Learn Tambour Embroidery 2: Forming The Basic Stitch 

This is so exciting to hear, I'm so glad my videos finally helped it click for you!! Comments like this really are the reason I make videos, this absolutely made my day!!!🥰

Feel free to add more kitties cuddles too 😻

That may not be optional!! 🤣

Thank you! You're right, I really can't turn it off 🥰 🤣

I'm also from india

Thank you! I'm so glad it was helpful!

I am so excited for you!! I love that you're giving it a go, and I very definitely identify with that crochet to knitting transition! I really really hope you end up loving tambour, and either way I'm super excited for your supplies to arrive so you can give it a go!

Oooh I will check, they shouldn't be! Thanks for letting me know - and I'm excited that you're excited! I hope you love it :)

Ahh I'm so excited for you! I hope you love it as much as I do!

ahh thank you so much! High praise from someone who knows the struggle 😅

Oh yay! perfect timing! I hope you end up having enough time to do some Tambour before the ball!

Ah I'm so glad it's already been helpful!! Definitely let me know how you get on when your new thread arrives - practice does also make a very big difference! For the net - honestly no - the biggest problem is that the crochet hook has that flat bit where the size is stamped which makes it really tricky to roll between your fingers. I wouldn't bother with the net *unless* you specifically want to make a project with those materials (I am thinking about one for me!!) - I don't think it's especially valuable just for learning purposes.

It's a bit more like hand sewing as far as consistency is concerned - If I'm aiming for a nice evenly dense fill, I try to make the stitches the same length as the beads, and keeping them consistent does take a bit of practice!

Soon! The next one is a day or two away - I was aiming for weekly but I got pulled away this weekend - they are coming though!

Yes! Apologies, I realise now I should have put the names up on the screen in text for easy googling! - Gutermann all purpose sewing thread (or any other high quality sewing thread) is ok for learning if you have it around - Gutermann Hand Quilting thread - glazed cotton, excellent for tambour - Sajou Fil a Gant (French "Gloving" thread) - also glazed cotton, thinner than the Gutermann Hand quilting- this stuff is basically the best of the best for attaching beads with Tambour. - Sajou Fil a Coudre (metallic)- a great sparkly thread that you can use to attach beads + also provide a bit of shine.

@@katmakes Perfect! I'm really having fun learning Tambour and it's all thanks to you.

Thank you so much! I'm excited that you're excited! I was aiming for weekly but this week's instalment is running a day or two behind schedule - I was away over the weekend so I lost some filming time. I expect the next one to be Wednesday or so this week, and then back to weekly from there!

You have excellent timing for the asking of this question! I just so happen to have a piece at the moment that needs to be shifted over in its frame so I can work on a new section - I will record this as a youtube video and add it to the playlist :)

@@katmakes yay!! Just saw you posted it and I’m thrilled to watch! Thank you so much!

Ah yes, there is a bit of a rule here! Honestly I find it really confusing to think about as I'm stitching - technically the rule is to wrap counterclockwise when you're stitching away from you (ie between 10 and 2 on a clock face) and clockwise stitching towards you (between 4 and 8) - and then switch somewhere in the general vicinity of 3 and 9 depending on comfort (this also kind of depends on your hand's location in relation to your body). What happens when you wrap "wrong" is exactly what you're experiencing - it'll slip off the hook. In practice, I find that's entirely too much information for anyone to keep in their head, especially while learning, so I'd recommend practicing by stitching a spiral: as you wrap and start to pull up the hook, you should feel a little 'click' as the thread finds the hook. If it slips of, wrap the other way and make a mental note of the points in the practice-spiral where you feel like you need to switch. Let me know if that helps!!

