What is Marghab or Madeira Linens?

The Island of Madeira and exquisite hand embroidery have been famous since the embroidery industry was brought to this small Portugal island in 1850. When Emile and Vera Way Marghab began their business there in 1930, it was the Marghab’s that raised this island's quality, embroidered linens to be world reknown, highly collected and treasured.

Marghab is the most expensive of the Island's linens to collect, in fact, when these were first made and offered in select salons, they were very high priced, and the "gold" standard for linens.

Many designs have been copied, but never to the same exacting standards that the Marghab's were known for. In her biography, "Perfection Never Less", Vera Marghab is noted for sending back pieces over and over again, until the design was perfect. These pieces required thousands and thousands of stitches and would be examined thoroughly before being offered to the public.

Embroidresses where rated by their expertise, and only the most qualified would be given the most intricate designs. They were paid by the stitch, and the higher the expertise, the higher the wage.

Handmade linens from Madeira are very collectible, and highly prized. An excellent investment, as this type of handwork is almost extinct today, and prices will continue to climb as collectors tuck them away in their collections.

If you have never held a piece "in hand" you don't know what you are missing!  Fine linen, exacting cutwork and embroidery, a work of art!

It is always best to buy from reputable dealers of fine linens. Two of the best are "Milady's Linens and ShopfromYourSeat" both of which offer their wares on ebay.

To learn more about Marghab, visit the University of South Dakota's website, as they own the largest collection of Marghab linen. Another great resource is the book "Perfection, Never Less, the Vera Way Marghab Story"