It is a tradition that comes from the Azores and have been part of the wardrobe of very famous women.
The embroideries made of straw originate from the island of Faial. Beautiful motifs with spikes of wheat, bunches of grapes and small flowers embroidered in straw of wheat or rye most recently, which are applied in various types of tissue. Only a very observant eye can discern that it is a natural fiber, as the end result is delicate and sophisticated. It all began, according to the master's thesis on design and marketing of Paulo Teles Lemos da Silva, with the "story about an English immigrant in 1850, which appeared on the island and wore a silk embroidered hat with straw. The disclosure was soon made by Joan E. Ferreira, who figured out how to embroider straw. Until the thirties, no had never seen embroidered straw, the women were accustomed to the "Richelieu"stich. This unique type of embroidery flourished around 1939 and the raw materials were easy to find, a needle, a piece of tulle and some straw were enough to form these singular works". One of the greatest artisans of this peculiar art, Dona Elvira said in "traditional Portuguese embroidery" that "the work was based initially on veils, but with the times and the changes that the church faced, we had to innovate and reinvent so much that she later went to work on her own and make scarves and dresses. Her name has become a reference of the embroidered straw of Faial, that she took orders for dresses of prominent persons in the 50 and 60, as Jacqueline Kennedy and the wife of Prime Minister of Canada "due to so closely connection with this island and the American continent. An excellent indicator of its modernity which could be used by the national designers complementing their collections with this singular design as also were the women who embroidered over the centuries.
http://repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/bitstream/1822/6723/1/TESE_PAULO.pdf
