Saturday 9 & 16 May 2026, 2 - 5pm BST: Embroidering Tulips and Carnations with Lora Avedian

Online Workshop with Lora Avedian

Saturday 9 & 16 May 2026, 2 - 5pm BST (British Summer Time)

Lora Avedian’s work sits at the intersection of textile design and art, encompassing everything from large-scale installations at venues like Barbican Centre and the Chelsea Flower Show to exquisite, embroidered linens and soft furnishings that are sought after by the world’s best interior designers. All of Avedian’s work is invested with her own deeply-held values: a passion for craft and traditional techniques, a dedication to making in small batches and in the UK, and a wide-ranging imagination and love of nature. All of these values come together to create beautiful ‘modern artefacts’, heirloom pieces that can be loved for generations.

Learning and scholarship is vitally important to Avedian: her training has been a journey of exploration through the possibilities of textiles from a BA in embroidery at Manchester School of Art to a Masters in Mixed Media Textiles from the Royal College of Art, with a stint along the way working in set design, which lent a sense of scale and ambition to her projects. Avedian’s aesthetic has developed under a wide range of influences, from the fantastical world of fashion photography, to her own family heritage in Armenia, via the refined and delicate sensibilities of Edwardian embroiderers. 

Workshop Description
This workshop will bring together two of Avedian’s signature techniques; couching with braid and three dimensional flowers. The class centres around a piece of art work ‘Tulips & Carnations’ she created during her MA at the Royal College of Art. The two flowers reflect Lora’s research into her Armenian heritage, and combinations of techniques she developed whilst doing her Masters.

Across the two part class students will make a textile artwork combining the two techniques. The first class will focus on using couched braid to create a tulip design, Lora will talk through the process and demonstrate different ways of using the technique. Students will have an opportunity to make a sample first, and then work on to two pre-printed tulip designs. We will also use the same technique to create the couched stems. Lora will then guide participants in how to make the leaves using an appliqué technique. 

In the second part of the workshop, students will create their three-dimensional flowers using pre-pleated fabric made with Avedian’s smocking machine. Avedian will talk through how to hand pleat your materials at home for a similar effect. 

What You'll Learn: 

• Fabric manipulation techniques to create 3D pleated flowers
• Hand smocking techniques
• Avedian's couching stitch technique
• Appliqué leaf making

Included in Your Material Pack:

• Needles
• Cotton threads
• Soutache braid lengths for two tulips and stems
• Silk for leaves
• Fabric panel with design printed on the material to work on
• Pre-pleated silk fabric
• Green embroidery thread
• Paper leaf template
• Carnation illustrated instructions
• Sampling calico 

Additional Materials to Bring:

• Paper scissors
• Embroidery hoop (6-8inch recommended)
• PVA or craft glue (small amount)
• Small sharp scissors
• Iron (with a steam function)
• Ironing board
• Dress making pins
• Small piece of scrap fabric (A4 max)

Level
Only basic sewing skills necessary for the class, but could also benefit more experienced students.

Please Note: Material packs are shipped on an insured, trackable delivery service. Any customs duties, delays, lost or undeliverable packages are the responsibility of the customer. Once a material pack leaves the workshop tutors' hands with a tracking number, the seller has no further obligation to the buyer.

If we reach capacity, we may close bookings. Be mindful that we must close bookings at least 3 weeks before the workshop, in order to ship material packs. Book now to avoid disappointment.

Location
This is an online event. A Zoom link will be sent to participants the week before the workshop.

Recording
This workshop will be recorded, and a link to the recording will be emailed to all participants. Please allow 7 working days for us to send you the recording.



Cancellation Policy

All places reserved for workshops are non-refundable. 

If you require additional information about this workshop please contact events@selvedge.org.

Visit Lora Avedian
Follow Lora Avedian