Tattooing textiles

Based in my workshop in the suburbs of Paris, I'm Cam's aka Blurry Road and I'm reviving a rare and authentic technique : chainstitch embroidery made with an old industrial machine, guided entirely by hand.

Cornely embroidery takes its name from the machine invented by French inventor Émile Cornely (1824-1913), who perfected the design developed in 1863 by engineer Antoine Bonnaz. Their goal: to imitate, using a machine, the famous Beauvais stitch, a chain stitch traditionally made by hand with a crochet hook. Émile Cornely's innovation paved the way for a greater number of stitches and richer, more varied designs.

With this technique, I guide the machine using a handle located under the machine. Each movement follows the drawing, point by point: this is what we call a hand-guided machine. I do chainstitch and moss stitch to create my various patches and custom designs.

Passionate about clothing, embroidery, and traditional American tattooing—but also about art in all its forms—I like to say that I "tattoo clothes." Each piece is unique, crafted with patience and skill, transforming a simple textile into a true canvas of expression.

My work is a blend of craftsmanship and creativity, fueled by drawing and inspired by the worlds of tattooing and cartoons that marked my youth. Through my embroideries, I try to revive these influences, to give them a new form: each stitch becomes a trace, an emotion, a story in its own right.