Scott Bartlett

We are delighted to announce the launch a new Self-Paced Video Online Course – ‘Introduction to Appliqué with RSN Tutor Angela Bishop’ – which is the next technique added to our series!

This introductory course guides you, step by step, on how to stitch a beautiful art-deco style portrait of a lady with a bonnet and scarf. You will learn a variety of Appliqué techniques, including how to apply a variety of edgings, layering, padding and the reverse Appliqué method.

The kit that accompanies the course includes all the materials you need to create this stylish piece with Angela. Along the way, Angela will also share her helpful tips and tricks to help you achieve a professional finish.

Watch the trailer for Introduction to Appliqué.

In partnership with David and Charles, there is a wide range of video online courses available to help master your hand embroidery techniques, including Jacobean Crewelwork, Whitework, Blackwork, Silk Shading and Goldwork.

To find out more about the latest course and full range of RSN Self Paced Video Online Courses, visit rsnonlinecourses.com.

Invitation to Junior Schools to join our milestone celebrations

We want to share our passion for needlework and open the doors of our anniversary exhibition ‘150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework: Crown to Catwalk’ to the next generation of stitchers.

Bring your class to view the special exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London and enjoy a stitch lesson with an expert RSN Tutor.

Each session will commence at 9.30am and finish at 11am, comprising a 45 minute tour of the exhibition with a fun worksheet provided and a 45 minute stitch class. Pupils will be given a pre-printed fabric with one of the words – FUN, WOW or NEW – and the opportunity to learn some basic filler and outline stitches to decorate their words.

There are a limited number of dates for the Schools Sessions and these must be pre-booked with the Fashion and Textile Museum. Please email: [email protected]

The School Sessions will run on:

Tuesday 10 May
Monday 23 May
Tuesday 14 June
Tuesday 21 June
Monday 4 July
Tuesday 5 July
Tuesday 12 July

Please note that each session is for up to 35 children, aged 11 and under. We recommend that these are ideally suited to KS2 – Years 5 and 6. There is limited availability, so please contact the Fashion and Textile Museum as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Special thanks goes to The Worshipful Company of Broderers who have sponsored the Schools Programme and a series of Family Sessions at the museum.

The Fashion and Textile Museum is located at: 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF.

Can you spot the pea under the princess’ mattresses?

How many sweets can you count on the dress?

Can you name all the characters stitched on the playing cards?

We were thrilled to celebrate the opening of our new anniversary exhibition, ‘150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework: Crown to Catwalk’ at the Fashion and Textile Museum London with colleagues, students, tutors, friends and associates of the RSN. And it felt even more special as due to Covid, this was the first event the museum had been able to host for two years!

We hope you enjoy the behind the scenes photos from the special evening and can join us at the exhibition soon. The doors are now open and the exhibition will run until 4 September 2022. Book your tickets here

To find out more about the RSN Future Tutors Programme, book your place on the forthcoming Open Day at Hampton Court Palace at 2pm on Saturday 23 April.

We spoke to Future Tutor Student ,Sally Randle, to find out what brought her to the course, all the way from Australia!

Third year RSN Future Tutor Student, Sally Randle, moved 16,500KMs from her hometown of Brisbane, Australia, in 2019 to pursue her love of hand embroidery and shares with us her passion for teaching the beautiful art to the next generation, as well as her year so far in the RSN Embroidery Studio.

Why did you apply to the Future Tutors Programme?

My first embroidery lessons were on my grandmother’s knee and I have continued to embroider ever since. The more I explored techniques and read about embroidery, the more I realised that the Royal School of Needlework was the most widely respected embroidery school in the world.

In 2018, I decided that I wanted to learn from the best, so I took a break from work and flew to the UK for the RSN’s Summer Intensive Certificate & Diploma Course. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and it was while I was at the RSN that I learnt about the Future Tutors Programme. On my return home to Australia I made up my mind and planned to apply for a place to start in 2019.

What were you doing before?

