Spanish Inventories Wiki

I have recently created a Spanish Inventories Wiki for the purpose of posting vocabulary words found in the old Spanish Marriage and Death Inventories. My focus has been textiles, but I have also included household items. Each page contains a word and a Spanish definition, English translations and photos of items will be added later.

The site is found at: http://inventories.wetpaint.com/

Please feel free to use and contribute to this wiki.

Stitches I found used in Spain

Deshilado - Embroidery on linen or on an even weave fabric. The fabric threads are counted, cut and removed leaving open spaces. Any remaining threads are wrapped to create open designs.

Drawn Thread in Linen - The stitches are pulled in such a way as to draw the thread into a design or pattern.

Punto de Red or Puntillas or Encages, Crochet - This style of crochet is used on the edges of cloths and scarves or between two pieces of fabric. The design is usually open and boxed shaped.

Punto de Cruz, Cross Stitch and Black Work - Small slanted stitches are formed into crosses and used to create a design. This stitch is native to Spain and was first created with black silk thread on linen.

Red de Nudos Planos - Similar to macrame, loose fringe or edges of shawls are tied together in a pattern to create an open netting look.

Lace - Handmade lace edging is made with bobbins and pins held in place on a cushion. The thread is knotted in a complicated pattern to create delicate designs.

Bordar, Embroidery - Embroidery can include multiple stitches and is often the term used generally when describing any needlework.

Women and Textiles

Women around the world make and use textiles. There are many traditions associated with rituals and life events. Textiles are not only functional but they also communicate individual identity and spiritual beliefs.

Catherine Amoroso Leslie. Needlework Through History: An Encyclopedia. (Greenwood Press, CT: 2007), pg. xi (summary).

Specific life events that would be celebrated with textiles are: birth/baptism, first communion, marriage, death/burial, religious worship/mass, fiestas.

Hardanger and the Spanish Close Equivalent

I decided to post a couple more pictures of the tablecloth I mentioned yesterday. A closer look will reveal the detail of the stitch used. The first stitches outlined the outer edge of leaf pattern. This was done to secure the fabric before threads were removed. Next certain threads were clipped and pulled, leaving some open spaces between the outer stitching lines. The remaining threads were wrapped and manipulated to create the pattern seen here. This technique is similar to the Scandinavian Hardanger stitch. However there are some differences such as the manner in which the fabric is secured. In Hardanger blocks of satin stitched bars are used to secure the fabric and create the outer pattern before threads are cut and pulled.

Handmade Tablecloth

While I was visiting in Garganta la Olla I met a woman named Maria Teresa Herrero who shared her handwork with me. She showed me a tablecloth she made when she was 12 years old. Her Grandmother helped her learn the stitches. I took some pictures of the large cloth and more of the close up stitches. The cloth is linen and the stitches are cut thread with embroidered flowers.

Beauty in the Windows of Garganta la Olla

As I walked up and down the small streets of Garganta la Olla I noticed beautiful handwork in the small windows. Each design was unique. The overall pattern I noticed was white lace or crochet or some other form of white work. These photos show different crochet patterns. One window has flowers the other has a pattern of leaves and birds.

Handmade Tablecloth

This woman in Garganta la Olla, showed me a tablecloth she had made. It is made of square linen pieces stitched together with crocheted borders. It is so beautiful!

The second photo is a close up of the crochet stitches. The crochet stitches are open and make little square boxes.

Handwork by the Light of Day

This is a photo of some women in Garganta la Olla, Caceres, Spain. They sit outside their homes and do hand work by the light of day. Many times there are large groups of these women and sometimes they are all working on a piece of the same project. This woman is crocheting lace edging.

Textiles in Spain

I want to gather what I have learned about historic textiles of Spain. I will post photos of needlework examples and of the places where these works are found.