Couture Tambour Beading for Fashion

Location: This course is delivered via Zoom & WhatsApp. Please click here for guides to using Zoom & WhatsApp

Duration: 6 Week Embroidery Course (1 x 2.5 hour session per week for 6 consecutive weeks) 

Join us for a six-week course in tambour embroidery inspired by Oscar de la Renta couture. The focus is on lightness, detail and layered embellishment. You will learn both Aari embroidery and Luneville tambour, building a complete foundation in this couture technique.

This is a holistic training course that takes you through every stage of the process. We begin with design transfer, tracing and preparing your fabric. You will then learn the tambour chain stitch, developing rhythm and control with the hook. From there you will progress to applying sequins, beads and crystals, building up layers of detail and texture. The course also covers how to cut and prepare stitched elements and how to create cutouts within your work to give your embroidery more dimension and movement.

The design provides structure while leaving space for you to experiment with pattern colour and placement. By the end of the six weeks you will have completed a finished piece using both Aari and Luneville methods. You will also have a full understanding of the tambour process from start to finish and the confidence to apply these techniques in your own embroidery projects.

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• Please read all of the course description information above and the technical and shipping information below before booking your course.

• All courses are non refundable, if you cannot attend please let us know as soon as possible and we will try to move you to another course.

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This course is inspired by Oscar de la Renta couture collections, known for their focus on detail and refined surface embellishment. The design takes the form of ginkgo leaves, stitched in shades of gold and teal to create contrast and depth. By combining different stitches and materials you will build up a range of textures and surface techniques, exploring how these elements work together.

The embroidery is worked onto black silk organza. We have chosen this fabric not only for its elegance but also because it is the best fabric for learning tambour beading. The transparency of the organza allows you to see your hand through the fabric, helping you refine your movement and develop control of the hook.

Embroidery has always been central to haute couture, bringing texture, detail and luxury to fashion. Tambour embroidery in particular has played an important role in this tradition. First developed in the 18th century, it uses a fine hook to create chain stitches that can be built up with sequins, beads and crystals. The result is embellishment that feels both delicate and richly detailed, perfectly suited to couture fashion.

By the 20th century tambour embroidery had become a defining technique in luxury fashion houses. Designers used it to create flowing patterns and surfaces filled with movement and depth. What began as decoration developed into something structural, with embroidery shaping how garments moved and caught the light.

Oscar de la Renta is one of the designers who has consistently embraced tambour embroidery in his couture collections. His use of refined motifs layered with sequins and beads shows how the technique can achieve both lightness and impact. His designs demonstrate how couture embroidery blends technical skill with creativity to create work that feels timeless and modern.

Learning couture tambour embroidery today allows you to explore the same principles. By working with layers texture and embellishment you will see how sequins beads and thread combine to create dimension and refinement, giving you skills that connect directly to the world of haute couture.

• You will begin by learning how to transfer your design onto fabric using a special transfer method, including techniques for working on dark fabric grounds in couture embroidery.

• Next, you’ll focus on mastering the fundamentals of tambour embroidery. You’ll start by learning the mechanics of using a tambour hook safely, familiarising yourself with all its parts and practising how to bring the hook in and out of the fabric without snagging the fibres.

• From there, you’ll move on to creating the chain stitch (also called the Beauvais stitch), a decorative stitch used throughout couture fashion embroidery and the foundation for all tambour beading. You’ll first work from the top of the fabric to understand the stitch, then flip the fabric over to work from the back.

• Most tambour (Lunéville) embroidery is worked from the back using the French method, and this is the approach we’ll focus on in this stage of the course. You’ll start by attaching seed beads from the back and then progress to working with bugle beads and sequins.

• You will also explore Aari embroidery, a technique originating in India that focuses on bead and sequin appliqué from the top of the fabric.

• You will learn Tambour stitches including flea stitch, vermicelli, folding and manipulating sequins, pulled stitch, rich stitch and cutouts. 

• All course materials will be sent directly to you. You will need a 10-inch seat frame, or an equivalent embroidery or slate frame, to use during the class. You will also need to provide your own basic embroidery equipment, such as scissors, needle threaders and a daylight lamp, according to your individual needs. 

• When you book the course, we will send you our Embroidery Essentials document, which outlines all the tools and equipment you might want to have ready to get the most out of your learning experience.

• A recording of each course session will be sent to you within one week of the session. You will then be able to keep and refer to this recording indefinitely.