Explainer · Brazilian embroidery

Patreon for Brazilian embroidery creators: complete 2026 guide — rayon thread, cast-on stitch, bullion stitch, woven rose, and the Apple Tax.

2026-07-23 · ~4,700 words

Brazilian dimensional embroidery Patreons retain when they deliver the thread mechanics and stitch geometry that finished-piece photographs and Instagram reels structurally compress away. The stitch count is one number; the wrap count, the wrap tension, the stitch-to-wrap-length ratio, the spoke sequence — those are the documentation.

Rayon thread: 12-strand viscose vs cotton floss

Standard Brazilian embroidery thread is 100% viscose rayon, sold in 12-strand skeins. It is not interchangeable with 6-strand cotton embroidery floss (DMC, Anchor, Cosmo) — the strand count, fiber structure, sheen physics, and handling requirements differ in ways that matter for patron instruction.

Strand count and divisibility. Brazilian rayon comes off the skein as a 12-strand bundle. Working strand count is typically 2–4 strands for most stitches, single strand for shadow detail and fine line work, and all 12 strands for bold textured fills in very large-scale pieces. Pull and separate the needed strands individually before threading, then recombine them — this removes the uneven twist that develops in stored thread and produces smoother, more even stitches. Always document both the total skein strand count (12) and the strands per needle used for each specific stitch in patron instructions. A patron who substitutes 4 strands of 6-strand cotton floss for your 4-strand rayon specification will get a visually and texturally different result because the fiber diameter, twist rate, and sheen are different.

Sheen physics. Viscose rayon is produced by dissolving purified cellulose in sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide (the xanthate process), then extruding the solution through spinnerets and regenerating the fiber in an acid bath. The extrusion process produces a fiber with a very smooth, highly oriented crystalline surface — specular reflectance (the mirror-like light return responsible for sheen) is 3–5× higher than cotton, which has a natural convolution (a helical twist along the fiber length) that scatters light and produces a matte appearance. This sheen differential is not just aesthetic — it is the technical reason Brazilian embroidery photographs the way it does, and it is the reason dimensional stitches made from rayon look different from dimensionally identical stitches made from cotton thread.

Photographic documentation must account for this. Flat overcast light (the standard recommendation for most craft photography) eliminates the directional sheen and makes rayon look like cotton. Directional light at 30–45° to the fabric face shows the sheen differential between stitch faces oriented toward the light source vs away, creating the three-dimensional visual quality that makes Brazilian embroidery photographs perform well on Instagram and Pinterest. Document your lighting setup explicitly — angle, source, diffusion — because patrons who try to replicate your documentation photographs will ask why their finished pieces look different under their lighting.

Static tangling and working length. Rayon accumulates electrostatic charge more than cotton, particularly in low-humidity studio environments. Beyond approximately 35cm working length, the static causes the thread to tangle back on itself at the needle end. Work with 30–35cm cut lengths. Allow the needle to hang freely from the fabric every 5–10 stitches — the weight of the needle causes the thread to untwist back to its natural twist state. If you skip this step for an extended session, the accumulated twist causes the thread to form uncontrolled loops at the needle end and eventually knots itself. Include this untwisting step in every tutorial that uses more than 6–8 stitches in a sequence.

Color fastness disclosure. Rayon thread colors fade significantly faster than cotton under UV exposure. Pieces framed and displayed near windows or under track lighting with UV emission will show detectable color change within 6–12 months without UV-filtering glass. This is a standard finishing documentation point for Brazilian embroidery, not an unusual caveat: include UV-filtering framing as a recommendation in any tutorial covering finished-piece presentation. Patrons who frame pieces as gifts or sell finished embroideries need this information.

Cast-on stitch mechanics: wrap count, tension, and coil formation

The cast-on stitch (ponto castão) is one of the signature stitches of Brazilian dimensional embroidery and the stitch that most clearly demonstrates what rayon thread documentation needs to convey that photography cannot. The finished stitch looks like a small coil or ring standing above the fabric surface. The process that produces it is mechanically specific.

