Labirinto

The poetic work of the labirinto maker begins not by making but by undoing. It is on a grid that she creates voids on flat linen and cotton fabrics and with the chosen motifs delicate designs take shape. It is common in Ceará, the largest guardian state of the labirinto in Brazil, for lace makers to display a mandacaru cactus at their doorsteps, as if to say: a labirinto maker lives here. Not coincidentally since the mandacaru thorn is one of the tools used by labirinto to bring the unique life they lend to the fabrics. True jewels come from the beachside of Majorlândia in Aracati.

The Making

In this craft, the fabric is first stretched on the grid. Then the fabric is unraveled with a needle and razor in the area where the labirinto will be made. A slow process in which the fabric's threads are counted, separated, and cut. The next step is to group the threads to form a network of small spaces that will be filled with different stitches using the needle and threads. At the end of this process, the fabric is soaked in a mixture made of water and cassava starch, and is stretched again on the grid to dry in the sun.

A Map of Meanings

Labirinto stitches: The darning stitch, twisted stitch, honeycomb stitch, buttonhole or pearl stitch, and hemstitch are some of the most well-known stitches in this manual art.

Glue or porridge: A thin mixture of water and cassava starch cooked on the stove to soak the finished pieces and give more structure to the fabric after drying. Another practice showing how this craftsmanship was assimilated by Ceará’s culture after reaching the hands of our artisans.

Grid: A kind of frame made of wooden slats to support the fabric. A thread is passed through the fabric’s weave and around the wood, creating a structure that suspends the cloth to allow the needle to manipulate the piece.

Aracati: It is almost unanimously agreed among scholars that the word Aracati from Tupi, means “good winds.” Still, the sea breeze moistens the fabrics awaiting to be unraveled, filled, washed, and stretched on the verandas of the artisans in this beautiful part of Ceará’s coast.

Shop Labirinto: https://catarinamina.com.br/labirinto

Where We Work with Labirinto