Discover Hand & Lock's newest & most contemporary class - The ultimate Digital Embroidery Masterclass. This is a fully bespoke, 5 hour session taught on a 1-1 basis and can be organised to accommodate a date & time that suits you! Digital machine embroidery is fast becoming the go-to technique for cost effective yet creative embroidery designs that can be made in a fraction of the time of hand embroidery. Popular among contemporary fashion designers & influencers - digital embroidery is hugely versatile and can be utilised to customise, upcycle & add beautiful detail to almost any item.

Some of our recent clients and projects in the digital department have included embroidery for Casablanca's SS23 Paris showcase, personalised wedding veils and monogrammed pyjamas for Victoria Beckham. Most notably, for the Queen's Royal Jubilee performance, we fully embroidered a bespoke jacket for Brian May.

Masterclass Information:

The session will primarily cover the art of embroidery 'digitising', using our specialist software 'Wilcom'. Digitising is the process of translating an existing artwork, or designing an artwork entirely from scratch- into digital stitch form. Our software allows us to design a 'stitch file' selecting different techniques, densities, spacings & stitch angles to name a few functions- rendering the artwork into a creative digital embroidery design. This class will cover both the basics of Wilcom, as well as specialist insider tips from the H&L digital embroidery team. Students will leave the session with an understanding of the practical applications of digital embroidery and how they can go on to apply what they have learned to their own practice. It is recommended for students to come along with an artwork in mind that they would like to work on during the session. The class will also include an induction covering the basics of programming and running a digital embroidery machine. You will learn how to take your digital artwork from the screen, onto fabric. On request, we can build time into the session to sample a physical embroidery artwork on the machine. You'll have the opportunity to discuss with your tutor beforehand, to tailor the session completely to your personal requirements.

Example Itinerary:

Hour 1: Brief tour of the H&L Studios with an opportunity to view some of our digital machine embroidery samples. Wilcom Basics - we will spend the most part of the first hour going over the basic functions of Wilcom (e.g. Importing Graphics, created filled shapes & borders, Reshape tool, altering angles & densities, lettering & exporting designs etc).
 
Hour 2: In Hour 2 we will move on to exploring some of the more complex & exciting functions Wilcom has to offer and how different techniques can be blended and layered (Motif fills, Hand stitch effect, radial effect, Jagged edge effect, Contour, altering spacings etc).

Hour 3: Next you'll have the opportunity to review some of H&L's digitised designs to see how embroidery digitising is prepared at an industry standard. We'll talk about efficiency & quality checks including reviewing underlays & organising colour orders within your file. We'll also discuss setting up designs appropriately for the intended fabric base.
 
Hour 4: After a short break we will return to take a look at your artwork or design idea and discuss how we could begin to translate this into embroidery. You'll also have the unique opportunity to speak to our staff about our digital embroidery projects and gain some invaluable insights. With the guidance of staff, you'll then have some time to begin exploring the software on your own implementing some of the functions & techniques explored in the morning.

Hour 5: In the final hour of the session we will move into our machine room to do a basic digital machine induction including threading, backing, framing up and programming a design & you will have the chance to see some of our machines in action! if you are already familiar with digital embroidery machines - the last hour can be utilised to continue working on more advanced digitising techniques.

Further Info:

Our bespoke digital embroidery master classes are taught by Liss Cooke, one of our senior designers at Hand & Lock.

For more information & to discuss your requirements, expectations & proposed dates/times for the session, please contact school@handembroidery.com.

More advanced/ Intensive classes can also be discussed on request. Disclaimer - If you wish to continue your digital embroidery practice at home after the session, this will require access to software & machinery so please bear this in mind before booking a class.

All materials for the day will be provided unless you have a specific fabric base or garment that you would like to bring to work on. Upon successful completion of the class, students receive an official Hand & Lock certificate detailing the new skills mastered

* Please note, class bookings are non refundable

Testimonials:

Matt James: "Best Digitising Course of 2022, for Beginner or Intermediate Student If you've been interested in learning how to digitise, or if you want to elevate your current skills, Hand & Lock offer a fantastic digitising course for beginners and intermediate students. My 1-2-1 with the embroidery team was brilliant. WE covered the basic theory of digitising, but also explored how to manipulate stitch techniques to create the visual impact of perspective, shading and texture. Learning digitising online can be tough, you've never got all the information in one place, if you go for a lesson at Hand & Lock, you're getting one of the best embroidery studios in the world to teach you to a professional level."
   
Hannah Shkandrij: "I found my session at H&L so useful- the staff so knowledgeable. Being around such talent and such beautiful work was very inspiring. I now feel more confident moving forward digitally with my designs. I am sure I will be back, as there is so much to learn."   

Annabel Wright: "I had a 1:1 introductory lesson to digital machine embroidery at Hand & Lock. Liss was the most wonderful teacher as she explained everything super clearly from digitising my designs to operating the machine. She had amazing top tips and we could really focus on what I wanted to achieve. I would feel confident to now operate a digital embroidery machine on my own and I would thoroughly recommend a day's training here for anyone interested as it is THE place to learn!!"