Contemporary Embroidery for Beginners
with Adriana Torres
Adriana Torres
Madrid-based embroiderer known for modern botanicals and clear teaching.
The beginner embroidery course we'd send anyone to first. Adriana takes you from your first stitch to a finished botanical hoop with a remarkable amount of calm.
£14.99 (often on sale)
Watch the intro lesson free
At a glance
The basics
Best for
Absolute beginners wanting a finished hoop
You'll make
A finished botanical hoop
Time commitment
About 3 hours plus project time
Starter cost
~£20
Platform
Domestika (one-off purchase)
Pace
Gentle and confidence-building
Who this is for
The honest fit
Great if you…
- Have never embroidered before
- Want to finish with a frame-ready hoop
- Prefer one-off purchase over subscription
- Like modern, botanical aesthetics
Maybe not if you…
- Already know back stitch and French knot
- Want a traditional or sampler-based approach
- Prefer short, focused single-stitch tutorials
The curriculum
What the course covers
15 lessons, roughly 2h 50m total.
- 1–3
Setup
Hoop, fabric, floss and needle basics
- 4–6
Core stitches
Running, back, split and stem stitch
- 7–9
Fill stitches
Satin, long-and-short, seed stitch
- 10–12
French knots and detail
The stitch most beginners fear — with fixes
- 13–15
Your botanical hoop
Combining everything into your final piece
Our honest take
What we thought
What we liked
Adriana's calm is contagious. Each stitch gets its own demonstration, repeated from two angles. The final botanical hoop is genuinely frame-worthy — no hollow 'final project' energy.
Where it could be better
Captioned rather than narrated — some lessons rely on on-screen text. Fine if you're watching closely, but you can't 'listen' to this course while doing something else.
Our scoring
4.7
Overall · out of 5
The verdict
“If you've never stitched before, this is where to start. You'll end with a hoop you'll actually hang on the wall — and the confidence to start a second.”
£14.99 (often on sale)
The kit
What you'll need to follow along
3 things. That's it.
Beech wood embroidery hoop (6 inch)
Our pickWarmer, lighter and gentler on fabric than plastic.
DMC cotton floss starter pack
All the colours Adriana uses, plus extras for your next project.
John James crewel needles + cotton fabric
Sharp crewel needles and a tightly-woven cotton give crisp stitches.
Total: ~£25Everything you need for the course.
See all on AmazonSome links on this page are affiliate links — we earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend things we’d use ourselves.
On a tight budget?
The budget kit
These will absolutely get you through the course. The top-pick kit is nicer; the budget kit works while you’re finding out if this craft is your thing.
Plastic hoop
instead of beech wood
£2.50
Anchor single skeins × 8
instead of DMC starter pack
£6.80
Sewing-set sharps
instead of crewel needles
£1
Not quite right?
Try one of these instead
Different courses suit different people. These are the two worth considering alongside.
Keep reading
More embroidery guides
How Long Does It Take to Learn Embroidery?
A realistic timeline from your first running stitch to a frame-ready botanical hoop — plus what affects how fast embroidery sticks.
Read
EmbroideryIs Embroidery Hard to Learn?
The honest answer — what the first hour of embroidery actually feels like, where beginners get stuck, and how quickly your work starts looking real.
Read
EmbroideryEmbroidery vs Cross Stitch — What's the Difference?
Both use thread, both use a hoop. Here's what actually separates them — and which one to start with.
Read
Common questions about this course
- Is Domestika a subscription?
- No — buy once, keep forever. They run frequent sales, so keep an eye out.
- Is the course in English?
- Yes. Adriana teaches in Spanish with English subtitles and audio dub available.
- Is the pattern included?
- Yes. You can download the full botanical pattern as a PDF.
Ready when you are
Ready to start?
Grab the kit, start the course, and you'll have your first finished piece by the weekend.