Introduction to Flowers on Tulle Embroidery at Dora House

Learn the basics of flowers-on-tulle embroidery in this two-hour workshop and make your own “moon hoop” – a moon-shaped floral design in a 6” wooden embroidery hoop. It makes a wonderful present as a wall hanging, or even a wedding ring holder.

You’ll learn how to stretch and secure the tulle fabric in the embroidery hoop, prepare the stems of the dried flowers, and methods of attaching flowers to the fabric.

All tools and materials will be provided including a large selection of suitable dried flowers, in a summer inspired colour palette of greens, pinks, yellow, reds and whites, so you can make your design unique to you. (The flower selection may vary slightly from those shown in the images depending on availability at the time).

Artist Olga Prinku will guide you on constructing natural, organic-looking branch shapes and distributing the various flowers to achieve a pleasing, balanced aesthetic. You will get a sturdy box in which to transport your design safely home, and advice on options for framing and display. No prior stitching or embroidery knowledge needed.

A word from the artist

Hello. I’m Olga Prinku – artist, maker and originator of the craft of flowers-on-tulle embroidery also known as dried flower embroidery. When I first experimented with poking the stem of a flower (that I picked on my lawn) through net fabric in 2016, I could hardly have imagined the journey it would take me on. I’ve exhibited in galleries, collaborated on designs with fashion and homeware brands, and my first book came out in 2021 – Dried Flower Embroidery: An introduction to the art of flowers on tulle.

Before I began this journey, I was a graphic designer by profession. I’ve always been a keen crafter – flowers-on-tulle embroidery grew out of my love of knitting and wreath-making. My favourite part of it is the scope to be inventive. Drawing inspiration from traditional embroidery I love coming up with new ideas and experiment with the technique further.

I grew up in the Republic of Moldova and now live in North Yorkshire with my husband and son, where I love to both grow and forage for materials for my work and take inspiration from nature on long walks in the beautiful countryside.

The art of flowers-on-tulle embroidery

My focus is material investigation and innovation in the context of embroidery and textiles. My practice explores the boundaries of what can be achieved using real organic material as my metaphorical thread. I’ve worked with and tested over 50 different plant species as a way of redefining what eco embroidery could be. My work combines plants – primarily dried and preserved flowers, foliage, twigs, grasses, seed heads and berries – with tulle fabric to create floral patterns and bio tapestries.

I use a variety of methods to attach the flowers, principally trapping the delicate stems in the fabric’s net structure. Sometimes these stems are as fine as a third of a millimeter wide. It’s an intricate process that demands a high level of dedication and focus, and an intimate feel for the breaking point of the fragile raw materials in my fingertips. I have a sense of being led by the plants themselves as I often freestyle to distribute the design within the space.

In the finished works, the tulle fabric becomes an invisible canvas for organic patterns that seem to float in their frame, creating potential for a play of light and shadows that adds another visual dimension. As all natural materials change with time, each piece will develop a new aesthetic as it matures.

I see my artistic work also paying homage to the beauty and wonder of nature by combining natural elements in new ways – and as a reflection on the fragility yet strength of the natural world around us and our relationship with it.