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Women of fashion have long been fascinated by the luxury and elegance displayed in richly beaded eveningwear. European couture designers have made use of this fascination to create expensive and fabulous, glittering designs for well-off customers. While these designers used a number of techniques to make the richness of beaded art a fashion, their techniques are now more widely known than before. Tambour embroidery is one such technique that has been widely used in creating elegant designs with beads.

History and Nature of Tambour Embroidery

Historically, the tambour method of bead embroidery dates back to the late 19th century when Lois Ferry, a Frenchman, introduced it to his own embroidery center in 1878. The technique basically involves attaching beads to fabric by means of a sharp hook which the French call crochet hook (or aiguille a chainette). In a while, this technique spread among the fashion designers across the globe. It also became popular among dressmakers for embellishing their designs. Among famous tambour designers are names like Chanel, Givenchy, Chriistian Dior, Christian Lacroix, and Yves Saint.

In addition to beads, tambour embroidery also widely employs metallic thread, fine decorative yarn, and sequins. The basic thing to follow is perseverance, especially in the initial stages of mastering the technique. Once your hands get used to the flow of tambour work, the job becomes easy and enjoyable.

Method of Tambour Embroidery

For tambour work, you need a base fabric which must be stretched taut in a frame. To make the use of both hands possible, the frame is supported on a stand. One hand will be working beneath the frame i.e. feeding threaded beads to the tambour tool. The other hand, working above the frame, manipulates the tambour tool. The method is centered on a single stitch, namely the chain stitch. It requires that the hook on the tambour tool be passed through the fabric where it catches the thread between the beads. Subsequently, the tool is turned, the hook and thread drawn back through the fabric, forming the chain stitch. The technique is employed for creating a variety of designs with beads, sequins, or threads-both metallic and decorative.

While using beads in a design, the embroider positions the frame such that the fabric's right side faces the floor. When using metallic or decorative threads, the position is such that the fabric's wrong side faces the floor.

Tambour embroidery can be performed on both sheer and opaque fabric; though doing the latter is not as easy task. Opaque fabric does not allow the embroider to see the hand working on the frame's underside. Thus it is recommended that beginners start with working on sheer fabric that is quite transparent, nylon organza for instance.

Tambour Hook and Frame

Hook and frame are the two most important components of tambour embroidery. Tambour hooks come in two forms: plastic & metal hooks, and wood & brass hooks. Of these, wood & brass hooks are relatively costly but preferred for better work. The hooks have a detachable handle so you can get an extra hook, a larger one preferably, in order to work both thick and fine fabric. Sizes 80 and 100 (fine and medium) make the most flexible set. Actually, these hooks are cornelli needles adjusted to size. Beginners can use an embroidery hoop or a quilting frame, preferably of the free-standing type.

Beads and Sequins

Pre-strung beads and sequins are the best choice for tambour embroidery. They are very easy and quick to work with. For beginners who mean to practice more for mastering the movements, hand-threading loose beads and sequins is a good alternative. If you are considering a larger project like a garment that needs many thousands of beads, hand-threading is not a recommended option.

Beads can generally be bought by weight in packets of 4.5 grams to 50 grams. Larger beads, of size 4 mm and above, are sold per unit or per string. These are generally known as centers or stones. Seed beads are round or faceted beads, composed of plastic, glass, wood, metal, and pearl. They vary in size from 1 to mm. They can be bought both pre-strung and loose. Pearls are available in sizes of 2 to 16 mm. They can be bought pre-strung, loose, and in bunches. Bugle beads are tubes of glass or metal varying in length from 2 mm to 5 cm. They can be bought in packets like seed beads. Sequins come in different sizes and shapes but also as cupped or flat. Their size ranges from 2 mm to 10 mm, 6 mm being the commonest size. Sequins are mostly sold loose in packets. From specialist suppliers, they are available on strings. It is to remember that sequins sold by the meter in craft shops are not suitable for tambour embroidery.