3D Beaded Coral Reefs with Imogen Melissa

Location: Hand & Lock School for Embroidery & Creative Arts, 86 Margaret Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1W 8TE
Duration: Half Day Workshop (3 hours tuition) 

Join Imogen, founder of Imogen Melissa, for an introduction to 3D beading and embroidery. In this workshop, you will learn a variety of 3D beading techniques Imogen uses to create her coral-inspired artworks. At the start of the workshop, you can choose your kit colour from an array of appealing palettes. The kits contain everything we will need for the session. You’ll be introduced to all the materials and tools used for beading, along with the different shapes and sizes of seed beads. Imogen will teach each technique one at a time, ensuring everyone has mastered it before moving on to the next. Hand embroidery and beadwork look brilliant with beading, French knots, and seed stitch will be taught to accompany your beadwork. Unlock a whole new world of embroidery with beading in this workshop. It’s going to be your next craft obsession! Your coral-inspired embroidery will grow over the session, and you can take your kit home with you to finish your hoop. Along with the booklet, which contains the video instructions to remind you of any techniques taught in the session. You will have full assistance from Imogen throughout the workshop to help you master each technique. She will also be on hand to thread any needles throughout the workshop. Have a mindful moment embroidering and beading the session away. More beads, kits and other beaded embroidery tools and materials will also be available to buy at the end of the workshop.

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Imogen’s inspiration for this piece comes from the world of high-fashion embellishment— think couture Chanel creations crafted in Parisian ateliers. This project is intended as a full-day experience: we’ll build each embellishment step by step, learning how to form intricate, jewel-like details. By the end of the session, you’ll have a beautifully completed hoop—along with plenty of inspiration and techniques to bring into your own beadwork. Texture is at the heart of Imogen’s practice. She treats beads as tiny building blocks, layering them to form richly tactile, sculptural surfaces. Forever curious, she delights in learning new techniques and reimagining existing ones—experimentation is where her creativity thrives.

During this course with Imogen you will learn how to:

• Bead Stacking (single bead & multiple beads)

• Sequin Stacking (single & multiple sequins) 

• Sequin work (laying flat or folding)

• Bugle bead stacking

• Beaded Fringing/Tassels

• French Knots

• Seed Stitch

You will be given a full course kit with everything you need to take part. All materials and tools are provided, so you only need to bring yourself.

If you would prefer, you are welcome to bring your own mug for refreshments and your own drawing materials. This is entirely optional and not required for the course.

Imogen is an embroidery artist based in Surrey, England, and the founder of Imogen Melissa. After graduating in 2018, she built her career as a freelance embroiderer in both fashion and interiors, working with Mary Katrantzou, M Industry London, and Helen Amy Murray. Her work has been exhibited in London and across Europe. In 2020, Imogen launched Imogen Melissa with the aim of modernising perceptions of embroidery - one bead at a time. She creates intricate embroideries with playful colour combinations, reimagining them as contemporary artworks for the home. What began as selling original artworks soon grew into something new: a limited run of embroidery kits, designed so customers could enjoy beaded embroidery at home. The kits quickly sold out, sparking a new direction for the brand. Today, Imogen loves designing fresh beaded embroidery and jewellery kits for the modern maker - always experimenting with colour palettes and providing clear, easy-to-follow video instructions. In 2025, Imogen’s Freshwater Pearl & Bead Bracelet Kit was awarded Best Jewellery Kit by Prima Magazine. That same year, her debut book, All New 20-To Make: Beaded Jewellery, was published, featuring 20 step-by-step projects to try at home. Her work has also been recognised in the wider embroidery community: in July 2025, Imogen appeared on the cover of Stitch Magazine, with an exclusive project and interview - a proud moment celebrating her dedication to the craft.