We welcome school and college students, and groups with their teachers, to attend an Open Day onsite at Hampton Court Palace, south west London, or online.

Attending an onsite Open Day is an important way for students interested in embroidery and textiles to fully immerse themselves and take inspiration from such a special environment.

Students will have the opportunity to visit our Studios and talk with the students about their experience of learning technical hand embroidery at the international centre of excellence in such a magnificent setting.

Book onto an Open Day here.

We are thrilled to announce that our three year full-time course is now validated by Kingston University in Surrey, Greater London. Our course is delivered by our academic team in the unique location of Hampton Court Palace.

In the latest Guardian University Guide published in September, Kingston University was ranked among the best in the country in several subject areas, including being named second in the country for fashion and textiles. We are very proud to be working alongside the Kingston University – School of Arts Fashion team.

The UCAS Code for applications for 2023-24 is W237 and you can learn more through the website.

Come on an online or onsite (at Hampton Court Palace, south west London) Open Day to learn more!

There are plenty of ways to get involved this October!

Join us for one of our Day & Evening Classes, a fascinating Online Talk or learn more about the RSN Degree programme at one of our upcoming Open Days.

If you’re looking for something to raise your spirits now that the days are getting shorter, come and see our exhibition at the Sunbury Gallery. Selected work by 2022 RSN Graduates from our BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery and the Future Tutors programme will be on display until 16 October.

Or why not visit us at the Knitting and Stitching Show in London; we have some special 150th anniversary celebrations on offer including a quiz trail and prize draw.

Day & Evening Classes

EXCLUSIVE Silk Shaded Figures – Online, Weekly from Saturday 8 October – Saturday 19 November, 6-9pm – Only 4 Spaces Left!

Designing for Embroidery: ‘Canvas Work’ – Online, Wednesday 12 October, 3-9pm

Captivating Crewelwork – Online, Weekly from Saturday 15 October – Saturday 12 November, 10am-4pm

Colour Theory in Practice: ‘Draw with Coloured Pencils’ – Online, Tuesday 18 October, 10am-4pm

Coronation Gold: ‘Peace & Plenty’ – Hampton Court Palace, Saturday 22 – Sunday 23 October, 10am-4pm

Experimental Embroidery – Hampton Court Palace, Saturday 29 – Sunday 30 October, 10am-4pm

Live Online Talks

Stitching Slowly: Hand Embroidery as Mindfulness, Sustainability and Radical Craft – Wednesday 12 October, 7-8.30pm

Red Dress Embroidery – Wednesday 26 October, 7-8.30pm

Degree Open Days

Onsite at Hampton Court Palace – Wednesday 12 October, 2pm

Online – Friday 28 October, 2pm

Events

The Knitting and Stitching Show, London –  Thursday 6- Sunday 9 October

Sunbury Gallery Exhibition – Open until Sunday 16 October

Graduate Exhibition at Girdlers’ Hall – Tuesday 8 – Thursday 10 November

 

View all Day & Evening Classes

 

We are delighted to be able to showcase work by past RSN Graduates at Girdlers’ Hall in London.

The exhibition features embroidery by our Degree and Future Tutor Graduates and is only open for three days, from Tuesday 8 – Thursday 10 November.

The exhibition takes place in the stunning Girdlers’ Hall in the heart of Moorgate, London. Home to the Worshipful Company of Girdlers, this Neo-Georgian building is not usually open to the public. As this is a private exhibition, booking is essential. To book your place, simply register and select which day you would like to attend. The exhibition is free to enter and open from 11am – 4pm.

We hope you can join us to immerse yourself in the rich heritage of the Worshipful Company of Girdlers and enjoy the hand embroidery expertise of our past graduates.

Girdlers’ Hall is located on Basinghall Avenue, London EC2V 5DD

Book your place here.

We have launched our Christmas themed Embroidery Classes.

Join us to get into the festive spirit and make a unique Christmas gift. From fun fairy and snowman brooches to Christmas trees and a Metalwork gingerbread house, there is something to suit everyone. We also have a brand new Video Online Course which guides you, step by step, to make a stunning Festive Christmas Sampler.

