The Luneville crochet
The Luneville crochet (known in French as "crochet de Luneville") is a unique tool developed by Louis Ferry in 1865 in France. Its name is derived from the town in East France that shares the same name.
The Luneville crochet (known in French as "crochet de Luneville") is a unique tool developed by Louis Ferry in 1865 in France. Its name is derived from the town in East France that shares the same name.
This tool features a wooden handle and a hook needle (similar to a fishing hook but much smaller and operated by a screw).
The question arises as to how this concept originated and why this particular tool was created.
The concept was inspired by the Cornely sewing machine that was invented around the same time to mechanically chainstitch fabric. Louis Ferry envisioned a similar needle hook for hand embroidery that would apply beads and sequins more efficiently in Haute Couture.
This delicate tambour hook is still utilized in renowned fashion houses such as Dior, Chanel, and Schiaparelli to craft exquisite garments in Haute Couture.
The challenge lies in the fact that the application of beads and sequins is done from the underside of a stretched fabric on the tambour frame. Since the fabric is sometimes opaque, our fingers act as our eyes.
The advantage of this tool is that it can easily apply the smallest seed beads (like the 22" size which is no longer available) without difficulty, and sequins can always be positioned correctly because they are already threaded.
