Traveling Couple Embroiders the European Architecture They See During Their Visits

Sometimes our passions draw us to our partners, and that’s the case with French-Swedish textile artists Charles Henry and Elin Petronella. After they had their first date in a small cafe in Paris, they knew that they shared the same love for art. The two artists travel the world and embroider designs inspired by architecture. Known as Le Kadre, their mission is to “inspire and motivate people to create” and each of their cityscapes encapsulates the couple’s travels and favorite streets and buildings found in European neighborhoods.

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Each of them has their own role—Elin focuses on the details of buildings and the urban elements, while Charles pays attention to the color of stitching, which results in beautiful embroidery patters.

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They’ve documented it all, from the flower-filled balconies and bohemian streets of Paris to the colorful port towns of Denmark. Each of their works start with a sketch and is then transformed into freehand embroidery. While the two artists have distinct styles, they manage to blend them into one cohesive style.

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Some of their work has simple black thread outlines while the surrounding plants, trees, and skies are made with bright, swirling lines, while other pieces have primary-colored stitches to show vibrant buildings in the towns.

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The couple teaches workshops and e-courses and if you already know how to stitch, you can buy and download PDF patterns of the Le Kadre designs from their website.

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