Embroidery has always been my primary way to relax from the pressures of work. Before joining the course, I was a senior manager with the Australian Taxation Office, responsible for the introduction of technology to simplify the collection of data and reporting requirements for personal income taxation. Prior to that, I worked for the Department of Defence and was an Army Officer with the Australian Defence Forces. I have two adult children, and five grandchildren.

Having completed the majority of your embroidery techniques, what is your favourite?

I find it very difficult to identify one favourite technique; looking back at my completed pieces gives rise to emotions far different from those experienced during their working. I do find that the three dimensional requirements of Stumpwork and Appliqué allow for great personal expression. My Stumpwork piece represents a common sight in the everyday work-life at Hampton Court Palace; a gardener tending one of the Palace walled gardens. It will always remind me of my time here!

You will graduate in summer 2022, how do you feel about this?

There are always two major emotions experienced at a graduation; the relief that “it’s all over” and the fresh anticipation of the opportunities that lie ahead. In addition to the embroidery skills I have acquired, I have made many friends and professional contacts during the Future Tutors Programme. It has ensured that I have confidence in my technical skills, and have gained valuable teaching experience. I will always look back fondly on my time in the UK on the course.

What do you hope to do in the future, following graduation?

After graduation, I will be taking a little time to travel around the UK, as this has not been possible during Covid. I then intend to return to teach embroidery in Australia, establishing an RSN satellite in Brisbane, and passing on the skills and knowledge I have honed during my time at the RSN.

I love seeing the joy and personal satisfaction in the faces of class attendees as they progress, whether it be during their first day on a project, or as they complete an extensive and personal piece. I look forward to welcoming students to my Studio to further develop their technical embroidery skills.

We wish Sally and the other Future Tutor third year students the very best of luck in the final months of the course!

Follow Sally on Instagram

Book onto the Future Tutors Programme Open Day here

Read more about the Future Tutors Programme Course here

Individual classes for the International Summer School are now available to book both Online and Onsite, at Hampton Court Palace London.

Throughout July and August, expert RSN Tutors will teach eight five-Day Classes, with a range of designs and techniques to choose. As part of the event, there will also be guided tours of the 150th exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, as well as the RSN’s own summer exhibition, ‘A Girl’s Education in Stitch’, plus Online Talks and a goody bag.

If coming to London is not an option, we are offering a mixture of two and three Online Day Classes in July, for the time zones in Australia/New Zealand, the Americas and UK/Europe. The five-Day Classes will mostly be offered in North American time, with shorter classes being offered Online in the other two time zones.

Don’t miss the opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of hand embroidery with a week’s treat of stitching, meeting like-minded international friends and enjoying a host of special events.

Click here to view all the wonderful classes!

Join us this month for our fascinating Live Online Talks and new Live Online Day & Evening Classes. We are also holding a variety of events this April including our exciting 150th Anniversary Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum London and Course Open Days at Hampton Court Palace.

Online Day & Evening Classes

New Goldwork Toucan – Weekly from Sat 23 Apr to Sat 7 May, 1pm – 3pm

New Introduction to Shadow Work: ‘Splash’ – Sun 24 Apr, 10am – 4pm

Online Talk

I Think My Name is Sewn on Somewhere: Embroidery in Childhood with Amy Hare – Wed 27 Apr, 7pm – 8:30pm

Events

‘150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework, Crown to Catwalk’, Fashion and Textile Museum – now until 4 Sept 2022

‘A Vision of Art and Faith’, Marian Library Gallery at the University of Dayton in Ohio, USA – now until 26 Aug 2022

Future Tutors Programme Open Day, Hampton Court Palace – Sat 23 Apr, 11am

Certificate & Diploma Open Day, Hampton Court Palace – Sat 23 Apr, 2pm

View all Day & Evening Classes here

View all Online Talks here

*All times above are British Summer Time.

What’s your favourite embroidery?

