embroidery

Celebrate the art of hand embroidery and share the passion of Owen Davies for this wonderful art.

Owen graduated from the Royal School of Needlework in 1994. He became the first and only man to complete the Apprenticeship since 1872. Upon graduating he was invited to work in the workrooms at Hampton Court Palace where he stayed working on commissions and teaching for the School. During this time he created the embroidered knot garden classes which were inspired by the surroundings of Hampton Court. From these firm foundations he has gone from strength to strength in developing new and imaginative techniques together with styles of work that have naturally evolved from the 1000 years of embroidery and stitching in England.

In 2003 he was commissioned by the BBC to teach Hilary Kay how to embroider on the William Morris Brilliantly British series. He went on to teach traditional hand embroidery around the country and launched the international best seller Embroidered Knot Garden book with co-author Gill Holdsworth in 2006. The book was well received in the USA where he was invited to give lectures and teach. In 2015, he successfully ran a course of workshops in both Australia and New Zealand and is set to return to New Zealand in 2018.

He continues to lecture and give workshops, both home and abroad, as well as being involved in consulting work for the John Lewis partnership.

His aim is to encourage as many people as possible to "take up the needle" and to embrace the art of embroidery, an art that is as relevant today as it was for our ancestors in bygone days.