Casalguidi
One of the commonest means used to embellish and ornate clothes and garments is by means of embroidery. From the time clothing graduated from tree leaves and barks to garments made from threads, various different patterns of embroidery have been discovered from time to time to adorn the garments. Portugal is well-known all over the world for its embroidery patterns. In fact, it should be noted, that Portugal has also been influenced considerably by techniques of stitching which originated in other European countries and have adapted them gracefully.
Casalguidi is a kind of embroidery technique and its origin can be traced to the village of Casalguidi in Italy. It is often also referred to as Castelguidi. The casalguidi is a unique stitching pattern which can be related with a kind of Italian embroidery practiced on pulled fabrics and was traditionally applied on linens. It should be pointed out in this case that though the casalguidi stitch originated in Italy, over the years it has penetrated into Portuguese culture as well and is a popular embroidery pattern practiced in Portugal as well now. The casalguidi stitch is a complex embroidery pattern and it is often referred to as high relief stitch and spreads over a larger area in the form of an embroidery frame or embroidery loop. In case of the casalguidi the stitching is done and the stitch seems to give an elevated impression to the observer and traditionally the ends of the stitch were usually occupied by bullion knots. The casalguidi stitch comprises of three stage processes with the threads being set up and stitched initially to create the padding effect. Then another layer of foundation stitch is sewn over it. Finally, the elevated cushion like effect created by the foundation stitches is overlapped by the stem stitch thus giving a complete structure to the casalguidi.