It definitely takes practice! But I have a better answer and it's totally my fault you're struggling, I'm so sorry - the twist direction DOES matter, and I should have included that explanation in this video instead of the next one, but I thought it would be too confusing all at once.. you're not the first person to ask this on this video though, so I'm sorry! You can also watch part 3, but: The rule is that when you're stitching away from your body, you wrap the thread and turn the hook counterclockwise, and when you switch and stitch towards yourself, you'll wrap and turn clockwise. Around the edges (ie left and right) it's a bit of a grey area and can depend on your body's position in relation to your work but you'll get a feel for those 'edges' the more you practice. Mixing and matching whatever feels best is really a perfect way to think about it - if one direction causes the thread to slip off the hook, try the other direction instead :)

YES! I am so sorry - it does - watch the third video! I didn't cover that part in this video to try to simplify, but I think that was a mistake. The wrap changes depending on the direction of stitch, but it's all covered in the video right after this one. Thanks for asking!

Oooh that's good to hear! I'm glad things are improving! I have two ideas for what you're describing.. without seeing what you're doing I'm not 100%, but: if it seems to only happen (or happen more consistently) when you're traveling in a certain direction, try wrapping the other direction and see if that helps. If that doesn't work, you can tryyyy sort of 'scooping' your hook around, held at a slight angle, to carry the thread forward (imagine you're drawing a half circle with a pencil) - it could also be tension like you said, but I think you'd find that pretty obvious - if the thread is slipping down rather than hopping off, I'd bet your tension is fine. So hard to tell without seeing though! If those tips don't help, either holler here or DM me on Instagram with a video of what's happening and I'll try to help that way! (Just tell me what the video is first, IG blurs out the contents of message requests hahahaha)

Thanks so much for the speedy reply. It seems like a bunch of folks are new to tambour, grateful for an experienced teacher. I’ll try what you suggest ❤❤❤😊

Oh that is a good source for organza! And yes- very good question, and an oversight on my part, it’s in episode 3 with the beads but not here 😅 - to finish, snip the thread with a tail long enough to handle, use the hook to pull the tail all the way up through the last stitch, and then (holding the hook horizontally) pull the tail through the last 4-5 stitches to secure. The next video shows what I mean if that doesn’t make sense! For thread- it sounds like you might need to go up a hook size. You want the hook to be able to easily hold the thread, and the thread should “run” easily in the hook if you pull it side to side. if it’s a multi strand floss you’ll likely need quite a large needle.. and if you don’t have one big enough I’d reduce the thread count to make it thinner. In general, you’re right- working with tightly plied threads is easier because they don’t split, but sometimes you want the pretty texture of loosely plied ones, so I get it!

A great question! When you rotate it back in the travelling direction above the fabric, the thread will be caught in the hook. The act of rotating it keeps the loop from slipping off the 'back of the head' of the hook before you plunge it down for the next stitch. Technically, you could re-rotate it backwards before plunging but that'd be an extra, technically-unrequired step.

Ah yes!! I've just posted part 3, and there's a section in there where I talk about the wrap and turn direction. I don't like sharing it first-thing because I find it overwhelms people but given that you're asking that question, perhaps that was a mistake! The rule is that when you're stitching away from your body, you wrap the thread and turn the hook counterclockwise, and when you switch and stitch towards yourself, you'll wrap and turn clockwise. Around the edges (ie left and right) it's a bit of a grey area and can depend on your body's position in relation to your work but you'll get a feel for those 'edges' the more you practice. your note about mixing and matching whatever feels best is really a perfect way to think about it - if one direction causes the thread to slip off the hook, try the other direction instead :)

@@katmakes excellent, thank you! I wanted to try to get the regular stitches down before watching part three, but maybe I should anyway to have a better idea of where I’m going with the process. Thank you again, especially for commenting back on a past video!

Yes absolutely! Do keep a close eye on your tension, but you should be fine!

you can use both - the Cotton fil a gant is very much the traditional option because it's resistent enough, and super tightly spun/glazed to avoid snagging when you stitch. Nylon in my experience can sometimes be a bit more snaggy and therefore annoying to stitch with, but it's also stronger than cotton which is a bonus. I've used both, it really just depends on what your preference is and what you're trying to achieve. Also if you're learning and you have a spool of nylon already in your stash, totally go for what you have first!

