You already know how to use a Luneville hook. You can make a chain, work with beads and sequins and understand how the technique works.
But what happens when you want to use all of that on an actual garment?
1984 is an advanced Luneville embroidery course built around one complete project — an embroidered blouse.
We start before the embroidery begins: choosing the right fabric, deciding whether to sew the blouse or use a ready-made one, preparing the frame and understanding how the garment needs to be handled.
Then we embroider.
And we do not stop when the last sequin is attached. I also show what happens afterwards: how to remove the film used for the embroidery, how to wash the finished blouse and how to look after it.
Knowing how to use the hook and knowing how to make an embroidered garment are two different things.
A sample is forgiving. A blouse is not.
You need to think about the fabric. You need to understand how you are going to get it onto the frame. If you are using a ready-made garment, you need to know whether it is suitable before you buy it. If you are sewing the blouse yourself, you need to decide at what stage the embroidery should be done.
And once it is finished, you need to know whether you can actually wash it.
These are the things I wanted to cover in 1984.
The embroidery itself is important, of course, but the course is also about the decisions around it — the things that turn embroidery into a finished, wearable piece rather than another exercise on a frame.
You do not have to sew the blouse from scratch.
You can choose a suitable pattern and embroider the cut piece before assembling the garment.
You can work directly on a ready-made one.
I explain what to look for when choosing a blouse, what fabrics are suitable for this project and what I would avoid.
The course includes the embroidery design for 1984
If you want to make the same project with another four-digit year, you can order a different design separately.
First, purchase the course. Then send me an enquiry with the year you would like to use. After payment for the additional design, I will prepare and provide your individual version.
This means you can use the project for a year that is personal to you while following the same course and construction principles.
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1984 is not designed for complete beginners.
You should already know how to use a Luneville hook and be comfortable with the basic principles of the technique.
You do not need years of experience, but this is not the course in which I teach how to hold the hook or make your first stitches.
If you are starting from zero, begin with my Introduction to Luneville Embroidery course. It covers the foundations you need before moving on to a project like this.
The course is based on a series of detailed webinars following the project from preparation through to finishing and care.
Alongside the lessons, you have supporting materials for the project, including the 1984 design and materials information, as well as access to the private 1984 Student Group, where you can share your progress, materials and questions.
The recordings also include questions from students and additional explanations that came from those questions. I think this part is particularly useful because these are often exactly the small practical details that appear only once you actually start making something.
The course will continue to develop with additional supporting material where it is useful for the project.
Of course, I want you to make the blouse.
But I also want you to finish the course understanding much better how to approach this kind of project yourself.
When you see another blouse, dress or piece of fabric that you want to embroider, I want you to be able to look at it and think:
Will this fabric work?
Can I put this garment onto a frame?
Should I embroider it before or after sewing?
How much embroidery can the fabric support?
And what am I going to do with the garment once the embroidery is finished?
Those decisions are a big part of making embroidery wearable.
1984 gives you one complete project in which to learn them.
1984 is an advanced project, but it is not the only way to continue developing your Luneville embroidery.
Choose a course depending on where you are now and what you want to practise next.
If you are not yet confident with the hook, start here. This course takes you through the foundations of Luneville embroidery from the beginning and gives you the skills you need before moving on to projects such as 1984.
A good project if you want to practise working with sequins and less conventional threads using the Luneville hook. The course gives you a chance to work with materials that are not usually part of basic Luneville practice, while creating a finished floral composition.
If you want to move into a larger and more ambitious embroidery project, this one gives you much more space to work with. The design is bold, detailed and allows you to use Luneville embroidery across a substantial surface rather than a small sample.
To get started with this technique, you’ll need a proper Luneville hook — also known as a tambour hook
Many mass-produced versions don’t hold the needle securely, which is why I now stock a small range of EU-made tambour hooks with ash wood handles and brass fittings — the same ones I use in my studio.
Simple, durable choice for daily practice
Elegant carved design with a wand-like look
Bold striped finish for those who prefer a distinctive tool