Coral stitch
Historically speaking, Portugal has been subjugated under the Romans and it was after the ‘Reconqiusta’ that they emerged as a separate republic. Therefore there is no denying the fact that the present generations have been handed down a rich cultural heritage which has to be preserved. This inherited cultural heritage comprises of various practices, among them the most prominent being the embroidery patterns. Over the years, with the passage of time, Portuguese embroidery techniques have achieved worldwide fame and have been influenced by external forces as well.
Various evidences of the coral stitch can be observed in the English crewel embroidery patterns of the 16th and 17th centuries. In fact the coral stitch is a very primitive stitching technique which has been practiced since ancient times and it is also referred to by various names like knotted stitch, coral knot, German knot stitch, snail trail and beaded stitch. Therefore from the above series of names it is evident that the coral stitch is a pattern that includes the formation of a set of knots and under usual circumstances the coral stitch is sewn in a linear pattern which presents the image or a row of knots strung together producing a unique design pattern. This ancient form of embroidery stitch is used prevalently in case of borders or outlines and it often follows a curvature quite efficiently at the time of designing and stitching. These single set of knots can often be used in case of forming larger floral patterns and also as knotted fillings. Unlike most of the embroidery patterns which involve stitching from left to right, the coral stitch requires stitching from the right hand side to the left. There are various innovative means which can be experimented in case of the coral stitch. For example, change in the angle of the needle can alter the stitching pattern by resulting in distancing the knots of the bottom row.