Fundamental mechanics. Bring the thread up through the fabric at point A. Hold the thread in your non-needle hand. Wrap the working thread around the needle 10–30 times, moving from the needle tip toward the eye (i.e., wrap from front toward you, traveling up the needle). The wraps must be even and at a consistent, slightly loose tension — not slack (coil collapses) and not tight (coil constricts and buckles). Insert the needle back down into the fabric at point A — the same hole or within 1–2 fabric threads of the entry point. This is the key distinction from bullion stitch, which inserts at a second point. Press your thumb or thumbnail lightly against the wraps on the fabric surface while pulling the needle and thread through all the wraps simultaneously with steady, even pressure. The wraps slide off the needle tip and settle onto the thread between the exit point and the fabric, forming the coil.

Wrap count and coil height. The number of wraps directly determines the coil height. As a calibration reference: 10 wraps with 2-strand rayon produces a low, slightly domed coil approximately 3–4mm tall; 15 wraps produces a medium coil 5–6mm; 20 wraps a full coil 7–8mm; 30 wraps a tall dimensional coil 10–12mm. These measurements assume 2 strands of standard Brazilian rayon at standard wrap tension. Document the exact wrap count for every cast-on stitch in every pattern — "several wraps" is not documentable and will produce different results across your patron base.

Single-anchor vs bullion anchoring. The cast-on stitch is anchored only at its base — point A. The top of the coil is free. This produces a free-standing, three-dimensional coil element. Contrast with bullion stitch, which is anchored at both ends (points A and B) and lies along a path between them. Cast-on stitches are appropriate for flower centers (where multiple cast-ons cluster together at a central point), textured dimensional fills (where many small cast-ons are worked in a field to produce a nubby texture), stamens (tall cast-ons extending upward from a flower), and anywhere you need a discrete rounded element that does not follow a directional path. Bullion stitches are appropriate for elements that need to curve along a path — petals, leaves, buds, curved stems.

Distinguishing from French knot. French knots (point de nœud) use 1–3 very tight wraps around the needle before anchoring back into the same hole. The tight wraps and very small wrap count produce a hard, round bead-like stitch approximately 1–2mm tall. Cast-on stitches use 10–30 loose, even wraps and produce a soft, tall coil. They are structurally different stitches despite both involving wraps around the needle, and substituting one for the other in a Brazilian embroidery pattern produces a categorically different visual result. If your Patreon audience includes patrons who learned European embroidery first, you will need to explicitly contrast these two stitches in early tutorials to prevent the conflation.

Bullion stitch: wrap-to-length ratio and the flat vs curved result

The bullion stitch (ponto de bullion) is the primary element for petals, leaves, and buds in Brazilian dimensional embroidery. Its dimensional character — whether it lies flat, curves gently, or forms a tight arc — is determined entirely by one mechanical relationship: the ratio of the wrapped section length to the distance between the two anchor points.

Fundamental mechanics. Bring the thread up at point A. Pass the needle into the fabric at point B (the other end of the stitch, at the desired element length — typically 6–25mm for petals and leaves). Bring the needle back up at point A without pulling it through fully, leaving the needle shaft exposed above the fabric surface. Wrap the working thread around the exposed needle shaft N times, moving from A toward B. Pull the needle through the wraps with steady pressure while holding the wraps with thumb and forefinger. Pull the working thread in the direction of point B to lay the wrapped section down onto the fabric. Anchor with a small stitch at or near point B.

The critical wrap-to-length ratio. The number of wraps times the thread diameter (call this W) must be compared to the stitch length (the distance AB, call this L). Three outcomes based on this ratio: (1) W ≈ L: the bullion lies flat and smooth on the fabric surface — used for flat leaves, straight elements, and leaf veins; (2) W < L by 10–20%: the wraps cannot span the full distance and the bullion puckers, pulling into accordion folds — this is the main error beginning stitchers make and must be corrected by adding more wraps, not by reducing stitch length; (3) W > L by 10–30%: the excess wrapping forces the bullion to arch upward from the fabric in a gentle curve — this is the intentional technique for curved petals, where a petal length of 10mm might use wraps sized for 12–13mm, producing a graceful curved petal that stands above the fabric surface.

