The love blouse...

Olá! The blouse I was working on is now finished.. It was inspired by one of the most popular Portuguese traditional embroidery, the fiancé kerchiefs - lenços dos namorados

I embroidered it for my younger daughter and I have to say that I don't know who was happier... Mother or daughter? I bought this common white blouse and made it unique... And that is always a great pleasure...

Fiancé kerchiefs are very popular in Portugal and very sentimental to us. The symbols used are full of meaning, usually related to love feelings.

For instance... The dove that brings a letter alludes to emigration... The Portuguese people have always been a people of emigrants. Moved by very different reasons and in different moments of our history... Sometimes on our own will and others forced to do it... You'll find a Portuguese or descending in almost all countries in the world!! The dove with the letter represents the only way the boy and the girl had to show their love to each other when he was working abroad searching for a better life...

And of course... If we are talking about love, hearts cannot be forgotten...

The key is a very ancient motif already present in the first kerchiefs that were embroidered using cross stitch and represents the union between two hearts. In some kerchiefs you'll find embroidered love sayings expressing something similar to: "I give you this key so you can open my heart"

Hope you like it!!