Weavings and Rugs

Weavings

The Jequitinhonha River valley in the mountainous state of Minas Gerais is famous not only for its pottery, but also for some very beautiful textiles. The most common fiber is cotton, and the designs are usually flowers, dolls, houses and churches. They can be merely decorative like the wall-hanging on the left, or utilitarian: bedspreads and pillow covers, tablerunners (pictured below) and placemats.

Arraiolo Rugs

The city of Diamantina (the name comes, as you might have guessed, from the Portuguese word for diamond) is located in the Jequitinhonha River Valley in the state of Minas Gerais. It is well-known all over Brazil for its beautiful, high-quality rugs done in a traditional Portuguese needlework, arraiolo, that was adopted by local artisans a long time ago. The designs are embroidered in wool yarns onto a rami net and finished with a short fringe in natural color loops.

The Diamantina arraiolos have a certificate of authenticity sewn on the reverse side and are sold at authorized dealers in all major cities in Brazil. There are area rugs - round or rectangular, runners for hallways and small hearth rugs. Next time you're in Brazil, why not treat yourself to one of these beauties?

Diamantina Rug. Copyright Sheila Thomson. All rights reserved.

An "arraiolo" rug from the city of Diamantina. Detail from rug.

Hammocks

Brazilian hammocks are very large and elaborately woven, embroidered or hand-crocheted, with wide decorative fringes in filΘ lacework or crochet. Some are done in plain cotton, but most are very colorful. There is a great variety of designs, but the most well-known and popular come from the state of Cearß in northeastern Brazil.

Hammocks have been in use since colonial times, when European settlers adopted them from the native population. They are a common sight in Brazilian homes, where they are hung in verandas, balconies and living-rooms. If you've never let yourself cuddle inside a Brazilian hammock, you don't know what you're missing! When my daughter was a little girl, I bought a couple of miniature hammocks for her dolls. You'll find them in markets in northeastern Brazil. They're awfully cute things!

Hand-crocheted Hammock. Copyright Sheila Thomson. All rights reserved.

Reading in a hammock on a boat on the Amazon River. Hand-crocheted in natural cotton. Gorgeous!

Amazon photo courtesy of Dr. Hilton da Silva.

Music & Folklore