Embroidery with Margarete Grandjot.

Motivated, Margarete began to work intensively with this technique. She quickly became fascinated by a piece of fine linen, embroidery thread and an embroidery needle. To this day, Margarete has never managed to prove to herself that she can't do it.

In 1994, her dream became reality: the embroidery studio opened its doors and a hobby turned into a "full-time job of the heart". Various further training courses and the intensive "Living Textile Design" course have greatly expanded the range of courses on offer to participants. These include black embroidery, needle painting, stramin and gold embroidery, needle lace, tassels, ajour, monogram, Richelieu, Jacobean and hemstitch embroidery. Margarete has been coming to Chesa Monte****S in Fiss every year since 2004, and the enthusiasm of the participants is unbroken - many have been there since the beginning.

Schwalm white embroidery is a traditional craft technique from the Schwalm region in Hesse, which has been officially recognized as "Intangible Cultural Heritage" since 2024. Various motifs are embroidered with white thread on tightly woven linen, combining surface, openwork and cut-out embroidery. Stylized hearts, tulips, baskets, circles and birds are arranged into contour patterns. The spaces in between are densely filled with tendrils, leaves and flowers.

Originally, bedspreads, parade cushions, door towels and clothing were used as embroidered objects. Over time, tablecloths, centerpieces and table runners were added. Today, the technique is only mastered by a small group.

In the annual workshop, Margarete Grandjot teaches embroidery using traditional Schwalm techniques. Participants can learn the different embroidery techniques step by step, develop their creativity and design their own projects. Beautiful things please the eye and the soul - as an old Chinese saying goes: "Beautiful things please the eye and the soul."