Needle requirement. Bullion stitch requires a milliners needle (also marketed as straw needle). The milliners needle has a uniform shaft diameter from the eye to the point — the eye is not wider than the shaft. This matters because you pull all the wraps over the full shaft length to reach the point when pulling through. A standard embroidery needle has a tapered shaft with a wider eye — the wraps must pass over this wider section and constrict again, which makes pulling through much more difficult and can distort the wraps. Using a milliners needle is not optional in Brazilian embroidery.

Wrap count calibration. As a calibration baseline with 2-strand Brazilian rayon: for a 6mm petal (flat): approximately 10–12 wraps; for an 8mm flat leaf: approximately 14–16 wraps; for a 10mm curved petal (arching): approximately 16–18 wraps (using a 10mm stitch length with wraps sized for 12–13mm); for a 15mm large leaf or rose bud: approximately 22–26 wraps. These numbers vary with thread strand count and wrap tension — document your own calibration series in a patron-facing reference card and photograph the flat, curved, and puckered result for each wrap count so patrons can diagnose their own samples against your reference images.

Woven rose: spoke foundation, over-under weaving, and spoke count effects

The woven rose (also called spider web rose) is the signature textural element of Brazilian embroidery and the stitch that performs most dramatically on Instagram and Pinterest because the rayon sheen catches directional light differently at each weaving circuit. The construction requires understanding spoke geometry and weaving sequence.

Spoke foundation. Work 5 straight stitches radiating from a single center point. Each stitch goes from the center outward to the planned edge of the rose at equal angular intervals (72° between spokes for a 5-spoke arrangement). Anchor each spoke at its outer end with a tiny stitch that will be hidden under subsequent weaving. The spokes should be long enough to form the full diameter of the finished rose — a rose worked to the full spoke length will be larger than one stopped after fewer weaving circuits. The center point is intentionally left slightly loose because the first weaving pass pulls all the spokes toward the center to some degree; pulling too tight when anchoring the spokes creates a puckered center.

Weaving sequence. Bring a new thread up between two adjacent spokes close to the center. Pass the needle UNDER the nearest spoke (this establishes the alternation: under, over, under, over). Then continue: OVER the next spoke, UNDER the next, OVER, UNDER, continuing in the same circular direction. The needle never pierces the fabric during the weaving passes in the interior of the rose — it travels only under and over the spoke threads. Maintain consistent, light tension on the weaving thread as you travel — too tight and the weaving pulls the spokes inward, distorting the rose into an oval; too loose and the weaving circuits separate visually rather than merging. Continue circuits, working outward from the center, until the spokes are covered to the desired radius. When the spokes are covered, anchor the thread under the nearest spoke and down into the fabric at the outer edge.

Starting direction matters. Always begin the first weaving pass by going UNDER the first spoke, not over. This positions the over-under alternation so that the first visible pass from above is an OVER pass — the most visually prominent direction. If you start by going over the first spoke, the weaving rhythm reverses and the finished rose will look different even at the same circuit count. Document the starting direction in every woven rose pattern.

Why 5 spokes creates the organic petal effect. The number 5 is odd, which means the over-under pattern never repeats in the same positional relationship to the same spoke on two consecutive circuits. In circuit 1, spokes 1, 3, 5 get an OVER pass; in circuit 2, spokes 1, 3, 5 get an UNDER pass (because the offset has shifted by one half-step). This alternating relationship between circuits and spokes creates the layered texture that reads as rose petals — areas where woven thread layers cross over each other at different heights catch light differently and create the illusion of distinct petals. With 4 or 6 spokes (even numbers), the pattern repeats every two circuits on the same spokes, producing a more mechanical, basket-weave look without the petal character. With 7 or 9 spokes, the petal character increases but the rose becomes denser and more formal.