EXCLUSIVE Festive Brooches; ‘Christmas Pudding & Snowman’ –  Online, Friday 11 November, 2-5.30pm

NEW Beautiful Festive Baubles – Online, Weekly Saturday 19 – Saturday 26 November, 10am-4pm

Christmas Silk Shading and Goldwork – Hampton Court Palace, Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 November, 10am-4pm

Raised Embroidery Mistletoe Kiss – Online, Weekly Saturday 19 November – Saturday 3 December, 4-6pm

Beaded Christmas Decorations – Hampton Court Palace, Sunday 20 November, 10am-4pm

EXCLUSIVE Festive Brooches; ‘Christmas Fairy & Holly’ – Online, Friday 25 November, 2-5.30pm

Metalwork Gingerbread House – Online, Thursday 1  & Thursday 8 December, 2-4pm

EXCLUSIVE Christmas Tree Inspired by Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ – Online,  Saturday 3 December & Saturday 10 December

NEW Christmas Jumper Inspired Decorations – Hampton Court Palace, Friday 9 December, 10am-4pm

EXCLUSIVE Oh Christmas Tree – Hampton Court Palace, Saturday 10 December, 10am-4pm – Only 4 Spaces Left!

NEW Festive Christmas Sampler – Self-Paced Video Online Course 

View all Christmas themed Embroidery Classes here.

View all Self-Paced Video Online Courses here.

Expert RSN Tutor Jenny Adin-Christie’s NEW Fine Whitework book is now available to purchase in the RSN Shop, both online and in store. This is the fifth title in the RSN’s Techniques, Projects and Pure Inspiration series. 

Author Jenny Adin-Christie provides a detailed exploration of the numerous techniques involved in Fine Whitework. The book features two projects of varied complexity, shares images and details of historical Whitework as well as inspiring finished pieces.

It is the perfect Christmas gift.  And don’t forget that RSN Friends members receive a 10% discount on all shop purchases!

Read more and purchase the new Fine Whitework book 

Become an RSN Friend and receive 10% discount. Click here

The book will also be available to purchase on our stand at The Knitting & Stitching Shows.

Our exclusive Anniversary Collection is the perfect memorabilia to mark our 150 years.

Specially selected RSN images feature on soaps, tea towels, pens and pencils and also mugs. Why not buy the set! There is also a lovely Selwyn Image Tote Bag Embroidery Kit created by our talented Embroidery Studio.

The Anniversary Collection products are exclusive limited editions, so will only be available whilst stocks last. The three specially selected images are:

• A black and white RSN Paint Room design from the RSN Collection which dates from the late 19th Century
• A Lapwing in Silk Shading and Laidwork image by an RSN Diploma Student in the 1950’s and now part of the RSN Collection
• A more contemporary piece by RSN Degree Graduate 2018 Livia Papiernik titled ‘The Lost Garden’ which was inspired by her childhood garden

View all our Anniversary Products here.

 

Our 150th anniversary celebrations continue at The Knitting & Stitching Show!

Be part of our celebrations and follow the RSN’s 150th Anniversary Quiz Trail dotted around the two main K&S London exhibition halls, and be in with a chance of winning an RSN Day or Evening Class up to £150.

The Knitting and Stitching Show in London takes place from 6 – 9 October. Visit our stand TGA11 to view stunning pieces from our Collection as well as contemporary work on display. You can also pick up a needle and thread and stitch on a special 150th anniversary design.

In addition, we will be at The Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate from 17 – 20 November. Join us for a workshop and stitch a striking black and gold design, inspired by an original hand drawn illustration by British artist and designer Selwyn Image (1849-1930) from our extensive Archive.

The show organisers are kindly offering a £2 discount code for standard advance tickets, so adults pay £16.50 and concessions pay £14. (Excludes Saturday 8 October and booking fees apply.) Code: WT22

Book your tickets:

The Knitting & Stitching Show London

The Knitting & Stitch Show Harrogate 

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Certificate & Diploma in Technical Hand Embroidery is the perfect course to develop your hand embroidery skills, taking you through a wide range of techniques from Jacobean Crewelwork and Blackwork to Advanced Goldwork and Silk Shading.

