Tambour

Tambour Beading is a professional hand beading technique that is performed with a hook in a holder. This holds a shortened French Cornelli needle, and is used to bead onto fabric that is stretched over a frame.

Tambour Meaning: An oriental drum.

Luneville work or French embroidery

History:

• In the 19th Century beading was becoming more of a professional occupation rather than just a pastime.
• Originated in 1770.Workrooms making beadwork for the French court. Established in Paris by Charles de Saint- Aubin.
• The hook used to attach the beads had already been used for chain stitch embroidery.
• 100 years later the development of French beading was fully exploited by Louis Ferry of Luneville.

Application:

• The beads are firstly strung on the working spool of thread.
• The pattern is traced out onto the wrong side of a square or rectangular piece of fabric by prick & pounce method or carbon paper.
• The fabric is then stitched onto a square embroidery frame and stretched until the fabric is as tight as a drum, hence the name tambour.
• French beading is worked from the wrong side of the fabric, working by feel
• Beads are moved up the thread with one hand and then stitched on in a crochet motion making a chain stitch after each bead.
• For a skilled worker, it is much faster to tambour bead seed beads and sequins onto delicate fabric than it is to stitch them on singularly using the hand beading method.

Please note that a minimum of one month between tuition classes is recommended. This gives you the chance to practise and become familiar with the learned technique. This practise time is crucial 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.

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, speed and tension.

Tambour Beading is an art form; it requires patience and dedication, but will most surely deliver a satisfying and professional result.