Arrived in Arraiolos yesterday afternoon. The drive here was so scenic - rolling countryside full of olive trees and cork trees and, occasionally, villages of white stucco houses and bright red tile roofs nestled in the tops of mountains with a Moorish castle perched on the very top! Arraiolos is one such town. The roads all go in circles, radiating around the center of town. The town has recently made an attempt to publicize the tapetes de arraiolos beyond the immediate environs. They built a beautiful museum (Centro de Interpretativo Tapetes de Arraiolos) and have signs glued to the roads leading the way to it. Inside, they have not only about two dozen beautiful examples of rugs and reproductions, but they also created exhibits explaining how the rugs are made (usually in both English and Portuguese) and created reproductions of the tools. They even have one room of partially completed tapetes so we can see the process.
The town also recently commissioned a monument in the town square that has a depiction of three people sewing rugs with a painted rug draped over the top of the monument. They also recently commissioned the Museu de Arte Antiga in Lisboa to write a book in both English and Portuguese about the history of the tapetes de arraiolos in commemoration of 500 years of rug making.
The streets leading up Centro Interpretativo are lined with shops selling tapetes for between $40 euro (for small pillow size samplers) to $2500 euro (for the large rugs). I spoke with a couple of shop owners who spoke some English. They reported that they learned how to make rugs from family members; the families kept shops for multiple generations. One shop was started by the current owner’s grandmother. Another, by her mother; the last, Fabrica de Tapetes Hortense, a very modern shop, was opened by the owner, Hortense Canelas, herself 19 years ago. In most shops, the owners contract out to have friends or neighbors make the rugs either in their homes or in the shop, with the owners putting the finishing fringe on the rugs. Hortense creates her own designs and uses her artistic skills to mix media. She has upholstered tables and ottomans with tapetes and painted over the original yarns with bright fabric paints. She has also created a mixed media product with a friend. Hortense embroiders part of a rug; then they take the jute and mount it to a frame, paint over the unembroidered section to create a painter’s canvas. Hortense’s friend then paints a local scene over the raw section. The result is stunning. Hortense has quite an entrepreneurial spirit and works with clients and interior decorators all over the world. www.facebook.com/tapeteshortense
The owners, in general, were very generous, allowing me to photograph them and their shops. I asked a number of people if they knew anyone who could teach me the ponto pe de flor stitch, but everyone said it was very old and no one knows it anymore - I heard the same story from the folks at the Museu Ricardo Espirito Santo Silva. One owner explained that it wasn’t used anymore because it just doesn’t work on the jute base; it needs to be worked on the evenweave linen base which makes it a different technique. I might just have to figure out myself!
In the past couple of days, I’ve watched about a half-dozen little old ladies working tapetes arraiolos. While I’ve adapted the gestures to what works best for me (I’m not quite so fierce about pulling the thread through), I’m technically correct in how I work my rugs. I did find out, though, that I’ve been attaching the fringe incorrectly. The shop owners showed me how to do it, so I’ll do better in the future. I think I’ll buy a fringe making tool from Serranofil before I go home. Hopefully Senhor Serrano will be able to show me how to use it!