To celebrate our anniversary and the opening of ‘150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework: Crown to Catwalk ’ exhibition, we want to share everyone’s love of embroidery with the world! To do this, simply highlight your favourite piece of hand embroidery on social media, using ‘#RSN150’ and @royalneedlework, and we will share across the RSN’s international community.

No matter how near or far you are from us, we would love you to follow our new initiative and share the beauty of hand embroidery during our special 150^th anniversary year. This might be a piece which you’ve seen in a museum at home or abroad, which your friend or grandmother created or a piece which you embroidered yourself!

Dr Susan Kay-Williams is the first to share her favourite embroidery:

“I have chosen this embroidery because I was finally able to see it ‘in the flesh’ quite recently. The piece is huge, 19ft by 8ft, and looks fantastic considering it is 114 years old! It was made by the RSN in 1908 for the Franco-British Exhibition, which took place at Shepherds Bush and White City in London celebrating the Entente Cordiale signed in 1904 by the UK and France.

Having seen it up close, it is magnificently worked in two strands of fine crewel wool to enhance the shading, which gives it a very three-dimensional look. While I was looking at it, I was bemoaning the fact that, alas, I do not have a large enough wall to put it on!

It can be seen at Wightwick Manor near Wolverhampton to which it was given by the Principal of the Royal School of Needlework, Mrs Hamilton King in 1958 when we no longer had a spare 19ft wall.”

Let’s spread the beauty of hand embroidery with all communities across the world and share the wonder of this stunning art form, where there is no language barrier.

Share your favourite piece on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, with hashtag #RSN150 and @royalneedlework. We will then share them for everyone to admire, introducing us all to artists or museum pieces that we didn’t know before!

Date for your Diary We are delighted to be part of the forthcoming exhibition, ‘A Vision of Art and Faith’, taking place at the Marian Library Gallery at the University of Dayton in Ohio, USA, open now until 26 August 2022.

This exhibit explores the legacy of Italian artist Ezio Anichini, whose expansive career bridged the art nouveau style of the early 20th century and the propaganda of the World War I era. Throughout his work are recurring figures, in particular the Virgin Mary of the Litany of Loreto, and this exhibition will feature two of the unique embroidered panels of the Litany of Loreto from the RSN’s Textile Collection. These stunning Goldwork pieces form a series of 12 different designs which were generously donated to us by the Mayfield convent in Surrey, England in the 1970s. They were identified as designs by Annichini in 2016. The two that will be on display will be: “Mater Inviolata” and the “Salus Infirmorum,”

The exhibition is free to enter. For further details on the exhibition, please visit their website.

We are also delighted to announce that RSN Tutor, Helen McCook, will be teaching an exclusive Embroidery Class inspired by the Litany of Loreto, both an Online and at Hampton Court Palace, as part of our International Summer School 2022. Read more about our International Summer School.

The Grove Book is constantly open on one page or another in our Studio because there is always a great example for our exhibitions within its pages but next week it is being taken out of the Studio so our Future Tutors can study it. It’s a great embodiment of our values of Tradition, Quality and Innovation, it will inspire our students to stitch today after seeing some of the oldest pieces in the RSN collection.

The Grove Book is so called because it was compiled by Georgina Grove. Married to Brigadier General Grove, a nineteenth century soldier, Georgina travelled with him all over Europe and India and accumulated a rare collection of embroidery and textiles found in the many countries she visited. What a good job she packed her scissors!

It’s an eclectic mix of pieces across different styles, techniques and countries and is one of the RSN’s greatest treasures. Among the collection are nearly 20 samplers all of which were originally stitched into the book although sadly over the intervening 100-plus years many have become detached.

Once back home, she decided to put all the pieces into a book. She had gathered many samples so it is a not insubstantial book measuring 30 cm x 45 cm x 14cm deep (12” x 18 “ x 5.5”). The cover of the book is as impressive as the contents. Georgina embroidered this herself in a technique known as Casalguidi, named after an Italian town. It consists of heavy raised stem stitch worked in curves, lines, squiggles or whatever the design dictated and is usually a Whitework embroidery technique.