It's this one! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uv6IVYEbC_8.html

Interesting!! I'd never heard of this happening but you're the second person to ask this week! The other person I spoke to was working off a spool that was positioned so that the thread was coming directly off the top of the spool, which was adding twist. We fixed the problem by repositioning the spool so the thread was unwinding off the side (you could do this either by putting your spool in a bowl so it's on its side, or moving your spool peg so it's next to you - rather than below you - depending on your setup) From your description, this sounds like a similar problem, I don't think it has anything to do with the way you're actually stitching. I am curious to know if this was the cuplrit though - please let me know how you get on!

@@katmakes thank you so much for getting back to me, I believe that you may be right because I am the one that is actually pulling the thread off the top myself, I was thinking of it similar to how my sewing machine has the thread positioned. I will make this modification and let you know if that solved the problem. Thank you again. I really appreciate you getting back with me on this.

@@katmakes I just wanted to give you a follow up on our conversation. I believe, after days and days of practicing, twisting threads, frustration, more twisting threads, and more frustration, I have finally cracked the code on why the thread was twisting in the first place. When I was doing my stitches, I would insert the needle and wrap the thread counterclockwise before pulling the loop up. I ordered a 140 needle (I was using a size 80 before) and switched to a larger thread so I could see better what was happening, and while I still can’t see why it’s twisting in the first place, I was finally able to mitigate the twisted thread when I started wrapping said thread around the needle clockwise before pulling up the loop. I’m not sure if this is the correct way to do it, but it has solved my problem and now I feel I can progress on to adding beads. So yay! I do also have the thread positioned so that it is pulling off the spool from the top just like it would if it was on a sewing machine. So that could also be contributing, but I know it wasn’t the complete solution because the thread was still twisting slightly Before I switched to wrapping in a different direction. I want to thank you again for your help, and for the content you post here on RU-vid. I am not really on Instagram so what you provide here is what I get. I hope we all get to see more Tambor embroidery here on your channel soon.

I use a size 70 with the fil a gant thread, or if I'm adding beads from the top - a size 80 for the gutermann hand quilting thread, and a 90 or 100 when working with thicker metallic and silk threads 🥰

Also, could I tambour on silk gauze or silk chiffon voile or is it too loosely woven?

Ooooh this is a good question! I don't have any direct experience as a lefty and I also haven't seen any videos of any left handed Tambour artists but I'll keep an eye out! A couple of ideas/a train of thought - - the fact that it isn't a problem when you just use the hook to practice makes me think you have the motion down, so something else is happening - could it be thread related? fabric aside, does the thread glide easily in the hook size you're using? Could you be wrapping in the wrong direction (I covered wrap direction in video 3, right after this one, watch that video if you haven't already, this is my best guess given what you've described) - how does your thread tension feel? too tight? Could try loosening that? - are you holding the handle straight up and down, perpendicular to the fabric as you pull the hook up? It's all kinds of hard to diagnose this via text, but if you can capture a video of your stitching, and how everything looks when it snags, please send me a DM on instagram (kat.makes) (or an email - hellokat.makes at gmail) - on IG, you'll have to send some little text message first so I can accept before it lets you send the video but I can help you troubleshoot that way! Also: After you figure out the silk organza, you can certainly try gauze or chiffon - the issue will be less that it's too loosely woven and more that the crepe-spun nature of the threads will make them even more prone to snagging. It's possible, but it's tricky 😅

Unfortunately yeah, I've had quite a few messages from people who've had issues with the quality of the amazon supplies.. If you're in the US, i adore Maydel for supplies (this is an affiliate link, just google "Maydel" if you're not keen on that! I recommend the shop either way!!) maydel.com/product/tambour-handle-for-luneville-embroidery/?mdlaff=25

@@katmakes ah thanks! Yeah I'm in the UK. I'll see if I can find one locally. I presume the needle isn't meant to wiggle wide too side then?

No it definitely is not! It should be very stable and secure! Also if you can find “German made” or Schmetz brand hooks in the listing that is a good sign of quality! There are some off-brands out there with hooks that can have burrs on them; which is another issue the Amazon folks I’ve spoken to have run into

I am so sorry I'm slow! Thank you for holding me accountable! I'm putting the finishing touches on it now but it'll have to process for a few hours, so either tonight or first thing in the morning!