Learn the botanical painting/drawing and embroidery techniques to complete your own 'Flanders Cherry'. Booking required
Friday, 3 July 2026 to Saturday, 4 July 2026, 10.30am - 4pm
Two-day practical sessions in the Ashmolean Learning Studio
Tickets are £225 for the workshops spanning over two days. Booking is essential
With Nicola Jarvis, embroiderer and illustrator
This workshop will explore the art of botanical drawing/painting combined with embroidery.
It will focus on one of the founding objects from the Ashmolean collection, the 'Tradescant’s Orchard 1620-29' manuscript attributed to John Tradescant The Elder, which is currently on display in the In Bloom: How Plants Changed the World exhibition.
This class is designed to guide attendees in the painting and stitching elements of a composition inspired by the ‘Flanders Cherry’ illustration.
Day 1 - create a painting of ‘Flanders Cherry’ on cloth, learning how to mix and shade using fabric paints to complete the illustration.
Day 2 - learn the techniques required to complete the embroidery:
- Construct a three-dimensional cherry fruit by wrapping thread on a round, wooden bead
- Create a raised leaf form by working with wire couched around the outline and along the veins
- Utilise a range of surface stitches to enhance the wings and shell of a butterfly, caterpillar and snail respectively
Participants will receive enough tuition to be able to complete the embroidery at home, the kit supplied to them will contain all necessary materials.
Series: Shaped by Nature Season
Department: Ashmolean Museum (Department)
Organiser: Public Programmes
Register here: https://www.ashmolean.org/event/botanical-design-embroidery-workshops