Tentakulum Painters Threads – A Journey into Adventure
🎨 How it all began – The history of Tentakulum Painters Threads
The story of Tentakulum Painters Threads is inextricably linked to the life journey of Bärbel-Ingeborg Zimber (BIZ) –
a woman who has been combining various art forms since her youth.
Her intensive engagement with hand embroidery soon led her to the great names in art,
especially those who themselves experimented with textile techniques
or whose works were inspired by textile structures.
She was particularly fascinated by the artists of Blauer Reiter –
especially Kandinsky, Klee, Macke and Marc,
but also Gabriele Münter and Marianne von Werefkin
accompanied her on her artistic journey.
This examination gave rise to the desire,
to combine color, shape, and textile in a new way –
and this is exactly where the Painters Threads grew from:
Thread collections that look like painted pictures.
Immerse yourself in this colorful world – and discover
how art and textile combine to create something very unique.
Full of creativity.
Full of expression.
And always a little different.
🧵How color became thread
the birth of Painters Threads
The first picture that BIZ wanted to translate into a textile technique was „Der Kreuzberg bei Bonn“ –
a delicate watercolor-chalk work by August Macke.
The idea was clear:
The thread should not consist of uniform, repeating color sequences,
but rather reflect a lively composition of the colors used –
like a painted picture.
After many weeks of intensive tinkering and experimenting
with a wide variety of dyeing methods,
BIZ developed her own technique:
The Painters technique –
a method in which threads are not simply dyed,
but “painted” with color.
This technique expresses exactly what the small dyeing manufactory wants to convey:
🎨 Exclusivity, expression, extravagance.
Each piece of thread is unique – a small work of art in itself.
💡 From experiment to enthusiasm
When the first thread project was finished, it quickly became clear:
The reactions were overwhelming.
Students of the International School for Textile Arts (today: Akademie für Textiles Gestalten)
and visitors alike were thrilled –
and immediately wanted to work with this special thread themselves.
Initially, the plan was to use the threads only for a series of embroidery packs,
which should deal with the implementation of paintings in textile techniques.
But this project got stuck in the planning phase –
and the thread simply became independent.
However it happened –
suddenly the Painters Threads landed
in the hands of cross-stitch designers.
And they immediately fell in love with the thread.
The wheel started moving.
🌈 An idea becomes a movement
BIZ was delighted with the positive feedback –
but she also knew:
This type of hand dyeing cannot simply be standardized.
Each dyeing is different,
each batch a small surprise.
But textile enthusiasts are not deterred by something like that –
on the contrary!
The technique was refined, perfected –
series production began.
This is how the Painters Threads were born.
🖌️ Names with a history
Each color bears the name of an artist:
The last names for painters (e.g. Macke),
the first names for female painters (e.g. Frida).
There is only one exception:
ClaudeM – as a homage to the unforgettable Claude Monet
(the name Monet is protected by copyright in DE and EU).
The colors themselves are inspired by the typical color moods of the respective artists:
Colors that they used particularly often –
or those that are iconic for a particular work.
📦 Collectibles with a core
Today, Tentakulum Painters Threads have a loyal
and steadily growing worldwide fan base.
Many collect the colors, look forward to each new dyeing –
and rediscover them again and again.
And the maker of Tentakulum Painters Threads?
She is still amazed
at how a small idea has become such a great joy for so many.
A thread that inspires.
And connects.
👉 You can find the current colors and links to the artists here.
The multi-colored threads with the most natural color gradient ever
📦 From the skein to the spool
The evolution of Painters Threads
In the beginning, everything was still manageable:
Ten skeins per color, five different thread qualities –
that’s how the story of Tentakulum Painters Threads began.
Nobody would have guessed back then
that the company would one day offer over
40 different textile products in
over 40 colors.
Today, around
100,000 skeins and fabrics
find their way all over the world every year –
and give the projects of the students of the
Akademie für textiles Gestalten
a very special character.
🔄 Growing means changing
Of course, this path was not without challenges.
The processes before and after dyeing had to be rethought.
And how often did those responsible have to listen to the question:
“Why have you changed the packaging again?”
(The honest answer: There were a total of five since 1995…)
With each growth spurt came new requirements,
more variants, more thread, more work.
Especially the winding and labeling of the strands was a challenge
that could not simply be outsourced.
Even the most diligent hands eventually reached their limits.
🛍️ Header bags – an intermediate step
A first big solution were the Headerbags – practical, but not ideal.
Procurement was difficult because the market was geared towards large customers.
Some materials such as Soie de Paris or Soie Ovale also simply did not fit well inside.
And again it was clear: Packaging is manual work – and eats up time.
🔁 Snap coils: cleverly wound
The brilliant idea came with the Snap-Spools –
a packaging solution that is becoming more and more popular.
Also in hand embroidery
Many customers now also use them for leftover threads
or creative upcycling projects:
from colorful curtains to textile jewelry.
The possibilities are endless.
And last but not least:
Snap-Spools are more resource-friendly than paper spools –
and in this case come from European production.
💡 What remains?
A clear realization:
Packaging is more than just a cover –
it is part of the product.
And it has to grow with it –
just like the company itself.
Today, Tentakulum Painters Threads have a loyal
and steadily growing worldwide fan base.
Many collect the colors,
look forward to each new dyeing –
and rediscover them again and again.
The first “real” day of school. The exciting learning of BIZ begins! Because the handicraft teachers of the first hour have already laid the foundation for everything that was to come…
The “crowning” conclusion that ultimately led to the creation of the Tentakulum: the ceremonial awarding of the certificate as “Certified Embroideress” of the RSN (London) by a “real” Duchess!
BIZ has had many wild jobs in her life, but she particularly likes this one: When the washing machine loses its balance again, she simply opposes hers and places herself on the washing machine during the spin cycle! It is always an amusing balancing act. 😄
Our trainees were then also allowed to practice sorting the threads neatly after a trade fair visit.
Even though it is spools today, it sometimes feels just as much like a happy Sisyphean task! 🔄😄
It takes an hour or two to get our trade fair stands looking like this.
At trade fairs, our trainees had a lot of fun in addition to their work (like here at the h+h cologne trade fair for handicrafts) –
especially when they were amazed at how many men in suits and ties are on the road at a trade fair for handicrafts! 🤵✨😄
Not much has changed in the hand dyeing process to this day… The dyeing specialist still spends hours in the dye works every week
and enjoys turning white strands into colorful ones.
The production has become a little more modern when it comes to assembly.
Three semi-automatic winding machines are the little helpers here.
Still a lot of manual work, but it’s just faster….
The winding machine was our first achievement.
It provides us with strong support in our work, even if the winding technique has now
fortunately automated a little more.
Sometimes even the master of the house has to dive into the world of ironing adventure and tame the ironing machine! 🌪️💼😄
Trade fairs are only ever possible with much loved helpers like Manuela from Nadel und Faden in Freiburg at the L’Aiguille en fete in Paris.
Jan and BIZ at the TNNA trade fair for handicrafts in Indianapolis (US),
where they represented the American distribution of Painters Threads “threadnuts“.
Sometimes we also use the great outdoors for drying, as here with AMC cards:
simply put them outside and hope that no unexpected rain or storm comes up! 🌤️😊
Our Mixed Colors also like to take a bath in the tub. Like here, for example, cocoons!
We don’t want to withhold this heartfelt picture of two of our trainees from you.
You certainly don’t find such loving shipping anywhere! 🌟💕
Beautiful colorful world, even when drying, the process is still almost the same as at the beginning of the adventure.