At Hand & Lock we love a good collaboration and our recent project with Kew Gardens was something really special. Mixing embroidery with the incredible world of botany was an absolute dream and we couldn’t have asked for a better team to work with.
Where it began
It started a few months before the course, with an invite to explore the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew Gardens. We were given the most amazing tour by one of Kew’s expert gardeners who showed us around and shared some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories. From the lush tropical zones to the incredible carnivorous plants like Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula) and pitcher plants (Nepenthes) every corner was packed with
inspiration. We left feeling completely in awe and full of ideas, ultimately deciding on two beautiful plants from the conservatory to base our goldwork embroidery samples on and that’s when things really started coming to life.
A Visit to the Herbarium
Georgia - who was an absolute star throughout this whole process - then organised a visit to Kew’s Herbarium - what a place! With over seven million preserved plant specimens it’s a real treasure trove of botanical history. David, one of the experts at Kew gave us a tour and even showed us specimens from legendary expeditions including some from David Livingstone.
Seeing the pressed flower versions of our chosen plants and studying the beautiful botanical drawings gave us a whole new perspective. It was such a privilege to see these historic collections up close and it really helped us refine our designs.
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Sketching and Planning
Next we spent some time sketching in the Princess of Wales Conservatory soaking up the atmosphere and breaking down the forms of the plants. Sitting among the very specimens we were about to recreate in goldwork was such a peaceful experience - just us, our sketchbooks and the stunning surroundings of Kew.
The Goldwork Workshop
Fast forward to the end of March and we were back at Kew for the workshop. The Nash Conservatory was the perfect venue - huge windows flooding the space with natural light, birdsong in the background, and a wonderful group of students excited to dive into goldwork. Over two days we explored classic goldwork techniques like chipping and pearl purl with everyone getting stuck in and creating some truly beautiful embroidery.
Topping off the experience, Georgia arranged for the very plant we were working on to be brought from Kew’s nursery and placed in the workshop for us. Having the real-life specimen right there made such a difference and it was incredible to see the students working directly from nature.
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A Huge Thank You
We can’t thank the Kew team enough for making this whole experience so special. A huge shout out to Georgia for being an absolute gem - her enthusiasm, knowledge, and coordination made everything run so smoothly. And of course thank you to all the wonderful students who joined us. It was such a joy to spend two days stitching and chatting in such a magical setting.
Testimonials
"Working with Lucy, Freya, and Daisy on the bespoke two-day Goldwork Embroidery course at Kew Gardens was a fantastic experience. Their expertise, passion, and engaging teaching style made the workshop seamless and inspiring. Customer feedback was overwhelmingly positive, praising the excellent tuition, friendly atmosphere, and the opportunity to create beautiful work under expert guidance." - Georgia, Kew Gardens
'The Kew Gardens location was lovely, it was so wonderful to spend two days stitching in the conservatory - and so lucky with nice weather!'
'Kew is an absolutely amazing venue for classes. I loved the class and could have done a week-long course if it had been offered.'
'The Kew Gardens location was wonderful, I liked that the design connected with a plant from the garden and was so special that it was in the space with us so we could gain inspiration.'
'My favourite part was the location! It was absolutely glorious and the Nash Conservatory was perfect for hand embroidery. All natural light and airy. The course teaching was great and the tutors were on hand all the time. The Kew staff were so lovely and so welcoming it made me feel relaxed from the start. I actually don’t think anything could have been better....except for it to have been a day longer! We were so fortunate with the weather and sitting outside at lunchtime was a welcome break.'
'I absolutely loved the set up of this workshop, it was very relaxed and the location was really lovely. The teaching was very detailed and there’s was constant help so you never felt stuck on a technique, I had a really lovely time learning a new embroidery skill and getting to know the teachers who were really lovely and friendly and the others involved in the workshop.'
Want to Work With Us?
This workshop was something really special and we’d love to do more collaborations like this! If you’re part of a museum, costume, house, school, university or any other institution that would love to work with us on an embroidery project, drop us an email at school@handembroidery.com
For more info on our workshops and upcoming events check out our School for Embroidery and Creative Arts.
Author: Lucy Martin