Rayon sheen and photography. Because rayon has high specular reflectance, each weaving circuit reflects light at a slightly different angle depending on the direction of the thread relative to the light source. In a rose photographed under directional light, the circuits facing the light appear lighter; circuits in shadow appear darker. This gradient is entirely natural and not achieved by color variation — it is a structural property of the woven rose in rayon. Document this in the photography section of finished-piece tutorials so patrons understand that the three-dimensional light quality in your reference photographs is reproduced in their work without special technique, only appropriate lighting.

Whipped stitch stems and additional stitches

Whipped stitch. Work a line of running stitches along the stem path (stitch and gap lengths approximately equal, 3–5mm each). Bring a new thread up at one end of the running stitch line. Pass the needle UNDER the first running stitch from the left side, then under the second from the left, continuing along the line without entering the fabric. The new thread wraps over and under each running stitch in sequence, creating a rounded cord appearance. Whipping direction determines how the sheen falls: whipping toward yourself (traveling left to right) makes the cord sheen catch overhead light from the front; whipping away (right to left) shifts the reflection angle. Try both directions on a test sample under your normal working light before committing to a direction for finished work. For thick stem paths, complete two passes of running stitch (offset by half a stitch length) before whipping — the double running base produces a fuller cord diameter.

Lazy daisy and chain stitch. Standard stitches but rayon requires consistent loop tension — the thread is more slippery than cotton and the loop anchor stitch at the petal tip must be a true anchor stitch (down and up in the fabric) rather than just a surface pass. Underpinned petals worked in lazy daisy from rayon will slip and loosen with handling if the anchor stitch is not firm.

Satin stitch filling. Rayon satin stitch produces exceptional sheen when all stitches are parallel and the direction is chosen to catch directional light. Unlike cotton satin where direction affects texture, rayon satin direction primarily affects sheen angle. Work a test strip at 0°, 45°, and 90° to your dominant light source and choose the direction that maximizes the visual effect in your specific studio. Document the direction as an angle from some reference (fabric grain or design centerline) so patrons can replicate the effect.

Feather stitch. Standard feather stitch is excellent for vine and stem work in Brazilian embroidery. Because rayon is slippery, work each feather loop stitch at slightly higher tension than you would with cotton, and make the central securing stitch a full down-and-up pass (not a surface whip) to prevent the loops from migrating.

Fabric and stabilizer selection

Brazilian dimensional embroidery imposes specific structural demands on the ground fabric. Dimensional stitches like bullions and cast-ons exert real pulling force on the fabric at their anchor points. If the fabric stretches or deforms under this force, anchor points migrate toward each other and the design distorts. The dimensional stitches themselves remain intact, but they are no longer positioned where they were placed.

Traditional batiste. Fine plain-weave cotton batiste (100-count per inch or higher) is the traditional Brazilian embroidery ground. The high thread count provides enough structural stability to hold anchor points under bullion and cast-on tension. Batiste is also lightweight — when held to light, the dimensional structure of the finished piece shows through the fabric, creating a visual quality that is part of the aesthetic of traditional Brazilian embroidery. Swiss lawn and Imperial broadcloth are regional market names for comparable fabrics. Source batiste by thread count rather than trade name — thread counts below 80 per inch are too loosely woven to hold dimensional stitch anchor points without stabilizer.

Dupioni silk. A strong, stable, medium-weight fabric with a distinctive raw texture (irregular slubs from the double silk filament). Dupioni provides excellent structural stability for dimensional stitches and the textural contrast between the rough silk ground and the smooth rayon stitching is part of its visual appeal. Dupioni shows hoop marks more than cotton — use the twill-tape-wrapped inner hoop method and remove from the hoop between sessions. Dupioni is not washable after embroidery is complete (the slubs will shift and the dimensional stitches may distort); specify dry-clean only in finishing documentation.

Linen. High-thread-count linen (28-count or finer, woven as a plain weave rather than the twill used for crewelwork) provides excellent stability and a slightly rougher hand that holds rayon thread in place. Linen must be pre-shrunk (hot wash and dry before embroidering) to prevent subsequent shrinkage from distorting completed dimensional stitches.

