Monogramming at Emma Willis

‘Setting out from our Gloucester Factory ready for a weekend of monogramming with the experts at Hand & Lock was a very exciting prospect.

Hand & Lock produce the world’s finest hand embroidery.  Since 1767 they have crafted bespoke embroideries for a huge range of exclusive clients.

The monogramming course took place in the embroidery room at Hand & Lock; for us it was a treasure trove and gave us a great insight into the work they do.  Boxes of brightly coloured threads, drawers full of beads and sequins as well as incredible Goldwork and Tambour beading pieces filled the room.

We were taught by Hand & Lock’s Head Embroiderer, Janika, whose extensive knowledge, experience and pure skill was astounding.

Day one of the weekend workshop was spent getting to know some basic stitches that would lay the foundations for a number of monogram fonts.  To begin with we learnt that drawing out the monogram is a very crucial stage as it confirms the design and defines the end result.

The hand embroidery is the next stage, which takes time and precision.  Measuring the height of each letter and ensuring equal stitch length and angles are paramount to the success of the monogram.

Day two was challenging as we learnt how to embroider a more detailed font with loops and cross overs.  Maintaining the angle of the stitches over the spine of the letters proved to be quite difficult and needed a great deal of concentration.

The course provided us with invaluable skills, knowledge and techniques, which built upon our existing embroidery experience.

At Emma Willis we have spent time creating our own unique font styles as well as transferring the skills we have learnt enabling us to offer our very own in-house monogramming service.’

– Helen Pritchard