8/17/2008

Chain stich in Tambour work

Here are pictures from a french book in order to help to understand the basic chain stich in tambour work.

First of all, you have to strech very tighly the fabric on a frame, or a tambour leaving both hands available.

Then use a tambour hook like one of these (my personnal mini collection ;-)


And go on...

Keep something in mind : you have to rotate the hook to keep the thread attached.


Phase 1 :
Insert the hook through the fabric to the back of the frame with the right hand. in the main time the thread is held in the left hand underneath the fabric (do a knot like on the picture)


Phase 2 :
Catch the thread on the hook

Phase 3 :
Bring it through to the front without letting go the thread in your left hand


Phase 4 :
Rotate the hook 180°

Phase 5 :
Insert the hook a short distance ahead and on the stich line. Keep your stitch the same size


Phase 6 :
Put the thread around the hook


Phase 7:
A complete turn around the hook


Phase 8 :
Turn the hook 180 ° counter clockwise
Phase 9 :
Bring the hook up to he top of fabric


Phase 10 :
While keeping the thread slightly straight



Phase 11 :
Rotate the hook 180 ° clockwise
Phase 12 :
Insert the hook again a short distance ahead

Phase 13
Roll again a full loop around the hook and start again from phase 7.



In France, this is called "Point de Beauvais".

Enjoy !!

57 comments:

Rissa said...

Great tutorial Virginie!

Mary Corbet said...

This is a fantastic picture tutorial!!

Anonymous said...

hi
so nice of u.pls can u giv pictoral explaination for fixing beads in aari/tambur work.
it will be great help

jayashree said...

Thanks for the wonderful tutorial- Your pictures explain the method and make it look really simple

swarna said...

very good tutorial.where i get that needle?

Anonymous said...

Thank you! I just won a tambour frame and needles this weekend. I was having a very hard time keeping the needle from catching on the top loop. Now it appears that 1) I wasn't rotating the needle and 2) I was going in the wrong direction initially. I doubt the latter matters that much, but it's good to try different directions.

Swarna: I was trying to source the needles, in case I need extra. Try Hedgehog Handworks, if you're in the US: http://www.hedgehoghandworks.com/catalog/tools_tambour.shtml

Anonymous said...

hi
thanks for the great tutorial . its great start up for me . can u please post some other pictures of this work or the stitches and its methods.

sathya said...

hi,

really great explanation. very useful for me. i m just starting to learn tambour embroidery. can u please tell me how to finish the stitch.

Unknown said...

Merci bcp.Je suis indienne et j'aime bcp faire la broderie à main

Anonymous said...

I'm having trouble bringing the needle back up through the fabric, it seems to catch. Can you give me an idea of what I might be doing wrong?

Unknown said...

annonymous:
When you bring the needle up you must apply a slight amount of pressure on the back side of the needle ( opposite to the hook) so it will clear the fabric. If the hook is not perfectly in line with the last stitch it will also catch the thread. Check out the Youtube video "Tambour beading". Keep practicing...the technique takes time to master

ELMO said...

Are those tambours in your collection easy to get? or are they antiques?

I would like to buy one for some work on chiffon (will be my first project) and need to buy some.

Unknown said...

ELMO
You can get tambour needles in several different sizes from the Lacis (lacis.com) on line. They are item # LB34 and come with three sizes of needles, #70, Fine, #90 medium (the most used) and # 120 large (for thicker threads). I generally get an extra handle or two (DU09) so I don't have to keep swapping out needles and color code the handles so I can quickly know what size needle is in it. Saves a lot of time.Also save a styrofoam packing peanut or piece of cork to act as a needle guard when not in use. They easily work their way into every fabric.

Anonymous said...

Hi I am practising Luneville embroidery but have big difficulties to get the sequins in strungs. Where can I buy them ?
I would appreciate if you could help me. Thanks a lot in advance.

Unknown said...

Anonymous,
I have found one supplier in the US on line and that is Berger Beads in LA. Their web catalogue is at www.bergerbeads.net.

They refer to sequins on strings as "Worms" and there are 1000 sequins per worm.
They are really nice people to work with and get orders out very fast. They are my main sequin supplier.
In Paris there is www.laboiteaperles.fr
The web site is mostly in French but somewhere on the home page is a button to get an English version.

Anonymous said...

thank you so much for your help, Robert!
I visited the websites. It looks great !!

Anonymous said...

This is a great tutorial, especially the pictures. Please may I copy them, with acknowledgements, for when I will be giving a small tutorial to my Embroiderers Guild branch (Hull & East Riding) next year?
PosyM

Ann said...

i saw these needles with my mom which she had since ages, but none of us knew how to use them......this is a great tutorial...hope this time when I visit her I would be able to try my hands on...great page :)

Anonymous said...

Fantastic....Superb.....awesome....Great pictorial explanation. I have been searching for this information very longggggggggg time.Thank you so much -Rachelchris.

G.AruljothiKarikalan said...

very clear pictorial demo... thank you

Anonymous said...

I want to know how to end this stitch when u finish the design you want,please reply soon as possible

Anonymous said...

to ens a line of stitching with the tambour hook you make one tiny stitch forward ,one tiny stitch i the opposite direction then another one forward and cut the loop. If I am ending a line of beads I try too make these three tiny stitches right next to the last bead. You can actually pus the bead to one side a little make the stitched then let the bead return and it will cover the stitches. This is especially easy with bugle beads.

