The Future Tutors Programme at the RSN is all about turning your passion into a career. The three year programme trains students who want a career in teaching hand embroidery to the highest standard.

Second Year Future Tutor Student Anita Harrison pursued different career paths before coming to the RSN, having started out as a knitwear and craft designer after studying Fashion and Pattern Cutting at Art College. Most recently, she worked as a self-employed massage and scar work therapist.  Anita found out about the Future Tutor Programme whilst attending our Certificate & Diploma Classes at Hampton Court Palace.

Anita said:  “I’ve had a busy, but very enjoyable experience on the Future Tutor Programme so far, learning a wide range of techniques to a very high standard.  I’m looking forward to teaching when I finish the programme, and I would love to get involved with restoration and conservation work.”

If you think the Future Tutors programme is for you, click here to read more or contact [email protected].

We are accepting applications for the 2019/2020 academic year and the deadline for submission is 1 March.

We hope you enjoy seeing a selection Anita’s work below.

For anyone who loves the movies, here are two films on our radar this month – the new Mary Poppins Returns and Mary Queen of Scots. If you are a fan of Mary Poppins and want to make a special treat for someone you know, then book onto RSN Tutor’s Angela Bishop’s Stumpwork class and Mary Poppins flying over the chimneys! There are two classes: 2 February at RSN Midlands and 1 June at Hampton Court Palace.

Alternatively, if you would like to see expert stitch on the big screen, then check out the embroidery on the costumes for the new film Mary Queen of Scots, set for release in the UK on 18 January. Many of the costumes were hand embroidered by two of our Degree Graduates, Laura Baverstock and Hattie McGill, who have also worked for films Dr Strange and Murder on the Orient Express.

Throughout the year, our Embroidery Studio helps create the perfect day for many brides by cleaning and repairing that precious wedding veil which is passed down through the generations.  February onwards usually sees the start of the ‘wedding season’ for our team, closely followed by the start of repairs to Christening robes!

This year, the RSN Studio had a very delicate and beautiful veil brought to us for support and repair. The veil belonged to the customer’s grandmother and dated back to the 1920s when the grandmother had worn it for her wedding. Since then the veil had proudly featured in both the customer and her mother’s wedding day. This year the customer’s daughter was planning to wear it for her special day, making it part of the celebrations for four generations.

The veil was made of silk Tulle and net embroidered in silk with a pretty design in each corner and fine border. The veil had previously been gathered into an area that could be attached into the hair, but the Tulle had become quite fragile and developed some bad tears particularly where the net was gathered and hair pins had been used.

The best way to treat the veil was to support it onto white conservation net and secure it throughout. This could only be undertaken when the veil was flat so the existing gathers were removed and marked.  Once the veil was supported, the team were able to replace the gathers in the correct position and add a hair comb. By using a hair comb it reduces the need for hairpins so less of a risk to the veil.

As you will see from the images the bride and of course the veil, looked absolutely stunning on the day. The veil will be stored away safely for the next generation to wear!

If you have a veil or christening robe that needs repair, please email our specialist Embroidery Studio: [email protected]

Donations made to the RSN can help support our core programmes such as our vital bursaries to Future Tutor and Degree students. Gifts in kind can also support our campaigns for new initiatives like our Embroider a Selfie project for Schools, or the vital digitisation of our Textile Collection and Archive which will showcase them online for everyone to see.  The digitisation will help bring the RSN’s history out of the closet. Through a gift you can be part of the future of the RSN and the story of hand embroidery.

The Royal School of Needlework is a named fund member of the Chapel & York US Foundation which supports causes all around the world.  If you live in the US and would like to donate, please click here.  Donating to the RSN this way means that you’ll receive the vital tax receipt for your gift.

If you live in the UK and would like to donate, please donate here and if possible please add Gift Aid.

Thank you for your support.

We are delighted to announce that three graduates from our Degree Course have swept the board at this year’s prestigious Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery.  Alex Standring won first prize in the Textile Art category and the Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers Award; Lizzie Lowe received an award from the Worshipful Company of Broderers and Beth Cole took second prize in the Fashion category.  All three students graduated in 2018 and entered with their show stopping projects completed in their final year of our BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery for Fashion, Interiors, Textile Art.

The Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery receives thousands of entries each year from all over the world, giving new designers the opportunity to showcase their talents and gain vital exposure and experience.

We have now launched the sixth online course in our series. Join RSN Tutor Amy Burt for Introduction to Canvaswork and learn how to stitch a striking toucan design. You will learn a variety of stitches including Tent Stitch, Raised Spot, Gobelin Encroaching, Parisian Stitch, Hungarian Grounding and more. Students will also learn about the history of Canvaswork.

Cost for the course is £110 which includes all the materials (p&p not included).

Visit www.rsnonlinecourses.com for more information.

The Introduction to Canvaswork Online Course joins the range of introductory courses in Jacobean Crewelwork, Blackwork, Silk Shading, Goldwork and Whitework.

People who have worked on them so far have commented on how easy it is to follow the instructions and one lady who visited our stand at Knitting & Stitching in Harrogate said that the Goldwork was the best online course she’d ever taken!

Why not treat yourself to a course over the Christmas break.

Booking will open on Wednesday 12 December at 3pm (UK time) for our popular Summer Intensive Courses for our Certificate & Diploma in Technical Hand Embroidery.