Meet Elin Gray, a C&D Student from RSN Bristol,

“I first picked up embroidery as a hobby, starting with small projects, such as making patches for a jacket. As time went on, I began working on more large-scale pieces and considered the idea of pursuing it as more than just a pastime, which is when I discovered the RSN. I joined the Certificate course at RSN Bristol in September of 2019.

Before joining the course, my work was quite simplistic and based on my own designs. Working from different source images, like photos and paintings, was very new to me, as were many of the techniques. My favourite technique so far has been Appliqué. I based my piece on Rossetti’s ‘Dantis Amor’ as I am very interested in the Pre-Raphaelites and the Arts and Crafts movement.

I am currently working towards my Diploma and about to embark on my third module – Advanced Goldwork. I am not quite sure what I want to do after I graduate, but I would love to pursue hand embroidery as a career in some way!”

This flexible course is taught Onsite and Online at different times to suit whichever time zone you live in. We teach across the UK at our Satellites at Hampton Court Palace, Bristol, Rugby, Durham and Glasgow, as well as internationally in North America and Japan. 

If you are interested in finding out more about the course, book onto our next Online Open Day at 1pm on Wednesday 16 November here.

Read more about the C&D Course here. 

Be inspired by work by past C&D graduates. Click here. 

We are delighted to welcome our new First Year Degree Students to Hampton Court Palace and see their summer project, ‘Postcard From Home’, embroidered onto caps.

If you are interested in joining the Degree Course for the next academic year, starting September 2023, book your place on our Open Days this month to find out more.

We are running an Open Day at Hampton Court Palace at 2pm on Wednesday 12 October and an Online Open Day at 2pm on Friday 28 October.

Book your place on the Degree Open Days here. 

Our BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery is validated by Kingston University.

Read more about the course here 

We are bringing our 150th celebrations to the US and teaching a special anniversary class in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Join us for this stunning Goldwork design, inspired by our Archive, and create your own piece of history.

In 1953, the RSN curated an exhibition which celebrated the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II which took place at St. James’s Palace, London. As part of this event, a souvenir catalogue was created. The design of the embroidery class has been inspired by this catalogue.

The class runs at Residence Inn in Fredericksburg on Friday 4 November from 10am – 4pm. There are  a limited number of spaces, so please book your place early to avoid disappointment.

Book your place on the Anniversary Celebration Class in Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA.

 

Join us for our new season of Online Talks.

The new autumn season features a host of wonderful speakers and topics. The Talks take place at 7pm (UK Time) Online via Zoom. Whether you are joining us during your morning with a cup of coffee or in the evening with your favourite tipple, take an hour to yourself to discover fascinating facts and stories in the world of embroidery.

This new season includes Talks by Kirstie Macleod, founder of the unique Red Dress that was exhibited at our Anniversary Exhibition; historian and RSN Trustee, Eleri Lynn, who will explore the role that embroidery played within the house of Tudor; acclaimed RSN embroiderer Jenny Adin-Christie and our regular Senior Lecturer Amy Hare who will cover a range of interesting embroidery topics, including stitching for the screen, wellness and sustainability:

Stitching Slowly: Hand Embroidery as Mindfulness, Sustainability and Radical Craft with Amy Hare, Dev Patel and Emilie Mason: Wednesday 12 October 

The Red Dress Embroidery with Kirstie Macleod: Wednesday 26 October

An Evening with Acclaimed RSN Embroiderer, Jenny Adin-Christie: Wednesday 9 November

Stitching for Stage and Screen with Amy Hare: Wednesday 23 November

Power and Meaning of Embroidery at the Court of Elizabeth I with Eleri Lynn: Wednesday 7 December

All Talks take place at 7pm (UK time). View all Talks

If you have missed any of our Talks, you can also watch them On Demand