My journey to Lunéville....
Over the past two months, I've been studying Lunéville (Tambour) embroidery under the tutelage of Catherine Sequalino Poitier of CSP Arts Embroidery. She's worked with all the French designer greats: Gauthier, Dior, Givenchy — you name it. It's so flippin' impressive.
This butterfly was the first project she assigned, and it's been the most challenging thing to learn because you're working from the reverse side of the beadwork.
In the photo above, you are looking at the work thread-side up, which is the side I'm working on. The beadwork is beneath the cloth — on the back (as seen below). And so, you have to rely heavily on your other senses — finger dexterity, touch, feel...trust — other than sight alone.
However long it would take Catherine to complete (she said about four hours; I legit LOL'd), for myself, multiply that time by eight (#RealTalk). The incomplete beaded butterfly (above) took over 12 hours across two days. And I still hadn't finished because I frustrated myself.
But I'm committed to impressing her one day. In the meantime, May all beings be happy (below) and May all beings be loved (Take My Tears series) are the first two works I've used the Lunéville technique on.
I have new found respect and appreciation for French haute couture embroiders who average seven years to master the technique.
Around the world, there are similar techniques, but they tend not to work reverse side up, like Zardozi embroidery from Persia and India, which is especially lovely and intricate.
