Moroccan Leather Embroidery

The process of hand embroidery on leather

By ABURY Foundation

ABURY Foundation

A typical workshop (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

The different steps of hand embroidery on leather

Hand embroidery is an ancient craftsmanship in Morocco. The artisans use their knowledge which is traded from generation to generation, in order to produce wonderfully embroidered leather products. Traditionally, the berber bags were made that way. Every artisan ornamented his bags with different patterns which could tell a lot about the artisan as well as the owner of the bag. The craftsmanship survived until today even though it was modernized a little bit. Nevertheless, it is all handmade and not everyone can do it. This is how a typical artisan's work place in Medina in Marrakech looks like. Here, the beautiful embroidered leather products come to life.

A Moroccan artisan at work (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

This is an artisan from Marrakech, Morocco. He is specialised in working with leather and embroidery, an old craftsmanship which is typical for Morocco. It combines ancient knowledge with extraordinary skills.

Drawing a pattern with a compass (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

Before starting to work directly with leather and silk, the artisan draws circles, flourishes and artistic forms that create the pattern which will be embroidered onto the leather later.

Fine lines (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

To do this, the artisan draws the design on a thick paper, which is usually some leftovers from boxes used as packaging for industrial objects. He has to be very accurate in his drawings.

Zoom in on the template (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

The artisan uses compass, ruler and a fine pencil to draw the design which is later going to be embroidered onto the leather.

Glueing the template (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

After the pencil drawing is prepared, the artisan covers every line of the fine drawing with glue. For this, he uses a thick paintbrush.

The last steps of the template making (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

After having drawn the pattern and having covered it with glue, the artisan is prepared for the next step.

All the tools you need (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

Preparing the next step – getting ready all the tools the artisan needs for the crafting: a pencil, paintbrush, hammer, thick thread, glue, tweezer – no machines are involved.

Thick yarn and thin lines (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

Now, the artisan uses thick yarn to exactly reproduce the lines he was drawing before. This is a difficult task and requires a steady hand and great accuracy.

Pattern from 2D to 3D (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

After placing the yarn in the correct spot, the artisan uses a hammer to clamp it to the carton. This way, the drawing is transformed into an embossed pattern.

Every line has to be covered (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

This process is repeated various times in order to attach the different layers of lines carefully. Using the pencil helps the artisan to move the sticky yarn to the right place.

Different sorts of Ornaments (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

These are different patterns and ornaments all used to decorate various embroidered leather products. Originally, they were found on the traditional berber bags. Today they can also be seen on other leather products.

Cutting the leather (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

After the template is finished, the artisan starts to prepare the coloured leather onto which the ornament will be embroidered. First, he has to cut it into the right shape.

The template (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

This is the template which the artisan will use for the next steps.

Template on leather (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

Then the embossed ornaments are imprinted on the leather. The artisan has to work meticulously in order to bring the template into the right position.

Imprinting on the leather (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

Once he has correctly positioned the template, the artisan uses a hammer to transfer the pattern to the leather. He has to use equal force to transport the pattern evenly onto the leather.

Leather and template compared Leather and template compared (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

It is very important that the template or the leather are not moved during this process. Otherwise, the ornament's contours become blurred.

Leather and template compared Leather and template compared (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

But with the right skills and accuracy, the pattern on the leather looks just like the drawing.

The sabra silk (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

After that silk yarn is used. The artisan works with sabra silk, which comes from the agave cactus and is one of the very few vegan silk yarns. Of course, it fits the colour of the leather.

The process of embroidery (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

The artisan fixes the leather piece with wooden tweezers placed between his legs. With a thick metal needle and the sabra silk yarn he starts stitching according to the pattern.

Zoom in on the embroidery and the tools (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

This is what the piece looks like during the process of embroidering. The accurate stitches of silk yarn follow the embossed pattern perfectly.

Presentation of the result (2012-04)ABURY Foundation

The artisan proudly presents his piece of craftsmanship that took him a full day of skilled and concentrated work.

Credits: Story

Content: Lara Petersen & Nina Pfuderer
Photos: Mohamed Smey

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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