Tambour Projects

As I was first learning how to tambour with beads, I started several test patterns - doodles, really.  Some of them were just that doodles but some of them became things.  This is one of those projects.  I initially laid the large glass pearls.  Then I started thinking of sand swirling around the pearls so I started swirling the seed beads around.  I really liked the look of it so I decided to use the sample as a project and marked out the outside border and marked another piece of silk organza for the back and worked it in a circular pattern.  The handle was just a beaded tube.  It needed to be sturdy enough to handle the weight of the body of the purse and this worked a treat.  

About 2017, I took a trip to the Cleveland, OH, area.  It was only a long weekend but I specifically wanted to get away to work on designing some projects.  A visit to the art museum there was hugely inspiring.  By the end of the trip, I had 2 purse designs I was happy with.  One, an art deco-inspired design, is still waiting to come to life but this one, art nouveau-inspired came together just like I'd envisioned it.  The back is black velvet and it has a pretty turquoise-colored lining.  The part that took the longest, oddly, is the beaded fringe! It was completely hand-beaded by a beader that had no idea how long it would take.  But it was the only way to get the gradation I needed to look right with the curves of the design.  So worth the time and effort, I have to say (although I haven't jumped into doing another one since!!). 

See what I mean about purses being the perfect palette?  Here's another one that came together bit by bit.  This one has a bit of tambour on the top section but I was also able to incorporate some bobbin lace that I was working for another project.  The bottom section is laid embroidery thread held by little fresh-water pearls.  The tone on tone was so interesting.  This final project is actually my second effort.  The original effort worked fine for most of it but I had cut the bottom to have scallops but they didn't really work in practice.  So I redid the whole thing and used the lace to create the scallops.  Much better!

My BIG tambour project was a purse that I envisioned to have 8 narrow sides, each with a different pattern.  I put together 4 different patterns with the thought that I would repeat them in order.  Straight line, curly line, straight, curly, etc.  The initial inspiration for this project was some Victorian/Edwardian-era beads that I recovered from a disintegrating mourning vest.  I've had them for a couple of years but never found the right project for them.  Until now.  This was truly a process of discovery as I developed the pattern and it became my favorite thing I've ever made.  Ever.  Nothing compares to this little purse.  

This was a classic example of designing it then tweaking the design as I went, then filling in the missing pieces as I went along.  How to do the lining, how to finish the top and bottom edge (I ended up making some black bobbin lace edging for this purpose).  When I finished, it still didn't look quite finished.  I needed some sort of fringe at the bottom and it needed a way to hold the handle at the top.  I didn't really want to go full fringe at the bottom (reference the trauma of full fringe mentioned above :-)) but this toned down version worked very well and fitted the look. For the handle, I beaded 8 straps, one for each section of the purse, a did it that way.  I could have done a better job with them but it worked so I was basically happy. The purse became a gift for my lovely niece, which made me happy.  Every maker will tell you, there's no better feeling that something you've made going to someone who will appreciate and treasure it.

And finally, a project that didn't quite come off, despite all the effort.  I think I know where it fell down and I'll go into that later.  This project had its roots in the purchase of about 20 times more drop beads than I needed for my garden quilt project.  I ended up with all of these clear glass beads with a touch of color at the end.  What to do?  What to do?  The beads reminded me of droplets of water on a flower bud so I started thinking along those lines.  Tulips are my favorite flower so why not make a tulip purse?  

I designed the petals, made sure the inside and outside petals would fit together then started stitching.  I loved how they looked on the frame and how the beads were working.  I knew the purse was going to be heavy with all the drop beads I was using and, I have to say, I wasn't wrong!

Once I had all the petals done, I had to figure out how to get them all put together with the internal support that would help them keep their shape under the weight of the beads.  It took a while but with some medium-weight interfacing, I was finally happy(ish) with the shape.  It was at this point that I realized the circumference of the purse was larger than I'd expected, which makes it just a bit more chunky than I'm happy with.  If I were to make it again, and I suspect I will, I will cut down the width of the petals by about 30% and I will make the darts that shape the petals just a wee bit wider to give a little better shape.  I think those 2 things will make it work much better.

