The latest Postcards From Home to be featured are from Julie of Adelaide in Australia and Sarah from Durham in the UK. From Kangaroos and Rosellas to Forget-Me-Nots, these two postcards stitched miles apart, share their inspirations during Lockdown.  We also share our inspirations and top tips for enjoying hand embroidery over the summer months.

During Lockdown, many of us have been attached to our screens more than ever: Zoom calls for work or the family quiz, learning Yoga on Connect or weekly meetings with colleagues on Microsoft Teams.  This new ‘normal’ way of communicating has been a crucial part of our lives but it is also important to find ways to have an online:offline balance of life.

With longer days, the summer is an ideal season to start a digital detox adventure. There are so many ways in which you can do this which are highlighted on the Time To Log Off website and in their podcasts. TTLO encourages us to go out for walks, play board games, not to have phones at meal times or in the bedroom, and to simply train ourselves to log off as much as we can.

As many of you already know, hand embroidery is a great way to ‘log off’ and take your mind away from the external pressures of life. Not only can hand embroidery help calm your body and soul, but you will also stitch something to display, to wear or, indeed, to send to someone you have not seen during Lockdown.  You can create your own design or choose from a variety of kits available from the RSN Online Shop.

Hand embroidery can also be used to enhance a piece of clothing you own but no longer wear, you can give a plain shirt or a pair of jeans a new lease of life. You can combine thread work with embellishment using vintage beads and sequins taken from broken jewellery or bags. It has also become quite a fashion statement to darn precious holey jumpers with magnificent patterns.

This summer, many of you will be on staycations whilst others will travel further afield. Wherever you spend the rest of August, keep a little bit of space in your bag for a few needles, some colourful threads and fabric. Whilst looking out of the window or on your walks, take inspiration from what you see around you and create an RSN Postcard From Home, which you can keep as a reminder of 2020 or send to loved ones to let them know that you are thinking of them. This is a perfect project to create your own design, experiment and let your mind go free!

Please share and tag your #RSNPostcardFromHome on Instagram and tag #SummerUnplugged to be part of the Time To Log off challenge. Take inspiration from the UK and international Postcards already completed and join us in enjoying the wonderful art of hand embroidery.

Images featured are by:  Laura-Jane from Cornwall; Julie of Adelaide in Australia; Sarah from Durham in the UK.