In this workshop, you will embroider a small sock on Aida fabric using traditional darning patterns.

You will learn the technique of decorative darning and discover how to use colour and rhythm to create a beautiful little piece.

You’ll go home with a uniquely embroidered sock and a new skill.

Embroidery is an ancient craft technique that uses needle and thread to add beautiful patterns, text, or images to fabric. It’s a creative and personal way to embellish textiles, from clothing to home decor.

MerkWaardig is the embroidery association of the Netherlands, with over a thousand members sharing their love for hand embroidery. Whether it’s classic samplers or modern styles like visible mending, embroidery is alive and thriving! At the festival, MerkWaardig will showcase how the technique of darning, once a practical skill for repairing sheets and socks, is being reinvented. Where holes once had to disappear invisibly, darning is now decorative, colourful, and unique. It gives old textiles a second life, with a nod to the past and an eye on the future.

Willeke te Biesebeek is a passionate embroiderer and knitter. She recently contributed to fashion designer Duran Lantink’s collection, which dazzled at Paris Fashion Week and won the prestigious Woolmark Prize. For the Ambacht in Beeld Festival, she has delved into the art of sock darning to show how repairing can be not only sustainable, but also stylish.

Practical Information

• The workshop is conducted in Dutch
• Price includes materials and VAT