The Arraiolos Stitch

Explore the rugs of Portugal with this unique stitch.

Piecework Editorial Staff Jun 11, 2025 - 3 min read

Nineteenth century wool thread on burlap from the Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva Foundation, Lisbon. Photo by Sarah Pedlow

Learn more about the Arraiolos stitch, used to create rugs in Portugal. Current PieceWork subscribers can instantly download the stitch pattern below to make a sample rug coaster.

What Is the Arraiolos Stitch?

Catherine Overbay in the September/October 1999 issue of PieceWork writes:

The Arraiolos stitch is a variant of the familiar cross-stitch practiced for centuries throughout the world. It is also called oblique cross-stitch, Slavic braid, double cross-stitch, and devil’s point, and is commonly used in Sweden, Greece, and Slavic countries. The rugs and the stitch received the name Arraiolos in the mid-1600s, though how and why they became so strongly identified with this town remains something of a mystery. Historians agree that the stitch, technique, and many traditional patterns were brought to Iberia (present-day Portugal and Spain) nearly 1,000 years earlier, and so, like that of many other cultural and artistic traditions in Portugal, the story begins with the Moors.

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Learn more about the Arraiolos stitch, used to create rugs in Portugal. Current PieceWork subscribers can instantly download the stitch pattern below to make a sample rug coaster.

What Is the Arraiolos Stitch?

Catherine Overbay in the September/October 1999 issue of PieceWork writes:

The Arraiolos stitch is a variant of the familiar cross-stitch practiced for centuries throughout the world. It is also called oblique cross-stitch, Slavic braid, double cross-stitch, and devil’s point, and is commonly used in Sweden, Greece, and Slavic countries. The rugs and the stitch received the name Arraiolos in the mid-1600s, though how and why they became so strongly identified with this town remains something of a mystery. Historians agree that the stitch, technique, and many traditional patterns were brought to Iberia (present-day Portugal and Spain) nearly 1,000 years earlier, and so, like that of many other cultural and artistic traditions in Portugal, the story begins with the Moors.

[PAYWALL]

Left and center: Details of modern Arraiolos rugs; the designs are similar to those found in the eighteenth century. Right: A sampler wall hanging made in Arraiolos using the Arraiolos stitch. There are about five stitches to the inch. 15 x 10 inches (38.1 x 25.4 cm). Photos by Catherine Overbay

Where Is the Arraiolos Stitch From?

On her travels, Sarah Pedlow found the stitch in Portugal. In the Summer 2025 issue of PieceWork she explains:

Embroidered Arraiolos rugs are a lesser-known treasure of Portuguese textile heritage. The rugs, crafted in a small village in the Alentejo region southeast of Lisbon, embody centuries of tradition, skill, and adaptation. The development and preservation of this craft are intertwined with history in Portugal, particularly the history of Muslim communities and their displacement. The Arraiolos rug tradition documents one history of migration, craftsmanship, and cultural exchange. Understanding the evolution of the rugs is to embark on a journey through the layered textures of Portuguese history, economy, and artistry.

PieceWork subscribers can download the directions for a sample rug coaster below.