Hand & Lock Avis 

I went on a goldwork course with hand and lock, taught by the lovely Lucy and Freya at angels costume. This was an incredible course which I would 100% recommend to anyone interested in costume, embroidery or just learning a new skill. The girls were so friendly and knowledgeable, being super informative and helpful throughout. I learnt so many skills and had such a relaxing but exciting time. The materials provided were amazing and overall was such an incredible experience.

If you love embroidery or just appreciate amazing craftsmanship, you have to check out Hand & Lock. They’ve been around for centuries and still use the best materials. Their tools are just as impressive, making everything they create feel truly special. Plus, their courses are incredible! Whether you’re a total beginner or want to refine your skills, they teach everything from goldwork to couture embroidery. Definitely worth it if you want to learn from the best!

I attended to this course as a beginner and I had the opportunity to learn a lot of new tecniques. The teacher, extremely competent, was very helpful and careful that the whole group followed every step of the project.

being a teacher myself i had high expectations, every single course ive done online has gone above and beyond my expectations. I'm inspired by others in the groups and online communities and the value is fantastic. So the teachers are amazing, they really understand and know their subjects, online tuition allows inclusivity, the times are flexible and most importantly it inspires you to grow and develop your knowledge skills and understanding of this amazing practice.

Hand & Lock should be your “go to” destination for excellence in teaching quality and fine needlework supplies.
The courses are such fun - clear and expert tuition by a young, enthusiastic and supportive team. The accompanying kits are generous and beautifully presented. If you have any questions Lucy and Freya are always active within the student community. Run don’t walk when bookings open up!

I recently started the new Diploma course being run by the Lucy & Freya of the Hand & Lock School and it is FANTASTIC! I am learning so much - and the teaching is well-paced and really focuses on supporting everyone as well as developing each person’s skill, accuracy and technique. I also love the focus on design - I can already see myself moving towards making my own bespoke pieces, which not so long ago would have been a fairly far-off dream. Thank you so much Lucy and Freya - and of course it wouldn’t do to forget Charlotte’s fab teaching of flocking, foiling and silk painting for interiors!

Fantastic course at Angel costumes on Couture Costume embroidery! As a relative newbie I learnt so much that I will use for work and fun

This course was incredibly well supported and taught by Freya. She set up a WhatsApp group for queries before the course and a vehicle for comments and photos on our progress during the course. We were not ignored once the Zoom session was over either. And we have access to a recording. All in all it was a fun, informative, professionally run session. Freya was a patient and involved tutor

Hand & Lock is like no other. Having taken in-person and online classes with them over the past 6 years I can truly say I’m an addict to learning different embroidery techniques with them!
They have something for you at any level you feel comfortable at. Everyone is so friendly and lovely. Their expertise in embroidery has no limit and I always learn so much with every class. The class kit arriving (and when buying supplies for other projects) from them feels like Christmas, excellent quality and beautifully packaged. I found absolutely any issues like not enough of something etc. has been quickly resolved.
Looking forward to my next class and can highly recommended.

Delighted to have been a finalist in the Hand & Lock Prize 2024; a real boost to my confidence and a lovely exhibition experience. Great to meet such wonderful embroiderers and see their inspiring work at close hand.
In fellowship for the future.

Over the last year I have attended the H&L tour, taken two online courses and attended the Tambour Beading course in London.
I was unable to attend the first Tambour course due to illness at short notice and Lucy/Freya offered for me to move my booking to the next course available which I did.
For a smaller British brand which is trying to expand its offering with more courses and the diploma Lucy and Freya are constantly engaging with the H&L student WhatsApp community for feedback and we are able to ask questions and receive swift responses.
They have acknowledged the growth in their courses has increased their work load and a few small issues have arisen and they have shared the advert for new team members to address this.
The talent and willingness to teach from the team I have experienced is exceptional.
I personally believe supporting this fantastic brand and more importantly these amazingly talented young women is really important.
I would highly recommend anyone attend the tour or try one of the taster courses to experience the H&L team first hand.

