Lesson 3.1
French Lunéville Beadwork: Preparing a Button Motif and Embroidering a Curl
In this lesson, you will prepare your first embroidered button motif and begin decorating it with beads. You will position the pattern in a corner of the frame, leaving space for practice, and transfer your pre-threaded beads onto the working thread. After practising a starting lock and a short beaded line, you will embroider the lower curl, using plain stitches at crossings to preserve the design.
Materials to Prepare
Embroidery frame with mounted fabric
Printed button pattern
Pencil suitable for marking your fabric
Large box to support the pattern beneath the frame
Lunéville hook
Embroidery thread on a bobbin
Pre-threaded beads
Scissors
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Position and trace a button motif while leaving room for practice.
Transfer pre-threaded beads onto your working thread.
Make a starting lock by passing the thread tail through a loop.
Supply individual beads beneath the frame using your fingers and fingernail.
Embroider a curved line using the French Lunéville technique.
Use plain stitches to navigate crossing lines.
Secure and trim thread ends around the embroidered chain.
Your Practice
Print the button pattern and clarify any faint lines with a pencil. Position it in a corner of your frame, supported on a box beneath the fabric, and trace the design.
Transfer your beads onto the working thread by temporarily joining the two thread ends and sliding the beads across. Separate the ends once the transfer is complete.
Draw a few practice lines in the free area of the fabric. Make a starting lock, then embroider a short beaded line, supplying one bead at a time. Finish with a short securing stitch, cut the thread, and wrap the tails around the embroidered chain before trimming.
Begin the button motif at the lower curl. Follow the line with beads, switching to plain stitches where it crosses existing embroidery or where indicated in the tutorial. Resume beadwork after each crossing.
Complete the curl with a finishing lock, draw out a large loop, and cut the thread. Secure both thread tails around the embroidered chain and trim the excess.