In a “previous life”, Folclore Crafts was agulha não pica (Portuguese for “the needle doesn’t prickle”), a project rooted in the ancient Portuguese embroidery traditions.
The embroidery from Viana do Castelo was our first inspiration, and the pattern we used to launch our embroidery kits was a reinterpretation of Viana’s heart.
Soon we were offering a range of embroidery supplies, including beautiful pearl cotton thread and linen fabric, all made in Portugal.
But this was just the beginning… and, unexpectedly, the idea of teaching the art of embroidery turned into a journey through traditional Portuguese crafts and culture.
And at that time the vibrant colors of lenços dos namorados (valentine’s kerchiefs), embroidered by the cheerful and hardworking people of the North, were no longer the only ones catching our attention.
We were already passionate by the rusticity of burel’s natural tones, which identity resides amongst the mountainous regions’ people, and by the soberness of cork color, coming from the large plains of Alentejo.
At this point we realized that agulha não pica was no longer just a passion for embroidery and needles’ stuff. It was becoming a Portuguese craft store offering not only eco-friendly arts & crafts kits and supplies, but also a place to shop gifts with Portuguese soul.
Then, we became sure that Portugal was, and still, is THE PLACE for diversity, tradition and quality in craft supplies and that handcrafting the Portuguese soul was our drive. This was the leading reason why Folclore Crafts was born!
