Hands-on Embroidery Workshop: Six Traditions, Six Napkins

Each Indian embroidery tradition has its own stitch vocabulary. You'll learn two and make them yours.

A hands-on embroidery workshop where you choose two regional traditions from across India (Kashida, Kasuti, Phulkari, Chikankari, Kantha, Rabari and others), and learn their foundational stitches and visual language. Over two hours, you select your thread colors and create a set of six embroidered cocktail napkins, mixing traditional palettes with your own choices and taking home a handcrafted set that reflects both the heritage and your interpretation of it.

The experience

You arrive with a free afternoon or a few hours to spare, and you leave with something you made. The workshop opens with the history and characteristics of India's regional embroidery traditions. Each one has a distinctive stitch vocabulary, color palette and way of working. You pick two traditions that appeal to you: Kashida from Kashmir, Kasuti from Karnataka, Phulkari from Punjab, Chikankari from Uttar Pradesh, Kantha from Bengal, Rabari embroidery from Gujarat, or others. The instructor walks you through the foundational stitches of each one, showing how thread color, stitch direction and embellishment transform a design.

Then you make. You choose your threads and colors, and you stitch six cocktail napkins using the traditions you selected. The designs are created for the workshop, so they're built around the stitches you're learning. You're not copying a template. You're developing your own interpretation while staying connected to the character of the tradition. Some people stick close to the traditional palettes. Others mix them with their own choices. The instructor is there to guide your technique, not to direct your choices.

Two hours is enough to move from learning the stitches to finishing a set of napkins you'll actually use. You leave with six handcrafted pieces and a deeper sense of how thread and stitch build the visual language of Indian textile traditions.

What’s included

• Live instruction in English.
• all embroidery materials and threads.
• six pre-cut napkins ready to stitch.
• guidance on traditional motifs and stitch techniques.
• your finished set of six cocktail napkins to take home.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to SaturdayDepartures at 11:00 and 15:00

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (16 to 75 years) · Under 16: can't be booked

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by Creatis

Is this one for you?This works best if you're comfortable sitting and focusing on detailed handwork for two hours and you want to learn a craft rather than watch a demonstration. The class is small and shared, so you'll work alongside other people learning the same traditions at the same pace.

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Top questions

What embroidery traditions can I choose from in this workshop?

You pick two from a range that includes Kashida of Kashmir, Kasuti of Karnataka, Phulkari of Punjab, Chikankari of Uttar Pradesh, Kantha of Bengal, Rabari embroidery of Gujarat and others, each with its own stitch vocabulary and visual character.

Do I need embroidery experience to join this class?

No. The instructor teaches foundational stitches from the start, so you'll learn the techniques as part of the workshop, whether you've embroidered before or not.

What do I take home at the end?

You take home a set of six embroidered cocktail napkins that you've stitched during the class, combining the traditional techniques you learned with your own color and design choices.

How much time does this actually take?

The workshop runs two hours, which gives you time to learn the stitches of two traditions and complete your set of napkins without rushing.

What's included in the price?

All materials, instruction, taxes and handling charges are included. You bring only yourself and leave with your finished napkins.