Hand & Lock Reviews 216

I was drawn to Hand & Lock by their Etymology Course. The design was excellent and stood out against others on Google searches. There is never enough time to complete the design in class and often you complete on your own. I did note one person in class "overly questioning the tutor " and being told to look at the design. I feel that providing written instructions can help this.
Hand & Lock provide support via a WhatsApp group. This is both positive and negative. Positive as tutors can help with questions but negative as it contains every course ever done and currently running. This needs addressed in a more positive way. The WhatsApp group is also a high pressure sales platform for all courses. So you d you are interested in doing many £300+ courses you will have lots of choice. However, frequent competitions to get a free course for a good review are run. You can see the benefits of gaining a £300+ course for writing a review. However, I don't see the reviews being altered to say that they are given for a free course, which is a legal requirement.
I also registered with the diploma course. The tutor has since left. The course is do open in its remit "Tropical Lushness" that it is difficult to pin down exactly what is required. As a maths teacher I am well used to success criteria, essential skills and extension skills. Some more clarity on these areas will help the course improve it's overlook. The classes were formulaic with at least 1 hour given over at the start of every lesson for talking through everyone's design, then 15 minute break then rest of the time in techniques. No more that three techniques ever demonstrated in one evening. Lessons sometimes cut short by tutor.
Our tutor at the time kept reiterating that we could just do the course for the experience and not submit. The new tutors seem more approachable and supportive. All in all, I am disappointed that I started the course when in its initial stages. I would have preferred to join when these teething issues had been overcome.
At the end of the process I may amend my review as I am aware that I am in the midst of the creative angst of assessment.

I’ve attended 3 courses with H&L and they absolutely do great designs that are amazing to look at. The school is very popular and has a dedicated following supported. Where I think they fall down is the way in which the develop courses, which generally as quick to market as possible. At the Jane Austen inspired day course, the fabric was cheap (and was on one of my other courses too), with no backing and considering that there were so many beginners, there was no picture of the final version or even a worked piece. This negatively impacted quite a few students and this seems to be a trend they like to follow; no written instructions or picture means that you have no reference after you end the course to finish your piece.

Finally, the school runs a way of policing perceived infractions, where students are issued letters threatening you if you step out of line. I got one for being less than complimentary about the service I received on one of their WhatsApp groups.

This is not a rare occurrence and is used a lot. I have decided to take my business elsewhere because I’m not interested in being treated as a child and prefer to be treated with a level of respect pursuant to me being a customer.

I received my wonderful Blazing Sun brooch this morning and just wanted to let you know how thrilled I am with it!
It has well and truly exceeded my expectations.
Many thanks and congratulations to the gifted person who can make something so fine and beautiful by their own hand!

Excellent courses! I have taken quite a few Hand & Lock courses and they are always very well organised with very knowledgeable tutors.

When you only have one life to live and need to juggle between your job and your passion, online courses can be a real lifesaver. I've sampled a wide array of courses in various languages, but none have impressed me quite like the Hand & Lock London School.
They have a unique touch that I find nowhere else. Hand & Lock mix professionalism with an interactive online experience, making learning enjoyable and engaging. Explaining the complex details of embroidery techniques while ensuring that even the shyest students feel comfortable participating is no easy performance, but they manage it admirably!
I am so thrilled with their courses that I've taken the plunge and enrolled in their new “Diploma” program. And guess what? I am already loving every moment of it! If you're on the lookout for something new and exciting to learn, I highly recommend giving Hand & Lock London School a try. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

I just love this embroidery case. It is so well made, and the fabric design is wonderful. It has elastic bands to hold my embroidery tools like scissors, mellors, tweezers, and marking pens. It also has generous pockets and separated areas for threads, needles, and all kinds of embroidery needs.

I always get whatever I buy as quickly as possible. I think this is kudos to Eve.

I have taken several online courses with Hand & Lock and have loved them all! I don’t live in an area/near an area that I can attend in person classes so I love that they offer online options to make things accessible for everyone! Their courses are comprised of beautiful designs, gorgeous materials, and clear and concise instruction. In comparison to other online courses I have seen their prices are also extremely reasonable. They have always responded kindly and promptly to any questions/problems I have had. All in all, a lovely school!

I write this as a male; if more men learned embroidery wouldn’t the world would be in a much better place? Can you imagine a globe of world leaders who had to produce a beautiful and intricate piece of Gold work or beadwork (to Hand & Lock’s high standards) before they became such huge decision makers? Imagine the level of skill and consideration in order to communicate the care and the creative development of something so beautiful which was applied to major decisions, surely, we would all be in a better and more beautiful place? Every course I have undertaken at Hand & Lock has supported and nurtured diversity, inclusivity with a massive dose of skill and creativity. We all need more of this in our lives.

I've attended several Hand & Lock courses, both in person and online, and have absolutely adored each one! Lucy and Freya are such fabulous, knowledgeable and engaging teachers, and all the course material has been brilliant. The Hand & Lock school is the most wonderful, inspiring place, and Lucy and Freya both work hard to being that atmosphere to the zoom classes too. Highly recommend!

Fascinating course. Great tutor. Interesting techniques well explained. Plenty of materials.

I had problems downloading the course notes (and they were time limited) but could have been my computer. Would have liked notes/a booklet to accompany the teaching to refer back to more easily.

