Beaded & Embellished Motifs with Imogen Melissa

Location: Hand & Lock School for Embroidery & Creative Arts, 86 Margaret Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1W 8TE
Duration: 1 Day Workshop (10am - 4:30pm) 

Join Imogen, founder of Imogen Melissa, for an introduction to 3D beading. In this workshop, you will learn a variety of 3D beading techniques to create these exquisite beaded embellishments. We will be working in pale pink and gold tones for the session. Everything you need for the workshop will be supplied in a kit for the day 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 one embellishment at a time, demonstrating how they are formed before you get to have a go yourself.  You will have full assistance from Imogen throughout the workshop to help you master each technique. It will be a very relaxed environment to learn a new skill.  Unlock a whole new world of embroidery with beading in this workshop. It’s going to be your next craft obsession! We will also back our embroidery hoops with a piece of felt to complete the hoop.  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 the piece is high fashion embellishments, think couture Chanel pieces in Parisian ateliers! I wanted to create a piece which will be a project for the day, we’ll work the embellishments one at a time to understand how to form these jewel-like embellishments. We should hopefully complete the hoop by the end of the session, giving you lots of inspiration for 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:

• Embellishing with beads

• Embellishing with sequins

• Forming 3D beaded and sequin motifs

• Bead stacking & layering

• Bugle bead work  

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.