Taught at Hampton Court Palace, the intensive eight days of tuition (with homework days in between!) allow the student to complete one of the techniques on the Certificate and Diploma Courses in two weeks.

You can choose to do just one module this way or cover four modules in one summer to complete your Certificate!  For the first time we are also offering Intensive Courses as part of the Diploma.  The dates are as follows:

Jacobean Crewelwork: Monday 24 June – Friday 5 July
Blackwork or Canvaswork: Monday 8 July – Friday 19 July
Silk Shading or a Diploma technique: Monday 22 July – Friday 2 August
Goldwork or a Diploma technique: Monday 5 August – Friday 16 August

If you are already a C&D Student, you can book via your Bookeo Account.  If you are a new student, please register here or contact: [email protected]

We welcomed an unprecedented number of students to our Intensive Courses at Hampton Court Palace last summer.  Students came from all over the world including Australia, Korea, China, Hong Kong, USA, Japan, Germany, South America and not forgetting the UK!  Why not make 2019 the year you participate!

The next Open Day for our Certificate & Diploma Course will be on 2 February at 11am and 2pm at Hampton Court Palace.

Our next Family Stitch Workshop is on Wednesday 20 February, from 11am – 1pm.

This popular session includes a short and child friendly presentation about the RSN and our new exhibition ‘The Embroidered Home’, a tour of the exhibition for adults and a bespoke embroidery session for the children where they will embroider a house created by our RSN tutors.

The cost of the Family Day is £30 and includes 1 adult and up to 2 children and the kits. The recommended age for the children is 5 years and above.

For bookings click here.

Alternatively, email [email protected] or contact Natalie Thew on 020 3166 6939 for further information.

We are thrilled to bring you our fifth online learning course – Introduction to Silk Shading with RSN Tutor Kate Barlow – now available to buy in partnership with sewandso.

You can learn how to stitch a realistic flower using a beautiful colour palette of threads and achieve a life-like three-dimensional effect. Silk Shading is a beautiful technique that uses long and short stitches to create realistic colour blending and is often referred to as painting with a needle. Students will learn a variety of stitches including split stitch, long and short stitch, bullion knots and French knots.  The course costs £110 which includes the kit (p&p not included).

Visit www.rsnonlinecourses.com for more information.

Watch this space for our sixth Online Course, Introduction to Canvaswork with RSN Tutor Amy Burt, coming very soon!

We had the pleasure of meeting the fantastic comedienne and presenter, Jenny Éclair, who visited us at Hampton Court Palace over the summer. Jenny is a keen craftswoman and came to see us at Hampton Court Palace as part of our new ‘Embroider a Selfie’ project which encourages more stitch in schools.

We launched this special initiative as a pilot project to inspire a new generation to put down their mobile phones and use stitch to create a ‘selfie’ instead! A number of schools have already taken part and we are hoping that Jenny’s amazing selfie will inspire more!

Teachers have the opportunity to bid for their school to be included and each school selected receives a kit of threads, fabrics, needles and other stitch equipment along with an information guide and copy of the new RSN Book of Embroidery which brings together all the Essential Stitch Guides.

In addition, a number of teachers have the opportunity to have first-hand experience of stitch through a day class with the RSN to get them started.

If you would like your school to benefit from this programme, please send an email to [email protected], marked Selfie Project and with the following information:

• The name and address of the school
• Your name and email address at school
• Your role at the school
• How would you envisage using the kit
• Why your school have this opportunity

We would love to see your selfies. Please share them on social media, tagging @royalneedlework and #RSNSelfie.

We are extremely grateful to the Worshipful Company of Girdlers and Madeira Threads for their support on this initiative.

We have launched our third Online Course, in association with SewandSo, teaching the beautiful Whitework technique.

Join RSN Tutor, Auburn Claire Lucas, for this Introduction to Whitework course and learn how to stitch an exquisite bee and honeycomb design. The course features a variety of stitches including six different Pulled and Drawn thread techniques, Stem Stitch, Satin Stitch, Couching, Trailing and Eyelets. The course costs £110 (including the kit) and will show you everything you need to know to get started with Whitework.

We welcome your feedback regarding the courses and are really enjoying viewing your finished pieces on social media. The courses already available are Introductions to Jacobean Crewelwork, Blackwork and Goldwork. Look out for the fifth technique, Silk Shading, coming very soon.

Visit rsnonlinecourses.com for more information.

We are delighted to announce that our next exhibition will be ‘The Embroidered Home’, opening from Monday 28 January at Hampton Court Palace.

After our look at fashion earlier in the year, many people commented that of course fashion was not the only area of life to be embellished. So we now turn to the RSN Collection and all the items that reflect how homes have historically been decorated with embroidered pieces upstairs and downstairs, from pillow cases to antimacassars. The pieces on show were all created to beautify the domestic environment. This array of interesting pieces, made mostly, but not exclusively, by amateur embroiderers, embodies a fascinating social history from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The exhibits are worked in a variety of techniques and include bedspreads, sheets, tablecloths, cushion covers, fire screens as well as smaller items such as letter holders and table mats. Many are sure to evoke memories and come with stories of their own.

Bookings are now open. For group bookings email: [email protected]

If you are looking to visit us before Christmas, then come and see our current exhibition, Animals in Embroidery. Don’t miss the chance to see over 100 pieces featuring a variety of animals and techniques, including The Queen’s horse Carlton House brought to life through Blackwork. We also have a few spaces available for the Tour & Taster: Cali the Cat on 17 October.