I’ve had the pleasure of taking multiple classes via Zoom at Hand & Lock ✨ over the last few years. I’ve been lucky enough to have Lucy Martin as my instructor for all my classes, but I know that every instructor is phenomenal from what I’ve heard from other students. It’s such a gift to be able to be located in another country and still be able to learn from such fantastic and talented embroidery superstars like Lucy Martin. Hand & Lock ✨ has been in continuous business since 1767, has the Royal warrant, and does not disappoint whether you are learning embroidery skills from them, purchasing products that they produce or ordering from their extensive embroidery supplies list. There are so many magical things about their classes, but here are just a few: I love the modernity of the Hand & Lock ✨ class topics. They may be a very old company, but all of their class concepts are new and fresh. It’s obvious that they try to keep their class topics relevant, stylish, and fashion forward, so you actually want to take their classes– there's nothing old school stuffy or out of date,here! The zoom quality of the classes is phenomenal: the pace is perfect, the camera angles are super up-close, so you can see every single stitch that’s being made as the needle comes through the fabric. You won’t miss a thing, you will never get left behind, and within 24 hours you will receive a recorded copy of the class you just took, so you can always look back on that copy forever! The patience of the tutors at Hand & Lock ✨ is legendary. When I say that you will never be left behind, I mean it-the class size is never so large that people feel like they’re not receiving individual instruction during each class, there’s a WhatsApp group that is formed for the people in each class to communicate afterward and you are invited to join another WhatsApp group for everyone who has been a past student. That group is incredible! It is moderated by Lucy and Freya and it is kept on point – about embroidery and everything that entails –and is always positive, supportive, and entertaining as well. I also enjoy the classes immensely because it forces me to actually DO embroidery. I make time for it every week and enjoy spending time with others committed to learning a new skill and improving their existing skills along with me. A special treat I always seewith each class I takeis that I find my overall embroidery skills improve as well. So not only do I learn a new technique, but I find that I’m a much better embroiderer overall after each class! I truly cannot say enough good things about Hand & Lock ✨; their employees, their program offerings, and the other students that I’ve had the pleasure of studying with meet and exceed my expectations every time. I watched Hand & Lock ✨ from afar for at least 15 years before the zoom classes were available and feel incredibly blessed that I can now partake of such excellent embroidery programs at such reasonable prices! The benefits to my spirit as well as my skill set are immeasurable!

Did the Hand and Lock Wilcom digital 1-1 embroidery course, following winning the Wilcom Associate Fashion Award in last year’s Hand and Lock Prize. I am a complete novice with the software but Liss helped me understand some basics and then we worked through some digitising skills in connection with a current project. Loved every minute of the session, really informative, I learnt so much and have so many ideas now about how I can use the software. It was also lovely to have so much fabulous inspiration around each of the rooms, there was so many fabulous samples and bespoke pieces. I can’t wait to test out my new skills when I get home. Thank you for an inspiring afternoon!

I took a 2-day corse with Hand and Lock at the Royal Portrait Gallery. The course was great, Lucy the instructor was super friendly and encouraging, as well as knowledgeable. In fact, I booked two more courses for the summer.

I also own a couple of their kits, which I would not recommend for beginners as the instructions are a bit sparse. And some of the techniques suggested are not the ones I ended up using to complete the project.

Overall great experience.

I enrolled in the Hand & Lock Diploma online course, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. This online format is an excellent opportunity—as I don’t live in the UK, I can finally benefit from Hand & Lock’s exceptional teaching from afar.
The beautiful embroidery materials arrived in advance, carefully packaged in a lovely box, making the experience even more special.
I have already completed four sessions of the Goldwork Module with Lucy Martin, who not only shares her incredible expertise but also her enthusiasm, creativity, and deep passion for embroidery. She is attentive to our questions, explains techniques with clarity, and motivates us every step of the way.
The live video sessions are well-structured—the close-ups make it easy to follow every stitch and gesture. Plus, each session is recorded, allowing us to review and absorb the techniques at our own pace.
Each module comes with comprehensive and well-crafted pedagogical documentation (such as guidance on the design process), which enriches the learning experience.
This Diploma Course is beautifully designed, intense, and truly inspiring—I highly recommend it to anyone passionate about embroidery!

I have had the pleasure of doing the online goldwork course with Lucy, who is delightful, encouraging and genuinely lovely tutor.

I have recently started the diploma and again my experience has been nothing but positive, Charlotte was an amazing guest tutor and Lucy and Freya are brilliant. The quality of tuition is high, these ladies are very talented.

The class sizes are nice and it’s lovely to experience this with people from all over the world. Online classes are so well done you don’t feel like you’re missing out because you’re not face to face.

The kits for the classes come early so you have everything ready before your course starts. They are always nicely presented and made up of quality materials and the pdf resources are great.

When I have purchased supplies, again the range of materials are fabulous - a little treasure trove. It’s good to know whatever you buy from the shop will be of good quality. They arrive in good time too.

Hand and Lock are a rare institute that encourage a positive, creative community and continuously keep a high standard. Students are worldwide which is really lovely.

Highly recommend Hand & Lock! I've taken part in 3 course now at Hand & Lock. One was the tambour beading course in person with Freya and the other two we're the goldwork and then the flocking and foiling online with Lucy. All we're taught to such a high degree, the kits and materials we're wonderful, also leaving enough leftover to carry on experimenting after the session. Freya and Lucy are both amazing embroidery tutors going through every detail precisely and I've loved hearing them share their expertise and embroidery experiences!

I have taken 3 Hand & Lock courses, so far. Each one has challenged & inspired me. I really appreciate that the classes are recorded and emailed to us. I love that each instructor has their own teaching style and approach to the different stitches. I am hoping to get into the diploma course next year.

The projects are beautifully designed, the materials abundant (so you can make mistakes) and top of the line, and the instruction is excellent - patient with constructive criticism. I am on my fifth course and have been very happy with all of them

Hand&Lock School has it all! Beautiful designs, high quality materials and amazing tutors. You dive into a universe where you won’t want to escape from! Trust me! :)