Lesson 7.1
French Lunéville Fish Scale Technique: Filling a Square with Sequins
In this lesson, you will practise the fish scale technique using French Lunéville embroidery. Working from the reverse side of the fabric, you will embroider parallel rows of sequins within a square. You will learn how to return to the top with plain stitches and begin each new sequin row in the same direction, creating a closely arranged filling.
Materials to Prepare
Embroidery frame with mounted fabric
Printed square pattern
Pencil suitable for marking your fabric
Lunéville hook
Pre-threaded sequins
Embroidery thread on a bobbin
Scissors
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Transfer the square pattern onto your mounted fabric.
Prepare threaded sequins for French Lunéville embroidery.
Begin a sequin row with a starting lock at a corner.
Follow a straight line from the upper to the lower border.
Return to the top using plain stitches without sequins.
Position each new sequin row close to the previous one.
Keep all sequin rows running in the same direction.
Your Practice
Print the square pattern and trace it onto your fabric. Turn the frame so the reverse side faces you, then transfer your sequins onto the working thread.
Make a starting lock at an upper corner of the first square. Embroider a straight row of sequins down to the lower border.
Make a short stitch beyond the end of the row, then return to the upper border with plain stitches, keeping the line straight and neat. Add a short stitch at the top and begin the next row of sequins, working downwards as close to the previous row as possible.
Repeat this sequence to fill the square, checking that the rows remain parallel and the sequins overlap consistently.