Discontinued embroidery kits: why SEG and Margot de Paris are collector's items

There's a question we're getting more and more often at the haberdashery: "will this kit be manufactured again?" And with French needlepoint kits, the answer is almost always no. SEG de Paris and Margot de Paris discontinued many of their designs years ago, and what remains in circulation is, literally, the last there is.

What it means for a kit to be discontinued

A discontinued kit is a design that the manufacturer stopped printing. The canvas for these kits was screen-printed in color with the complete work, with its selected wools skein by skein for that specific design. When the company removes the design from its catalog, it is not reprinted: the units remaining in haberdasheries and warehouses are the final stock.

That's why you'll see them in second-hand markets at surprisingly high prices, and that's why more and more embroiderers are buying them not only to embroider, but as small investments in their hobby.

Why SEG and Margot de Paris are special

These two French houses marked the golden age of European needlepoint. Their reproductions of Klimt, Van Gogh, or Monet, and their French genre scenes, have a print quality and color selection that is extremely expensive to produce today. An SEG kit from the 80s-90s comes with single-strand virgin wool dyed in France; there is no modern equivalent to that level of detail.

How to tell if your kit is a sought-after piece

• The signature on the canvas: SEG de Paris and Margot de Paris printed their brand on the margin.
• Works by famous painters: Klimt and Van Gogh reproductions are the most sought-after internationally.
• Complete and unstarted kit: intact canvas and all original wools multiply its interest.

Where to find them today

In our store, we have been rescuing final units from these brands: you can see them in the Discontinued items return collection — for most, only one unit remains, exactly as they left the factory. And if you are looking for a specific work that you don't see, write to us: sometimes we manage to locate specific references.

If you are still undecided between techniques, in this guide we tell you about the differences between needlepoint and cross stitch.