Tapestry Needle

A needle that bleeds history.

Madeira sanguinho grows in the Laurissilva - Madeira's endemic forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a rare, slow-growing tree, threatened by invasive species and by wildfires.

Luz Ornelas is a wood engineer and knows the trees of her island well. It was she who chose this wood to make the tapestry needle, with blunt tips and a wide eye to make threading thick wool or cotton yarns easier. But Luz uses only wood offcuts, resulting from pruning or from trees that have fallen naturally. She, better than anyone, knows that the flora of the Laurissilva is protected.

Each needle is entirely handmade, and no two are alike. They vary in texture and colour, from soft pinks to darker reds, distinctive to each sanguinho tree.

This semi-flat needle is suited to weaving and tapestry work, and a good choice for portable looms and other artistic textile projects. It is created by the hands of someone who knows the island inside out. To preserve a tradition that, like the sanguinho tree, deserves not to disappear.

The Enfia o Barrete collective project was created in 2021 by Luz Ornelas herself and Irina Andrusko, for the research and appreciation of Madeiran wool and the preservation of the traditional ear cap, the barrete de orelhas. So that the tradition does not fall asleep.