose f ...

thread instead of

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

. It is called "Brazilian" embroidery because the use of high-sheen rayon thread in embroidery was first popularized in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, where rayon was widely manufactured. Brazilian embroidery patterns usually include flowers formed using both knotted and cast on stitches. Rayon thread, which is smooth and shiny, makes it easier to pull the needle through the wrapped stitches, such as bullion stitches. Milliners needles, which have a straight shaft and an eye area no wider than the shaft, are usually used for the wrapped stitches that are frequently used in Brazilian embroidery. Although many of these stitches are used in other forms of

, the technique used to create them is slightly different. The difference is caused by the method used to manufacture the rayon thread. For example,

thread uses an ''S'' twist when the fiber plies are combined into a strand.

Rayon Rayon is a semi-synthetic fiber, made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has the same molecular structure as cellulose. It is also called viscose. Many types and grades of viscose f ...

thread uses a ''Z'' twist. One type of twist turns the fiber plies clockwise; the other turns them counterclockwise. When forming the knots of Brazilian

, the embroiderer must wrap the thread onto the needle in the opposite direction from that used in other types of embroidery. Otherwise the fibers of the thread will unravel and make the resulting stitches and knots unattractive.

References

External links

EdMar Company
A good place to see what Brazilian embroidery looks like
Official website of the Brazilian Dimensional Embroidery International Guild - BDEIG, Inc.
*Needle 'n Thread Blog (Mary Corbet)
Brazilian Embroidery
Embroidery by country Textile arts of Brazil {{textile-arts-stub