The size of the volume means it is not easily missed. This is exactly what happened this week as one of the RSN trustees who I had been meeting with in my office literally came to a stop as she was leaving when she saw the book lying on the table.

The book was donated to the RSN by Brigadier Grove on the death of Georgina in 1924.

Georgina also kept a diary, now in the Bodleian Library.

Dr Susan Kay-Williams
Chief Executive, RSN

Exhibition now closed

This time next month, our exciting exhibition, ‘150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework: Crown to Catwalk’, will have opened its doors at the Fashion and Textile Museum in the heart of London. Many of the pieces were delivered to the museum last month and we can’t wait to welcome you and share our 150th anniversary celebrations. We can now reveal more details about the exhibition.

The exhibition will showcase over 120 embroidered pieces and designs, spanning from 1872 to the present day. Presented thematically, the exhibition takes you on a journey through the many different elements of the RSN. Starting in the small gallery, visitors will be transported back to the Victorian era by bringing our early beginnings to life. It will focus on the RSN’s involvement in the Arts and Crafts movement during the period of 1872-1899, notable works include Walter Crane and William Morris motifs and design cards by Edward Burne-Jones, Gertrude Jekyll, and Madeline Wyndham.

As you proceed through to the Fashion and Textile Museum’s main gallery, you will be greeted by a regal glimpse into our work with the British Royal Family, including the 1937 Robe of Estate of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, which has not been exhibited since the 1990s, and Edward VII’s Coronation Cope from 1902.

The exhibition then embraces the skilfulness and ﬂexibility of the RSN, showcasing ecclesiastical commissions; examples of works by the RSN’s lingerie department which operated until the 1940s; and our link to the military, including teaching returning soldiers how to stitch as an active therapy.

As the exhibition progresses to the mezzanine gallery, you can enjoy a curated selection of modern collaborations and partnership projects, including the eco-fashion campaign ‘Red Carpet Green Dress’ worn by Naomie Harris at the 2013 Oscars; a unique embroidered waistcoat, from the AW14 E. Tautz Collection, designed by Patrick Grant and embellished by RSN Degree Students. In addition, visitors will be able to see a Nicholas Oakwell couture dress worn by Erin O’Connor for Vogue and the unique Red Dress project conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod. (You can read more about The Red Dress here)

Throughout the exhibition there will also be inspiring work by our students, from past Apprentices and Future Tutor Students, who are now RSN Tutors, to students from our Degree and Certificate & Diploma courses.

The final room upstairs will showcase the work of the RSN Embroidery Studio as well as ongoing projects such as the RSN Stitch Bank. The space will also demonstrate how stitching can improve wellbeing, featuring printed montages of the NHS embroidered hearts of appreciation project and our ‘RSN Postcards from Home’ campaign which we ran during the Covid-19 pandemic. There will also be the opportunity for visitors to try embroidery for themselves.

‘150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework: Crown to Catwalk’ is a detailed exploration of the RSN from our beginnings to present day.

VIEW PREVIEW OF PIECES HERE

The exhibition opens on 1 April and runs until 4 September.

There will be a Catalogue of the Exhibition which you can purchase at the museum or if you would like a copy in advance, you can pre-order it via the RSN Shop.

As part of our anniversary celebrations, we are launching a new book called ‘An Unbroken Thread: Celebrating 150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework’. The book is written by RSN Chief Executive, Dr Susan Kay-Williams, and is a richly illustrated book telling our history, from its founding in 1872 to the present day. It comprises numerous historical pictures and documents, showing our evolution as fashions changed as well as our association with everyone from society ladies and theatre impresarios in the late 19th century to working with great fashion designers in the 21st. You can pre-order your copy from the RSN’s Online Shop. All copies bought via the RSN’s Shop will be signed by Susan. Pre-order your book here.

We will also be producing an Exhibition Catalogue to accompany our Anniversary Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum. If you pre-order both the book ‘Unbroken Thread’ and the Exhibition Catalogue together, you can purchase them at a special price of £45 here.