Berries in Hand Beading and Goldwork

Location: This course is delivered via Zoom & WhatsApp. Please click here for guides to using Zoom & WhatsApp

Duration: 4 Week Embroidery Course (1 x 2.5 hour session per week for 4 consecutive weeks) 

Join us in our virtual online embroidery course and learn with us over four weeks to create your own berries in a goldwork and beading piece. Inspired by autumnal British hedgerows and luscious berry-laden branches, this design explores contemporary hand beading and goldwork embroidery techniques. The asymmetrical design allows you to experiment with multiple hand embellishment techniques in a relaxed and friendly setting, guided by our expert tutors every step of the way.

You’ll understand the fundamentals of goldwork, preparing with padding techniques using felt and threads. You’ll learn the characteristics of different types of metal threads and how they behave, before discovering how to apply them onto the fabric for the best possible outcome. You’ll explore decorative thread work embroidery techniques and learn hand beading methods to create your berries. You’ll also learn how to apply kid leather – a fundamental appliqué technique within goldwork embroidery.

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This design takes inspiration from the rich textures and colours of British hedgerows in autumn. As the seasons shift, the branches become heavy with berries, leaves deepen in tone and a sense of quiet abundance settles in. Capturing that fleeting moment, the piece brings together vibrant beadwork and shimmering metal threads to echo the natural forms found in the countryside. The combination of structured goldwork and organic, scattered beading creates a contemporary interpretation of a classic autumnal scene.

Embroidery has always been part of haute couture, bringing texture, detail and a sense of luxury to fashion. This course focuses on hand embellishment, goldwork and beading — techniques that give layered designs depth and character. You’ll learn how to use beads, metal threads and decorative stitching to create rich, dimensional berry motifs with threadwork leaves.

Goldwork has a long and prestigious history, originating in ecclesiastical and ceremonial garments before finding its place on military uniforms and couture fashion. Traditionally worked with real metal threads, it’s a technique that brings a luminous quality and refined elegance to any design.

Hand-stitched motifs have long featured in luxury fashion, with designers using colour, layering and embellishment to create movement and richness, turning decoration into something that catches the light and adds texture. Contemporary fashion often takes inspiration from nature, using motifs like berries and foliage to balance intricate detail with open space, creating designs that feel modern yet timeless.

In this course, you’ll put these techniques into practice. You’ll explore hand beading, padding, goldwork and embellishment to build texture and dimension, giving you the skills to create your own couture-inspired embroidered berries.

• Across this special four-week Hand & Lock embroidery course, you will be introduced to a range of traditional and contemporary goldwork and embellishment techniques, building your skills step by step to create your own berry-inspired design.

• You will begin by learning the fundamentals of goldwork padding, using layers of felt to add relief and structure to your embroidery.

• Next, you will explore kid leather appliqué, learning how to prepare and apply this traditional material neatly onto the surface of your fabric.

• You will then be introduced to the fundamentals of silk shading (thread painting), discovering how to blend threads seamlessly to create smooth transitions. You’ll learn how stitch direction can shape and enhance the natural flow of your design.

• Moving on to metal threads, you will learn to prepare and apply Pearl Purl, understanding how to stretch it and stitch it down cleanly.

• You will then explore bullion application and the decorative technique of chipping using Bright Check, adding texture and sparkle to your piece.

• Next, you will build your berry clusters, adding felt padding to the berry shapes before applying hand beading to create raised, tactile surfaces.

• You will then learn padded satin stitch, a technique that builds thread work relief on the fabric, which will be used to form small flowers within the design.

• Finally, you will be introduced to passing thread, a traditional goldwork thread, and learn how to apply it using brick couching to create elegant, structured lines that complete your embroidery.

• All course materials will be sent directly to you. You will need a 10-inch seat frame, or an equivalent embroidery or slate frame, to use during the class. You will also need to provide your own basic embroidery equipment, such as scissors, needle threaders and a daylight lamp, according to your individual needs. 

• When you book the course, we will send you our Embroidery Essentials document, which outlines all the tools and equipment you might want to have ready to get the most out of your learning experience.

• A recording of each course session will be sent to you within one week of the session. You will then be able to keep and refer to this recording indefinitely.