Iron Craft Challenge #21 - Where We Come From

Para esta semana o tema e a nossa heranca cultural. O projecto que escolhi foi-me sugerido pela minha irma mais nova, Sofia. Tipicos da regiao do Minho em Portugal (a familia do nosso avo materno era de la), os Lencos dos Namorados eram feitos pelas raparigas e depois eram feito chegar a posse do seu amado. Se ele o usasse em publico entao o amor era correspondido. Como e tradicional, usei pano de algodao e linhas de bordar a dois fios (Anchor e DMC) em cores varias. O desenho gratis obtive no site Enleio de Cores, dedicado ao tema que tambem aceita encomendas. Os lencos teriam, normalmente, um rebordo decorativo que eu nao fiz porque estou a pensar emoldurar.

For this week the theme is our cultural heritage. The project I chose was suggested by my youngest sister Sofia. From the Minho region in Portugal (our maternal grandfather's family was from there), the Lencos dos Namorados - Sweetheart Handkerchiefs, were made by girls who would then find a way to get them to the boy they loved. If the boys wore them in public then they knew they would accept being their boyfriend. As is traditional I used cotton fabric and 2 threads of embroidery floss in several colors (Anchor and DMC). The free pattern came from Enleio de Cores, a site dedicated to this theme and where you can place an order for one. The handkerchiefs would normally have a decorative border that I didn't do because I'm thinking of framing it.
It reads: "Go happy handkerchief flying on the wings of a nightingale go see the loveliest face that covers the sun."
In Portuguese it rhymes. :)