Fusible interfacing for other fabrics. If you are working on any loosely woven, lightweight, or stretch fabric, iron a layer of lightweight fusible interfacing to the fabric back before hooping. The interfacing stabilizes each anchor point individually so the ground fabric cannot pucker between anchor points. For velvet grounds, avoid fusible interfacing because the adhesive side can show through velvet pile when pressed; use a non-fusible woven stabilizer pinned to the back instead, removed after embroidery is complete.

Hoop tension and twill tape. The fabric must be drum-tight in the hoop at the start of each working session. Loose hooping allows the fabric to move under stitch tension and the finished work puckers. To grip fine batiste or dupioni without hoop marks, wrap the inner hoop (the solid ring) with twill tape — not purchased bias tape, which has a filler, but woven cotton tape cut on the straight grain. Wrap the inner hoop spirally, overlapping each wrap by half its width, and secure the end with a small safety pin. The twill tape surface grips the fabric more securely than bare metal and distributes hoop pressure over a wider band, preventing the compression ring mark that bare metal inner hoops leave on fine fabrics.

Patreon tier structure for Brazilian embroidery creators

Brazilian embroidery Patreons typically tier around documentation depth and kit access. A common working structure:

Foundation tier ($5–8/month). Written pattern PDF for each monthly project (design outline, stitch list, thread color numbers and strand counts, step sequence). No video. Suitable for intermediate stitchers who can read a Brazilian embroidery pattern and calibrate their own wrap counts.

Workshop tier ($15–18/month). Written pattern plus video tutorial covering the 2–3 most technically demanding stitches in the monthly project at real-time speed with commentary. The video camera is positioned at 30–45° to the fabric to show rayon sheen differential between stitch faces. Includes a calibration reference card for wrap counts and bullion length ratios at the patron's working thread strand count. This tier is the most common upgrade point for stitchers who have taken an in-person class and want ongoing project instruction.

Studio tier ($25–35/month). Full project workshop video from design transfer through finishing, plus a live monthly Q&A session where patrons can share in-progress photographs for feedback. At this tier, the Apple Tax impact is most significant per patron — a patron paying $30/month via iOS represents $108/year that Apple will claim $32.40/year of from November 1, 2026.

The Apple Tax for Brazilian embroidery creators

Brazilian embroidery audiences skew heavily toward iOS platforms because the craft is intensely visual and gravitates toward image-first platforms with high iOS user concentrations.

Instagram, where dramatic close-up photographs of dimensional flowers and rayon sheen perform well in feeds and reels, shows iOS audience rates of 72–84% for embroidery and fiber art accounts. The Brazilian embroidery aesthetic — jewel-toned dimensional roses and floral clusters on fine batiste — is precisely the content type that Instagram's visual-discovery algorithm promotes into explore feeds, which brings new followers from the iOS-dominant general Instagram population. Pinterest shows iOS rates of 76–86% for craft and needlework categories. YouTube tutorial audiences for embroidery range from 60–74% iOS. TikTok content showing dimensional embroidery reveals, stitch demonstrations, and before/after photography comparisons runs 78–88% iOS.

Apple's 30% IAP fee begins applying to Patreon iOS subscription renewals on November 1, 2026. The fee applies to every iOS patron renewal — not just new subscriptions. At a Patreon income of $200/month with 72% iOS audience mix: Apple's fee is approximately $200 × 0.72 × 0.30 = $43.20/month ($518.40/year). At $350/month with 78% iOS: $350 × 0.78 × 0.30 = $81.90/month ($982.80/year). At $500/month with 82% iOS (Instagram-primary audience): $500 × 0.82 × 0.30 = $123/month ($1,476/year).

The migration path is web-only subscriptions. Calculate your specific fee delta at keeptier.com.

FAQ

What rayon thread should Brazilian embroidery creators use for Patreon documentation, and how does it differ from cotton embroidery floss?

