photos: Embroidery at Asif’s studio
Saturday, July 18, 2026
9:30 – 4:00 PM PT with a 1-hour lunch break
WSNF’s Slow Fiber Studios, Berkeley, CA 94710
Instructor: Asif Shaik
Skill Level: All, Max 20 students
$275 General
$250 WSNF Members (Become a Member)
plus a materials fee paid directly to the instructor
e-mail info@shibori.org for the WSNF member discount code.
*This workshop fee includes an organic vegetarian lunch (with an option to add egg and cheese) and a post-workshop afternoon tea or coffee with Rotha pastry in our garden.
We are honored to have Master embroiderer and designer, Asif Shaik from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, visit World Shibori Network Foundation’s Slow Fiber Studios in Berkeley to offer a workshop on Indian Embroidery.
Asif’s embroidered flying cranes, wheat stalks swaying in the wind, shimmering leaves, elegant trees, and other motifs stitched with delicate precision onto cottons and silks are bound to stop anyone in their tracks. We are struck with wonder and appreciation for his incredible craftsmanship and designs.
Asif might embroider on fabric woven from yarn spun of peacock feathers, incorporating shiny blue-green beetle wings into the design. These are ancient embroidery techniques and materials he has researched, revived, and mastered (No beetles have been harmed in the process, he says with a smile. The wings were collected from a rainforest floor in Thailand.).
In this workshop, Asif will teach simple but precise embroidery stitches so you, too, can produce quality work. He will also teach students how to embroider with sequins and beads. Decades of practice, patience, faith and a measure of skill are essential to reach Asif’s level of excellence in Indian embroidery, now recognized internationally!
Asif will share examples of his exquisite work and share the stories, history, and traditions behind them. India’s textile heritage and independence movement are quite intertwined.
A complete materials list will be provided for workshop registrants.
Join us for a day of slow stitching in our garden. Enjoy getting acquainted with Asif and other members of WSNF’s community while working with your hands.