I am currently mid way through my second online course with Hand & Lock and the thing that has captured me most is not even part of their advertised course - but I have skipped ahead… The kits are beautifully, generously curated and shipped with care, and the online classes with their fancy camera rigs enable a view of the techniques that would be hard to capture without sitting on the tutors lap. Speaking of the tutors, most of my class time has been shared with Freya who gives off such gently supportive vibes that I can imagine even the most novice of stitchers being justifiably emboldened by time spent with her. But the cherry on top of all this is that when you participate in a course, you are granted access to the lively, chatty and supportive community of stitchers and makers that have gravitated towards the passionate team that are the faces behind the history at Hand & Lock. I can’t wait to see what we all make next and attending a course in person one day is now on my travel ‘to do’ list… you know - next time I’m on the other side of the globe :)

I've recently started the Embroidery diploma with Hand and Lock and am thoroughly impressed by the course so far.
All lessons are taught via Zoom, with clear instruction from the lovely friendly tutors Lucy and Freya. We are shown close ups of how to work each stitch in detail and have plenty of time and opportunity to ask questions.
Lucy and Freya are brilliantly encouraging and positive in their teaching methods and feedback to students and the creation of WhatsApp groups enable all students to share photos of their work and discuss materials etc.
Each module of the course comes with it's own beautifully packaged kit of supplies needed which are a delight to use.
Communication is excellent, right from enrolling on the course some months ago, to regular email and WhatsApp updates each week.
I would thoroughly recommend this course.

Excellent value. Lovely materials and top quality teaching. Wasn’t sure how a distance learning course would work, but it was great. Would recommend.

The school and programs go beyond just passing on skills and technique. There is an intangible quality : the encouragement and ,emotional support necessary to learn to embroider at this quality level is as important as the instruction.
Whatever your level of experience, genuine help, snd patients guides you at your skill level. Wonderful.

Include also, the creativity of the assigned projects, I can’t imagine any place else could improve on Hand and Lock. I’m just lucky to have found this extraordinary place to learn.

I am in the middle of the 6 week Emerald Counted Thread class at the moment. The live classes occur early in the morning in Australia, but I am easily able to mix watching the class live or getting the full experience with the excellent recordings that arrive within 24 hours. The design is exquisite and contemporary. Freya is unwaveringly friendly! If you have been thinking of taking a class, jump right in....I predict that you will love it!

I am so glad I chose the class Ornamental Lettering as my prize for winning the Hand & Lock Chairman’s Choice Award 2024.
Freya Stanford’s clear and friendly instructions make it most enjoyable, for beginners and more experienced embroiderers alike. Her classes have inspired me to continue to explore the wonderful techniques of Goldwork embroidery.
Having fallen in love with Goldwork, I have found ordering more supplies from the Hand & Lock shop website easy to negotiate. I received the beautifully wrapped items very promptly, being delivered 48 hours from ordering.

I’ve recently started the Hand and Lock Diploma. I am so impressed with the quality of the kit, which contains a large quantity of beautiful supplies. The online teaching by Lucy and Freya is highly professional and helpful. The creation of WhatsApp groups for each module means that I can interact with other students, and we are sharing ideas, progress with homework and problems there too. I have studied with other hand embroidery schools, both online and in person. My experience with Hand and Lock is in a class of its own; it’s relaxed, encouraging and supportive at the same time as being challenging. It’s also great value for money. I’m looking forward to other Diploma modules.

I am currently attending the Gold Embroidery 1001 diploma course. The course is very well prepared and organized. Lots of tasks, lots of embroidery techniques and great support in developing your own design. I can highly recommend this course. Lucy and Freya are doing a really excellent job here!

I started the in person tambour embroidery course last year with Freya and enjoyed the course. I've bought a couple of the kit cases (one with Liberty London fabric and another smaller one) because they're so pretty. I've now also started their Emerald Counted Threads Masterclass and will be doing another two courses later in the year. They have a great range of different techniques and it's really made me more interested in embroidery when I hadn't considered it before