Passing on Passementerie

A selection of passementerie items that Alison made during her 3 days of 1-2-1 tuition at my studio, including tassels, rosettes, cords, bullion skirts, acorns and more. My wonderful vintage style sign goes rather well with Alison’s colour palette!

Over the past few days, I had the pleasure of working one-to-one with Alison in my studio, where she came to learn an array of traditional passementerie techniques as part of her Heritage Crafts bursary. She learnt how to create all manner of tassels and acorns, rosettes, bullion fringes, cords and more. 

We began with the art of the key tassel — pictured here — starting with a technique called satin shading to wrap the wooden mould, followed by constructing the tassel skirt, spinning her own cord by hand, and creating the ‘ruff’ — that little crown-like puff that tops the tassel.

Day two was devoted to the intricate and rarely taught techniques of rosette making. Traditionally used to adorn curtains, bolster cushions and sofa arms, rosettes also lend themselves beautifully to contemporary jewellery, brooches, and statement accessories. Alison made two stunning examples: a classic snailed rosette (front) and a luxurious velvet rosette (back).

On our final day, we turned to more heritage-inspired delights — including this charming covered acorn, made playful and modern in Alison’s vibrant orange and blue palette. Acorns have such an enduring appeal and have been used frequently within passementerie design over the centuries. The acorn is topped with a little cap made from a very special technique called Netting.

It was such a joy to share these time-honoured techniques and see them reimagined through fresh eyes. If you would like to join me in my studio for 1-2-1 tuition, please get in touch.