The Animal Challenge
A new year deserves a new creative adventure. Kicking off on 2nd January, our next 15-week challenge is your chance to make the grey January days a time for excitement - diving headfirst into imagination, stitching and making alongside other makers from across the world. With just 100 places available, find out how to join the creative kick-start journey below.
If you already know you want to take part...
Kick off 2026 with a creative adventure
Break out of a creative rut, with a new challenge
If you’ve been feeling stuck in a creative rut, or you’re craving something to get you making again, this challenge might be exactly what you need.
Over 15 weeks, you’ll move from the spark of an idea to a finished embroidered piece — learning new techniques, experimenting with design, and rediscovering that satisfying rhythm of making along the way. You’ll work alongside a group of others doing the same, supporting each other through the wobbles, breakthroughs and small triumphs that come with any creative process.
This isn’t about perfection or polished results. It’s about shaking things up, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, and remembering what it feels like to create purely for the joy of it.
A Two-Part Course
The Animal Challenge is split into two parts — one technical, one creative — designed to work together to build both your confidence and your craft.
Part One: Technical Foundations
Half of the course focuses on technical skill. You’ll learn a wide range of stitches and techniques, exploring texture, layering, and composition. Even if you’ve been embroidering for years, you’ll find new methods and fresh ways to approach your work.
You’ll create your own sampler piece, learning how different stitches can be used independantly and together. It’s a deep dive into technique, but not in a stuffy way - we want you to have fun. This is a way to experiment without the pressure of needing to get a design out of it at the end. Through this you will build confidence in your stitching so you feel free in your stitching later.
Part Two: Creative Design
With your stitching skills finely tuned, we’ll turn our attention to design. You’ll be challenged to create your own animal-inspired embroidery, working within a few clever constraints that will stretch your imagination.
Through weekly prompts and exercises, you’ll develop a concept, play with shapes, test compositions, and gradually bring your creature to life - from first sketch to finished, framed piece.
The design constraints are part of the fun: they force you to think more deeply, to make bolder decisions, and to discover your own artistic voice. Despite a narrow set of constraints, you'll be surprised how different each others designs look!
To sign up, just choose one of the landscape bundles below
Pick your favourite bundle
What You’ll Learn
By the end of the 15 weeks, you’ll not only have a finished embroidery you’re genuinely proud of — you’ll also have gained a huge amount of creative confidence. You’ll learn:
- How to develop original design ideas (even when you think you have none)
- How to use shape, pattern and colour to create a balanced composition
- How to translate a drawing into stitch, choosing techniques that bring it to life
- How to mount and frame your work beautifully
- And most importantly, how to trust your creative instincts
Most importantly, you'll learn a creative framework to apply to any project enabling you to trust your creative instincts