Anonymous said...

This was the demo of chain stitch...but how to embroidary with beads??

Anonymous said...

Please explain with pictorial view,so that will be easier for me to understand

Anonymous said...

go to youtube and search for tambour beading. there is a video clip there that will show you how to work with beads. Its the same stitch as without beads

hendi said...

please where can i buy a needle contact hendiyana101078@gmail.com

Rosa said...

Thank you for posting this resource!

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot for sharing his wonderful work

treschic53 said...

excellent tutorial. I learned to crochet bead years ago from Portugese and Italian wedding gown beaders. It's a dying art. So happy to find this on line.

I have strung sequins in many colors--- many are vintage. Visit my Etsy shop Treschic53 and contact me for colors and prices.

fedora said...

hi everyone my name is FEDORA and i live in Canada and i am looking for the hook but cannot find it any where can someone please HELP ME thanks very much.

cait said...

Are there any other stitches that you can do like in irish crochet there are knots and different fillings for leaves and flowers? are there any books showing all types of tambour stitches. I know the chain is the most used and the most useful but i'd like to have infill stitches also. If you have pictures or demos i'd appreciate very much if you could post them here. The ones above are wonderful and very informative. Well Done!! as an over 50's i've just rejuvenated my love for crochet and crafts i'd love to do a lace piece. Anything you can show would be wonderful.

Annie said...

How do you finish off without getting a sewing needle out ?

Unknown said...

To finish a line of tambour stitching simply take a tiny stitch forward then a tiny stitch backward then a tiny stitch forward again then pull the loop up an cut the loop. This will leave a tail on the front surface

Unknown said...

Can inform what is the best tambour embroidery beading book in English? Where do I purchase this book?

Unknown said...

Hey, where you can buy a hook?
sovianka@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Hi where I can buy this needles?
can you pls let me know.
deasmondmkl@yahoo.com

thanks
Deasmond

bob haven said...

Deasmond you can get the tambour hooks from my website http://roberthaven.macmate.me/Tambour_Beading_and_Couture_Embroidery/Welcome.html

they are small and light so shipping even overseas is not horrid!
Bob Haven

Tambour Bead Embroidery said...

Pre-strung beads and sequins are available from the French manufacturer Langois Martin as well. They started an on line shop...you might want to take a look
http://www.paillettesetbroderie.com/
they have a stunning selection and all of my orders have arrived on time.
I'm a tambour bead embroiderer and tambour tutor
Jan Timms
www.tambourbeadembroidery.com

https://www.facebook.com/tambourbeadingandembroidery?ref=hl

Tambour Bead Embroidery said...

If you are UK/Europe based... as well as Bob Haven...Hi Bob...a fellow Tambour bead instructor of mine, I also have hooks available from my website

www.tambourbeadembroidery.com

Anonymous said...

How to end the sequence?

Unknown said...

annonymous: to end the row of tambour stitches the process is the same as the starting stitch. The LAST stitch the row of stitching becomes the first stitch in the "forward , back forward" sequence. Cut the lop and leave a tail and the stitching is locked in

Unknown said...

Great tutorial, thank you for your work!

Unknown said...

Por favor gostaria de saber como Fasso para comprar essas agulhas ? Meu site e Scbordadosdealtacostura275@gmail.comcom obrigado.

Unknown said...

Por favor gostaria de saber como Fasso para comprar essas agulhas ? Meu site e Scbordadosdealtacostura275@gmail.comcom obrigado.

Unknown said...


We, Stomed Co. from Sialkot - specialized to producing Tambour Handles & Needles, Mellors, Brass Stilletto, Embroidery Scissors, Pointy Tweezers as well as lots of embroidery tools.

Our prices are very reasonable and we always have good stock of these products for quick delivery.

We also able to supply you all sizes of tambour hooks i.e #80, #90, #100, #110, #120, #130, #140.

Kindly just try to send us an inquiry of any your interesting items to evaluate our good prices and some samples. The samples will send to you free of cost for your evaluation.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
info@stomed-pk.com
Mr Muhammad Saleem

Unknown said...

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FashionNYC said...

Por favor me es urgente hacerme a las agujas y el tambor....mi domicilio esta en bogota Colombia,,,,pero en que parte de <nueva <york o en que otra parte de los Estados Unidos puedo conseguirlas....me es urgente para mi trabajo gracias

Anonymous said...

I truly appreciate your pictorial instructions on tambour beading. I am experiencing 2 problems. My tambour needle catches any type of fabric I use even without any threads. Secondly, whenever I manage to bring out a stitch, it is not connected to the first. They just hang in there as loops. Please help. Thanks.

Iva said...

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Unknown said...

Nice picture to learn chain stitch how to get this type needle

Unknown said...

Nice picture to learn chain stitch how to get this type needle

Unknown said...

Wonderful, I want this needel

Patricio Concha F. said...

Generosa, excelente explicación.
Muchas gracias por eso.

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Anonymous said...

Hello oil love your blog I’m to addicted to embroidery, I want know the book name if you don’t mind ? And is there’s books you recommended?!