Sculptural Beaded Butterfly in Tambour Embroidery

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

Duration: 3 Week Embroidery Course (1 x 2.5 hour session per week for 3 consecutive weeks)

Join Lucy Martin and Charlotte Gaunt for a three week online course where you’ll create a delicate goldwork butterfly with a translucent, layered effect. This class focuses on exploring light, texture and movement, combining tambour and stumpwork techniques to give your butterfly a sense of dimension above the fabric.

You’ll work on fine silk organza, layering gold threads to build airy wings and adding small gold beads for subtle highlights. Your butterfly will be placed over a dark navy and gold foxglove print designed by Charlotte Gaunt, which you’ll enhance with foiling techniques to create a soft, luminous background.

Across three focused weeks (two and a half hours per session), you’ll develop confidence in structural embroidery and gain practical experience working with metallic threads to achieve delicate three-dimensional effects. By the end of the course, you’ll have a unique embroidered piece and a deeper understanding of combining techniques for texture and movement.

Note: Some stitching outside of class may be required to complete the project.

• Check your shipping address and email are correct before ordering.

• Please read all of the course description information above and the technical and shipping information below before booking your course.

• All courses are non refundable, if you cannot attend please let us know as soon as possible and we will try to move you to another course.

• If you have any questions please check our FAQ's page here

This course is an exploration of luxury textiles and embroidery, bringing together the expertise of Charlotte Gaunt and Lucy Martin. Charlotte is a creative force in textile design and the founder of Rediscovered By, a Rutland-based studio specialising in screen-printing and contemporary textile design. Trained at Goldsmiths University and the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, she reinterprets historical textile methods for modern interiors, blending traditional techniques with a contemporary sensibility.

Her work draws inspiration from nature, creating intricate prints and motifs that are both delicate and striking. From foxglove-printed tablecloths to botanical wallpapers featuring flocked bumblebees, Charlotte’s designs celebrate the beauty and fragility of the natural world.

Lucy has collaborated with Charlotte for several years to bring the world of embroidery into the context of luxury interiors. This course was designed to combine Charlotte’s imaginative textile prints with Lucy’s expertise in goldwork and structural embroidery, giving participants the chance to explore light, texture and dimensional applied onto luxury textile base.

Embroidery has always been more than decoration. It adds personality texture and a sense of luxury to interiors. For centuries hand-stitched fabrics were used on wall hangings, cushions , drapes and upholstered furniture to show skill and style. Many of the techniques we now see in couture fashion started in interiors, with patterns inspired by nature, classical ornament and heraldry. Silk threads metallics and beads were combined to create texture and dimension for palaces, stately homes and private houses.

Today embroidery is still used in luxury interiors. Designers adapt traditional techniques on modern fabrics, mixing craft with contemporary ideas. It is not just decoration. It adds depth, movement and a personal touch while keeping the connection to centuries of skill and tradition.

• This course begins with a presentation by Charlotte on the art of foiling and the history of foiling in interior design.

• Lucy then introduces the technical elements of the course, starting with a raised embroidery technique that combines metallic threads with wiring to create the butterfly’s three-dimensional effect. She will demonstrate how to add detail with beading and metallic threads across the wings. Throughout these demonstrations, Charlotte will discuss the inspiration behind her work and the wallpaper design that has been used as the base fabric for the course.

• Charlotte will then show how to apply glue for foiling. You will be able to test this on a scrap piece of fabric that you provide. She will guide you on how to apply the glue delicately and how to iron for the best effect.

• Lucy will then demonstrate how to finish the beading and metallic thread elements. The course concludes with a demonstration on how to attach the butterfly onto the fabric.

• 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. 

• You will need to have an iron and an ironing board prepared for week 2 of the course. We would also recommend that you have a piece of fabric or baking parchment to protect your iron from the glue. 

• You will need to provide a scrap piece of fabric e.g. a piece of cotton or calico to test your glue and foil application 

• 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.