Brazilian embroidery uses 100% viscose rayon thread in 12-strand skeins — not 6-strand cotton floss. Three key differences: (1) Strand count: rayon is 12-strand divisible; document the strands-per-needle (typically 2–4) explicitly because a patron who reads "4 strands" and uses 6-strand floss will get a different result. (2) Sheen: rayon has 3–5× the specular reflectance of cotton (smooth viscose surface vs cotton's helical convolution); directional light at 30–45° to the fabric is required to show this sheen in documentation photographs — flat overcast light makes rayon look like cotton. (3) Handling: rayon accumulates static and tangles past 35cm working length; allow the needle to dangle and untwist every 5–10 stitches; work 30–35cm lengths. Color fastness is also weaker — recommend UV-filtering glass for framed pieces displayed near windows.

How does the cast-on stitch differ from the bullion stitch in Brazilian dimensional embroidery, and when do you use each?

Both stitches wrap thread around the needle, but the anchoring method and application differ completely. Cast-on (ponto castão): anchored at a single point only; thread wraps 10–30 times around needle, needle re-enters at the same point A; produces a free-standing coil anchored only at its base; wrap count = coil height (10 wraps ≈ 3–4mm, 20 wraps ≈ 7–8mm, 30 wraps ≈ 10–12mm); used for flower centers, textured fills, stamens. Bullion (ponto de bullion): anchored at two points A and B; the wrapped section spans from A to B; wrap count × thread diameter must match or slightly exceed the distance AB (equal = flat, excess = curved arc, too short = puckering); requires milliners (straw) needle with uniform shaft diameter; used for petals, leaves, buds, curved stems. French knot is a third category: 1–3 very tight wraps, hard bead appearance, 1–2mm tall — not substitutable for either cast-on or bullion in Brazilian embroidery patterns.

How does woven rose construction work in Brazilian embroidery, and how does spoke count affect the finished result?

Two phases: (1) Spoke foundation — work 5 straight stitches radiating from a center point at 72° intervals. (2) Weaving — bring a new thread up between two adjacent spokes near the center; pass UNDER the nearest spoke first (establishing the alternation), then OVER, UNDER, OVER traveling in a circle; the needle never pierces the fabric in the interior. Continue weaving outward until spokes are covered to the desired rose diameter. Why 5 spokes: 5 is odd, so the over-under relationship with each spoke shifts on every circuit — circuit 1 goes over spoke 1, circuit 2 goes under spoke 1. This alternation creates the layered petal texture. Even spoke counts (4, 6) cause the same spoke to receive the same over-under treatment on each circuit, producing a basket-weave appearance without petal character. Rayon's high specular reflectance makes each circuit catch directional light at a slightly different angle, producing the characteristic shimmering appearance in documentation photographs.

What fabric and stabilizer considerations matter for Brazilian dimensional embroidery Patreon documentation?

Dimensional stitches exert pulling force at both anchor points — the fabric must resist this or anchor points migrate and the design distorts. Traditional fabric: fine cotton batiste 100-count or higher (tight weave, stable, lightweight enough to show dimensional structure when backlit). Dupioni silk: strong, stable, excellent for contrasting smooth rayon stitches against textured ground — but shows hoop marks; remove from hoop between sessions. Linen: high stability; pre-shrink before embroidering. For loosely woven or stretch fabric: iron lightweight fusible interfacing to the back before hooping. Hoop technique: drum-tight tension required; wrap the inner hoop in twill tape to prevent compression ring marks on fine batiste or dupioni; remove from hoop between sessions; never leave a hoop in place on fine fabric overnight.

What is the Apple Tax impact on Brazilian embroidery Patreon income?

Brazilian embroidery audiences are among the higher iOS mixes in fiber arts because the craft is intensely visual and performs on Instagram (72–84% iOS), Pinterest (76–86% iOS), and TikTok (78–88% iOS). YouTube runs 60–74% iOS. At $200/month with 72% iOS: Apple takes approximately $43.20/month ($518.40/year) starting November 1, 2026. At $350/month 78% iOS: $81.90/month ($982.80/year). At $500/month 82% iOS: $123/month ($1,476/year). The migration is web-only subscriptions — calculate your specific fee delta at keeptier.com.