Broderie Anglaise Dress by Area

English Embroidery (Broderie Anglaise) Calculator

English embroidery (you'll also see it called broderie anglaise or Madeira embroidery) is a whitework technique. It mixes oval and round eyelet holes, each one outlined by buttonhole stitches over a tightly woven cotton base. When you need to price a dress or work out the labor, you take the embroidered area in square centimeters and multiply by a unit cost: total = area × unit cost. For reference, industrial embroidered fabric on the roll is sold by the linear meter, whereas custom hand work gets quoted by cm² or by how many eyelets there are.

It caught on in 19th-century England, during Queen Victoria's reign, once fashion turned to white cotton dresses with delicate openwork. These days most of the industrial output comes out of China and South Korea on Schiffli looms. Madeira Island in Portugal, on the other hand, has held onto the certified hand-embroidery tradition, complete with an official seal of origin.

Applications

Summer blouses and tops, children's dresses, christening gowns, lingerie, sleepwear, table linen, handkerchiefs, home decor curtains. You'll also find it all over resort wear and bohemian summer collections, where it's usually paired with linen or voile.

FAQ

What fabric is best for English embroidery? Go with a tightly woven cotton such as cambric, percale or batiste, so the eyelet holes won't unravel. Linen and a high-thread-count voile work too.

How to care for an embroidered dress? Hand wash it, or use a gentle cycle at 30°C with a mild soap. Dry it in the shade, and when you iron, work from the reverse over a soft towel so the relief stays crisp.

How long does hand embroidery take? Figure 4–6 hours for a 100 cm² panel of simple eyelets if you're experienced. Intricate floral designs can easily take several times that.