A Christmas gift ✨

French craftsmanship wrapped in gold stitches and gratitude

Dear friends,

As the year gently comes to a close, I wanted to offer you a small Christmas gift — one made of stitches, light, and time.

During a recent visit to Palais Galliera for the exhibition Tisser, Broder, Sublimer – les savoir-faire de la mode, I filmed a short, precious moment of an 1815 hand embroidery from the Maison Planès, an exceptional French court embroiderer whose name, like so many others, has quietly slipped into history. The curators, an amazing and lovely team, put magnifying glasses near these embroidery samples, which allowed me to zoom in and bring this to you: what a great idea! This exhibition is particularly dear to me, as I had the honor of contributing to both the exhibition room texts and the catalogue (which as four different beautiful covers and that you can purchase online).

This embroidery comes from a world before industrial shine existed — and yet it glows with extraordinary richness. Satin stitch in gold thread for the leaves, gold, silver smooth and frilled bullion for the flowers and pomegranat, rhinestones… dozens of materials, all orchestrated with breathtaking mastery.

Details of this beautiful sample from 1815 made by Maison Planès

So many maisons like Planès rest quietly in museum collections, just like my adored Rébé and Kitmir were a few years ago. They remain unknown, unexplored for decades, waiting for curious eyes and attentive hands like ours to find them. My favorite museum in the US, the Cooper Hewitt (I used to cross the park often to go there and I visit every time I’m in NY) keeps some beautiful French samples from the same period. Here are three of them:

These embroidery samples haven been in their original paper enclosures for over 200 years, preserving their brilliant color and pristine condition. The samples likely represent designs for men’s coats although embroidery houses could produce designs on any fabric according to a client’s wishes. While consumers in Paris could visit the marchand-merciers (retailers) to see samples in person, these paper envelopes were highly portable, meaning selling agents could take orders from customers far removed from the city center.

I love thinking that by sharing these moments and these treasures with you, I can help bring these super talented and forgotten ateliers back into the light, stitch by stitch. It has become sort of a life mission for me and I’m so honored and happy it resonates with you.

This is my Christmas wish for you:
✨ many moments of wonder, now and in the coming year
✨ time to look closely, at works of art but also at nature and all the beauty that surrounds us
✨ inspiration drawn from the past to nourish the present, just like I try to bring to you during my workshops and trips.

Thank you for being here — from all corners of the world — reading, learning, travelling with me, stitching together from afar (don’t fret, a new online workshop is coming soon in February), and dreaming with me. I truly think of this online space as a circle of friends, bound by threads, curiosity, and love for textile beauty.

What’s coming next ✨

In the next newsletter, I’ll be sharing my most inspiring textile and embroidery moments of 2025 — exhibitions, encounters, travels, discoveries, and the images that stayed with me long after the year unfolded. Many of you are part of those lovely moments that I cherish.

And shortly after, I’ll take you with me into the future, as I share the trips and textile adventures I’m dreaming of for 2026 — places, savoir-faire, and journeys I cannot wait to explore together.

Until then, I wish you a peaceful, luminous Christmas, filled with beauty, rest, and inspiration.

From my eyes to yours, with gratitude and warmth,

Nadia ✨