I knew from the beginning that I wanted a ruched lining and I was super happy with how it came out.  I was reading a book at the time called "The Art of Manipulating Fabric" by Colette Wolff (an excellent book that I highly recommend), so I used her instructions for it with great results.

The other part I had to figure out is the stem.  I'll be honest, I didn't completely finish the bottom.  The plan was to have the green beads at the bottom and the fringe as the stem, which all worked, but I was also going to do a beaded section that came up onto the petals, like flowers usually have.  I just didn't have the heart to do that final piece when I knew I wasn't happy with the piece.  Next time...

So there are other tambour projects in process that I'll show in their own posts but these are the big projects from the break time that I wanted to share.

I will also mention that I did a tambour class from the London School of Embroidery that I highly recommend. I knew how to tambour but was completely self taught and there were several things I'd never tried before.  I love the format of their classes.  You can purchase kits and then you have perpetual access to the teaching videos.  I could do them at my own pace and rewatch the videos as often as I needed to so them became a great resource.  I also did their goldwork pear, monogramming, whitework embroidery and silk shading classes.  Highly recommend.
 

Years in the making

Many years ago in what seems now to have been another life, I made feeble attempts to learn to do tambour embroidery. I did okay with my size 14 crochet hook and open weave linen. But then I had an ambition. 

The book had a pattern that I think was supposed to be a doily where the pattern would be mirror imaged for a long rectangle. But I saw it as a purse. I got the fabric, drew out the pattern and then realized the crochet hook wasn't really working with the material. I got frustrated and distracted onto something else. 

But I never took the material out of the frame. I packed it away because someday I was going to work it. Someday. 

In 2017, the technique caught my eye again when I found some YouTube videos by Robert Haven demonstrating tambour beading. I had to find that piece. 

Do you know how happy I am that I got frustrated and distracted that decade ago?  At that time I didn't have the skills or know how to do what I've now done. It was waiting for just the right time, just the right motivation to do this. 

 

 

As I was finishing the tambour embroidery section at my Mom's a few weeks ago, I started trying to see what the purse might look like. During a trip to the local Joann's where the staff and customers were so lovely and helpful in helping me decide colors and materials, I envisioned…well, this!

It's not often that a design happens exactly as I see it in my mind, but in this case it absolutely did. There are a couple of things I would tweak if I could but this is what I saw in my mind. 

I didn't like the purse handle to begin with but it was the only one I had or could find that was wide enough to fit and now I love how it works. It's not competing with the pattern, it's just fulfilling its function and staying out of the way. Perfect. 

The easiest thing to do with a purse is to ruin the look by how you sew the material into the frame. Again, I decided on subtle. I used the silver glass beads to hide the stitches and carry on the bead scheme and I think it works. So much tidier that visible stitches would have been. It's all hand stitched using silk thread (initially because that's what I had handy) and I couldn't be happier really. 

 

So there you have it. A decade in the making and from my point of view, worth the wait. 

Weaving

Now that I finally feel more confident about warping, I can't get enough of weaving. 

I finished my warping class project made from linen. 

 

 

It's washed and and put away now. I have a plan for it but I'm not ready to start. 

Then I did a project with tencil and some hand spun. 

 

Again, finished, washed and put away. 

Now I've just finished warping for a scarf, which if I can get the hang of the beat, will be beautiful. Merino wool and silk yarn. Soooo soft. 

 

The warp will be the dark blue shown here as dividers between the color strips. God willing and the creek don't rise, it will be this. 

 

From the book Next Steps in Weaving by Pattie Graver.  

I managed to warp the loom with 3 colors and very few tears. Good start!

I've also started playing again with Tambour Embroidery again. I first saw it practiced at Lincoln's New Salem but I've put it away for quite a few years. Now I've come across a YouTube Channel by Robert Haven that has me excited about it again. 

First steps:  

 

It's on a sheer piece of material so I can see what my hands are doing. 

This site gives a little history and some photos. You actually work from the back and it can include beads and sequins but it can also be just thread. It's a beautiful technique most often used in haute couture design. It's kind of like me - a bit different but nice!!