Journal

Studio notes: techniques, materials and the making of the artworks.

• August 20, 2026

  Embroidery history: the French thread, from Bayeux to haute couture

  The history of embroidery told through its French thread: the Bayeux Tapestry, Versailles, Lunéville, Lesage and haute couture, up to today's revival.

• August 19, 2026

  Embroidery stitches: the seven stitches behind every work on this site

  Embroidery stitches explained: split, stem, chain, satin, long and short, French knot, couching. Which stitch to choose, shown inside real artworks.

• August 18, 2026

  Bead embroidery: beads, sequins and the two ways to stitch them

  Bead embroidery explained: choosing beads (Czech, Japanese), sewing sequins, needle stitches, and the couture tambour method with pre-strung beads.

• August 17, 2026

  Stumpwork embroidery: how the volume is actually built, stitch by stitch

  Stumpwork embroidery explained: stitched padding, felt layers, wired slips, needlelace. How raised embroidery builds volume, from 1650s England to canvas.

• August 16, 2026

  Feather embroidery: sewing real feathers into an embroidered work

  Feather embroidery with real feathers, not the feather stitch: plumasserie and its houses, where feathers legally come from, how to sew the shaft, and care.

• August 15, 2026

  How to frame embroidery: the five methods, from hoop to canvas

  How to frame embroidery: acid-free lacing, hoop finishing, stretched canvas, glass or no glass, professional framing and care. The studio's complete guide.

• August 14, 2026

  Haute couture embroidery: the houses, the techniques, the gestures

  Haute couture embroidery by a Lesage-trained artist: the houses (Lesage, Montex, Vermont, Hurel), the techniques, and a commission's path from sketch to dress.

• August 13, 2026

  Contemporary embroidery: when thread hangs like a painting

  Contemporary embroidery seen from inside the studio: how thread left the hoop, why textile art now hangs like painting, and how to collect and care for it.

• August 12, 2026

  Embroidery on leather: the technique, and leather as an art material

  Embroidery on leather explained: needles, pre-punching, the right stitches, machine settings, and leather sewn onto canvas as an art material.

• August 11, 2026

  Goldwork embroidery: why gold thread is couched, not stitched

  Goldwork and gold thread embroidery explained: why metal threads are couched onto the surface, what cannetille (purl) is, or nué, and how couture uses gold.

• August 8, 2026

  Thread painting and needle painting: how the shading actually works

  Thread painting, needle painting, silk shading and long and short stitch explained by an embroidery artist: what each name means and how the shading works.

• August 6, 2026

  Tambour and Lunéville embroidery: how the hook technique works

  Tambour and Lunéville embroidery explained by a Lesage-trained embroiderer: how the hook forms the stitch, the tools, the history, and how to start.