5 Ways to use Madeira Embroidery I grew up with Madeira Embroidery. It was in the dress of my first party, on the tablecloths of my birthday and the sheets of my children’s crib. My mother knows how to embroider and tried to teach me, but without success. Times were different, and there were many other distractions… However, I learned to give value to Madeira Embroidery when I realised how much time, hand expertise and devotion exists in the construction of each piece. Each point has its science, transmitted from mothers to daughters, from embroiderer to embroiderer. I love the names they give to each point: the “garanitos” (for beginners), the shadow points, the “cavacas”, the “bastides”, the widows (viúvas) among others. Touching a piece of Madeira Embroidery is realising what tradition means. It is the softness of cotton or linen, and the delicacy of each line pulled by a needle worked with saliva and sweat. Being an embroiderer was once the financial support of most Madeiran women. It is not a profession for anyone; …