London Embroidery School

Central London Embroidery School

monogramming

Let’s Take this to the Next Level

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After the success of the first part, we are building on our skills for the second part of the Monogramming Online Class Series. This time we will be introduced to the foundations of traditional monogramming in the form of stem, outline and satin stitch. We will get comfortable with using these stitches and changing from one to the other seamlessly.

Working on Denim, this style of monogramming uses some of the foundation elements of classical monogramming, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. We will work on a playful 15mm high, 2 letter monogram together; discussing angles, changing between the stitches and how to approach the letters. Showing you these stitches from several view points, from the front and back, we hope to give you a well rounded view of how to get the most out of your stitches.

Once again, there is no kit for this class, we will just be advising what you can use, a lot of which we hope you will already have at home. Where possible we offer alternatives to get you started and equipment you might like to purchase can be obtained from our website so you can just buy what you need.

The final part of this series will become available to purchase from the London Embroidery School Website from next Friday. In which we will look at smaller, serif style monogramming, the kind you might find on shirts or handkerchieves.

With that in mind, get practising on this next section and I’m sure we’ll see you again next week.

You’ve been asking for it and we have heard you!

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You’ve been asking for it, and we have been listening so today we are announcing a new online series dedicated to the Art of Monogramming! Even more excitingly as a thank-you for your seemly endless support which we have been absolutely overwhelmed by over the past few months, the first part of this series will be free!

Monogramming is a very technical area of embroidery and so for the first part, we will be taking it right back to basics and hopefully, taking away any complexity barrier that might stop you from getting started.

During this complimentary class we will encourage you to start with things you are likely to already have at home. Therefore there are no kits required for this class or indeed the rest of the series, we will just make suggestions on how you can go about approaching this way of working.

Classes 2 and 3 will build on your newly kindled interest in embroidered lettering, going into more classic styles as you build up skills.  These will become available to purchase from the London Embroidery School Website on the two following Fridays. Although these classes are a series, each part will focus on a particular approach to lettering and so can also be enjoyed as a stand alone.

 

The only thing you need to decide now, is what you want to embroider on first?

Show us what you got!

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Here at London Embroidery School we LOVE to see our students work! From our classes and especially what you go on to create after!

Share you work with us for a chance to be selected as student of the month and a chance to win 10% off on the shop. Which can be used on all equipment, materials and classes.

Send us your work via facebook, instagram, or email! Feel free to tell us a little about yourself and show off your skills! Remember to tag London embroidery school, and use the hashtag #londonembroideryschool or #lesstudent

Your work will be featured across all of our networks.

 

 

London Craft Week Monogramming Classes

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For the past 3 years, London Craft Week has become a highlight of the creative calendar with all sorts of exciting workshops, demonstrations and talks taking place across town. These celebrate the most unique and interesting craft skills London has to offer. Ranging from whisky tasting to watchmaking to weaving there is something to interest everyone. This year, we were invited to take part in London Craft Week, hosting two workshops in the studio to showcase our own skills.

In these workshops we taught one of our stable skills of monogramming. We use this technique regularly on shirts, suits and accessories for our tailoring clients so it only made sense to encourage people have a go at learning this technique.

On day one we got our classroom set up, ready for the participants

and in this class we did Monogramming for Handkerchiefs. See what one of our students Lara Mcspara produced

In our second class we did Monogramming for Cufflinks and check out how delightful they looked

Thank you to everyone that came down for the classes! It was a pleasure to be part of London Craft Week, we at London Embroidery School can’t wait for the next one!
If you are interested in learning Monogramming, then click here to book your place at our next class in June.

 

Hawthorne & Heaney for London Craft Week

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For the past 3 years, London Craft Week has become a highlight of the creative calendar with all sorts of exciting workshops, demonstrations and talks taking place across town. These celebrate the most unique and interesting craft skills London has to offer. Ranging from whisky tasting to watchmaking to weaving there is something to interest everyone. This year, our sister company Hawthorne & Heaney have been invited to take part in London Craft Week and are excited to be hosting two workshops in the studio to showcase our own skills.  In these workshops we will be teaching one of our stable skills, monogramming which we regularly use on shirts, suits and accessories from our tailoring clients.

You can join us to learn the delicate art of monogramming and leave with your own monogrammed handkerchief or cuff links at the end. Follow the link to secure your place as spaces are strictly limited, tickets are £60 plus VAT and can only be bought directly from the London Craft Week Website.

History of Monogramming

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In today’s world it is always a delight to own something that has been personalised, for example, it is so simple to make what was an ordinary item into a unique object with the use embroidered lettering, commonly known as monogramming.

In its original form monogramming can be traced all the way back to Roman and Greek times when it was used as a royal signature on coins or as a seal to identify a certain ruler.

In particular, embroidered monograms first served as laundry markers, allowing clothing and linens to be washed together without them getting mixed up.

By the 15th century it became more of a higher prestige, as nuns would typically produce monograms on the finest fabrics with gold and silver threads.

In the 16th century the new middle class caught on to how sophisticated the idea of embroidered personalisation looked and the more wealthy households were demanding embellishments for many items including clothing and home furnishing. It was from this time onward that monogramming was seen as the height of fashion and not just a practical label.

It became a necessity that that women in the house, including the small children were to learn this skill so practically every item had a personal stamp.

Depending on your gender the rules when casing was concerned changed. If you were a female the initial of your first name was placed on the left, the initial of your middle name on the right, and the initial of your last name was large in the middle. In the male version all the letters were the same size. When a couple got married a joint monogram was created having the bride’s first initial on the right, groom’s on the left and joint last name initial in the centre.

Today all the traditional rules go out the window and the choices to what style monograms are produced are unlimited. Monograms can be often seen as a piece of artwork and are sometimes incorporated with other embroidery techniques like gold work.

Although this technology has developed and this technique can be produced on a machine, hand embroidered monogramming is still highly popular on garments in particular suits and shirts.

 

If you would like to learn the art of monogramming, London Embroidery School offer and evening class which shows you how to hand stitch your own initials in a basic font. Book your place now! Our last class has sold out, so book soon to guarantee yourself a place on the 15th June.