How to Hand Embroider Embellishments
Tutor: Mark Francis, Sew Mark Francis
Join super-stitcher and Great British Sewing Bee contestant, Mark Francis, as he shows how to personalise clothes with simple hand embroidery embellishments. Mark will be discussing his own personal journey in sexuality, coming out and getting married.
This session was part of Pride Month 2025.
You can explore more Pride and LGBTQ+ sessions on our Pride Month at the VVH playlist on YouTube.
Video time
30 minutes
About Mark
Mark Francis began sewing as a young child, inspired by his grandparents’ treadle-powered Singer sewing machine. In 2019, Marks’s husband, Clive, entered him for the BBC TV show, The Great British Sewing Bee. Taking part in the 2020 series was a life-changing experience for Mark, inspiring him to refocus on the things he loves most.
He is a sewing pattern creator, speaker, sewing teacher and is part of the We Sew Too movement which promotes sewing as a life skill for all. Mark is a lifelong fan of the BBC Doctor Who series and makes replica costumes from the show.
- Embroidery thread
- Embroidery needle
- Scissors
- An old garment to sew onto (e.g. a denim jacket, jeans or shirt)
See more from Pride month 2025
We’ll be celebrating this year’s Pride month with some talented LGBTQ+ artists, crafters and makers. Join us for some creative fun and candid conversation.
Our Pride Month tutors are; Ben Saunders, a queer trans artist and ceramicist from Manchester and Mark Francis, a contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee in 2020, a sewing pattern creator, speaker and sewing teacher.
