Fankhauser quill embroidery Thiersee

Decoration with tradition

He carefully takes the peacock feather between two fingers. The blue and green tones shimmer mesmerizingly in the light of the lamp. But Thiersee resident Christian Fankhauser is unfazed by the colours. He's much more interested in the quill, which he slowly divides into narrow strips. The exact manufacturing process of the fine threads is a well-kept secret, but they determine the quality of the money pouch that will be embroidered with the quill.

Personality embroidered in leather

A future client leaves Christian Fankhauser's workshop. He was there for an hour. This is how long Christian Fankhauser needs to ask about and get a feel for the client's taste. For the quill embroiderer it's a matter of honour, as the embroidery turns every money pouch into a business card. He also lets his knowledge about the traditional dress of the client's region influence the design. Attention is paid to typical colours or processing methods. When designing the decoration he is inspired by the ornate embroidery of the late Biedermeier style, and creates an individual motif. "I don't ever want to make two money pouches exactly the same", is his ambitious goal. Often he embroiders family crests, city coats of arms or initials onto the money pouches. It takes a while before a money pouch is finished. A long time. A very long time. It takes him between 80 to 200 hours to sew and embroider one item. It's work that requires a lot of passion, but the trained chef stumbled upon it by accident.

Knowledge as a key to tradition

"Actually I just wanted to order a money pouch for my wedding", he starts to explain, while separating the next thread. "Everywhere I asked I was going to have to wait forever for one, but then a quill embroiderer took me under his wing and showed me how to embroider my own money pouch." As well as money pouches Christian Fankhauser now also embroiders belts, handbags, wallets and suspenders. The quill embroiderer values regionality in the materials he uses. The leather comes from local production. He has fastenings made in Aschau. At a workshop that is as small and traditional as his own. Anyone who wants to learn more about quill embroidery can, by arrangement, visit the Thiersee workshop of Christian Fankhauser.