School memories of nuns clicking their tongues at my 'sloppy and disgraceful' sewing left me feeling shameful about any attempts at being creative with my hands again for years, but when I heard about an embroidery workshop run by artist Andie Reeves in the stunning setting of Veld & Sea at Good Hope Gardens Nursery I thought it was time to step out of my comfort zone and start the spring season by being creative!
Veld & Sea Wild Food Foraging & Events have workshops running throughout spring and summer, from botanical cocktail workshops to wild cooking classes, flower workshops and retreats. You can find out more here. The drive up Red Hill and down past The Cape Farmhouse to the Good Hope Nursery is picturesque and a table laden with delicious snacks awaited us, washed down with cups of herbal tea. I smashed in three or four date balls as they were so more-ish, and how cool do the nasturtium leaves and flowers look in the cookies!.
We settled around a large table where Andie took us through the basics of embroidery. We learned how to hold a hoop, split threads and sew lines of stitches with names like running, stem, whipped running and, my favourite, the lazy daisy, which looks like stars and flowers!
Hoops ready for action!
I loved the bowls of colourful thread wound around wooden pegs, which we got to take home with us.
Lunch was a delicious spread of homemade bread, hummus, ricotta, pesto, cheeses and crackers, before we headed back for the afternoon session. There were also gin cocktails served throughout the day!
We had a choice of patterns which we could copy using carbon paper to trace it onto material. Then we were free to experiment on our own with the stitches we had learnt earlier in the day. The hours flew by and it was suddenly time to pack up our hoop and threads to take home for completion.
I absolutely loved the embroidery workshop, not only for the gorgeous setting, delish food, a wonderful and inspiring teacher, but because I got to spend time sitting in a comfortable space alongside my best friend, working with my hands and not being judged! There's something really therapeutic about sitting and contemplating what colours and stitches you're going to use to complete your design. I can't wait to find out if there's to be a follow up workshop!
We made flower crowns too!
For more info on Andie's workshops that include weaving for beginners follow her on Instagram
Happy September!
Cath