Embroidery Workshop: Summer Florals on Totes

Brighten Up Your Totes

Join this beginner friendly embroidery workshop where we’ll step into the joyful world of stitching together. Whether you’re brand new or already love to sew, you’ll learn simple, beautiful techniques - like back stitch, straight stitch, and stem stitch - to transform an ordinary tote into something uniquely yours.

Tote bags carry so much of our daily lives - groceries, books, bits and pieces of everything. But they’re often overlooked, left plain and underloved. This workshop is an invitation to slow down, get creative, and turn your everyday essential into a small, portable work of art.

What You’ll Learn

In this beginner-friendly workshop, you’ll be guided step-by-step through the fundamentals of hand embroidery. By the end of the session, you’ll be comfortable with a set of foundational stitches and how to use them in your own designs.

You’ll learn:

• How to set up your fabric in an embroidery hoop
• How to thread and handle embroidery materials
• 4–5 essential stitches
• How to follow and stitch over a pre-designed pattern
• Tips for spacing, stitch consistency, and finishing your piece

What’s Included

All materials are provided—just bring yourself!

Each participant will receive:

• A plain cotton tote bag (Feel free to bring your own)
• A pre-designed floral pattern (applied on wash-away stick-and-stitch stabilizer)
• An embroidery hoop
• Embroidery needle(s)
• A curated selection of embroidery threads/floss

You’ll leave with your embroidered tote (in progress or completed) and all the materials to continue stitching at home.

Who This Is For

This workshop is designed for:

• Complete beginners who want to try embroidery for the first time
• Anyone looking for a relaxed, creative activity in a small-group setting
• People who enjoy hands-on crafts and want to learn a new skill
• Those who’d like to create something personal while being guided step-by-step

No prior experience is needed—just an interest in learning and creating.

This is a small, hands-on workshop with limited spots (max 6 participants) to ensure everyone receives individual guidance throughout the session.

If you’ve been wanting to try embroidery or spend a few hours doing something creative and mindful, this is a great place to start.

Spots are limited and tend to fill quickly—reserve your seat to avoid missing out.

About your Host

Hafsa Durrani is a Toronto-based embroidery practitioner with a focus on simple, expressive floral designs. With a passion for making embroidery approachable, she creates beginner-friendly workshops that emphasize learning by doing in a relaxed, supportive environment.

About the Venue

Ed's Mercantile is a family-owned vintage & handmade boutique in Toronto. They sell vintage clothing, housewares & paper goods, pre-loved & collectible, eclectic finds, original artwork and handmade goods.

Please arrive within 10 -15 minutes ahead of the ticket time to allow for a moment to settle in.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Hafsa Durrani