WHAT IS TAMBOUR BEADING?

History

Tambour embroidery arrived in the French town of Lunéville in 1810 and was adopted by the ateliers to the French Court due to the speed and efficiency of the technique. Beads and sequins were added to the repertoire in the late 19th century. The town of Lunéville became so famous for its exquisite embroideries that the technique became known as crochet de Lunéville in France.

Tambour means drum in French and refers to the technique of stretching the ground fabric tightly across a frame to create the tension needed to embroider a regular chain stitch.

Tambour Beading is a professional hand bead embroidery technique that is performed with a fine hook (a shortened Cornelli needle) fitted into a custom-made holder. Romanticized in the French film “A Common Thread” samples and demonstration of the art of Tambour Beading are done in French Haute Couture Embroidery at Lesage in Paris. This is the technique used to embellish couture garments for the fashion industry in Paris.

The Tambour hook is used to embroider chain stitches and attach beads onto fabric that is stretched as tight as a drum over a slate rectangular embroidery frame.

Beads are strung onto a working spool of thread and the beading is worked from the wrong side of the fabric.

Beads are moved up the thread with one hand and then stitched on in a crochet motion making a chain stitch after each bead.

LEARNING

Tambour Beading Classes & Workshops

Karen teaches tambour beading in 2 settings:

Group Tuition: small groups 6-10 students, weekend, set dates, 6 hours.

If you have a limited budget and would like to learn in a group environment a Tambour beading group class is for you. Scheduled on a sat or sun, each class is 6 hours in duration. To book please see the Tambour group tuition/classes section on this website. Numbers are limited and sell out quickly.

Privately: one to one, flexible weekday class timetable, flexible dates, 3-hour sessions.

Flexible days and times of 3-hour classes means you can progress through the program at your own pace and can complete as many levels as you wish. Individual coaching and guidance mean the student successfully grasps the tambour beading techniques.

My professional tambour beading experience dates to 1994. I was formally trained in Paris France and stay traditional to these teachings in my classes. I will guide you through the necessary basics and share with you all the tips and tricks I have learned and used in my career. My patience and guidance will help you achieve your tambour beading goals.

The minimum number of hours per level for a private class is 3 hours

All tuition is to be held at 71 Mary St, St Peters NSW 2044

Tuition is to be held on any of the following days Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday.

A minimum of 1 month between tuition classes is recommended. This gives you the chance to practise and become familiar with the learned technique. This practise time is extremely important as you will not achieve the best result in following classes if you do not practise. 

If you require more time, more than one month in between tuition, that is Ok too. The important thing is to feel comfortable with the skills you have learned, therefore confidently moving onto the next level.

Practise time in between classes is crucial. This is the time that the student masters the learned technique and can then successfully attempt the following more difficult stages. Each level builds on the previous one.

Please do not expect to master the skills needed for the Tambour method as quickly as hand beading ones. With time and practise you will excel in your accuracy and speed. Tambour Beading is an art form; it requires practice, patience and dedication but will most surely deliver a satisfying and professional result.

Below is an outline of the techniques covered in the order of learning.

Please contact me if you have any further queries and to book into a class.

SCHEDULE

Private Tuition Tambour Beading Modules

INTRODUCTION TO TAMBOUR BEADING

Materials and Tools. Dressing the Frame: fabric onto slate frame
Starting stitch, Finishing stitch, Hook turning direction, Chain Stitch

Lesson 1

CHAIN STITCH

Lesson 2

Chain stitching using various threads: polyester, cotton, metallic thread. Continuous & interrupted. Large chain stitch fill in brick formation.

TAMBOUR BEADING BUGLE BEADS

Learn all 4 directions, using different sizes of bugle beads

Lesson 3

TAMBOUR BEADING SEED BEADS

Learn all 4 directions, using different sizes of seed beads.

Lesson 4

TAMBOUR BEADING VERMICELLI & CORNELLI

Learn to manipulate the hook and stitches in all directions in a continuous pattern. Fill in for large & small spaces.

Lesson 5

TAMBOUR BEADING CORNERS & BACKSTITCH

Points for corners & leaves using Backstitch / Pulling stitch. Sun-ray stitching

Lesson 6

TAMBOUR BEADING LOOP WORK

Looped stitches over rows of beads, diagonal & straight. Spaced & close
Loops that hang free from the fabric.

Lesson 7

TAMBOUR BEADING LAYERED ENCRUSTING

Layered cornelli, mixed beads, manipulation of spacing and size beads. Fill in shape technique

Lesson 8

TAMBOUR BEADING SEQUIN LAPPED

Lapped cup & flat sequins. Learn all 4 directions in straight lines & curves.

Lesson 9

TAMBOUR BEADING SEQUINS FLAT FILL IN

Flat fill in, beaded wrong side of the fabric facing up. In all directions in a continuous pattern, freehand vermicelli. Flat & Cup sequins.

Lesson 10

TAMBOUR BEADING SEQUINS AARI

Flat & beaded on the right side up. Similar to Indian Aari method. In all directions in a continuous freehand cornelli pattern. Flat & cup sequins

Lesson 11

TAMBOUR BEADING SEQUINS RAISED LINEAR

Side raised sequins against beads in line formation. All 4 directions

Lesson 12

TAMBOUR BEADING SEQUINS RAISED VERMICELLI

Create a base of vermicelli seed beads & learn to raise sequins in amongst beads.

Lesson 13

TAMBOUR BEADING ON OPAQUE FABRIC

Tambour beading with bugle & seed beads onto fabric that is non see through. Learn all 4 directions.

Lesson 14

3 DIMENSIONAL PADDING

Learn string padding, felt padding in single & multi layers, beaded padding

Lesson 15

TAMBOUR BEADING OVER 3D PADDING

Manipulate beads with the backstitch over a padded shape

Lesson 16

TAMBOUR BEADING BACK STITCH EMBROIDERY

Begin with silk thread and then using silk floss to create satin stitch embroidery

Lesson 17