This month, the RSN Shop has selected some exquisite products inspired by the magnificent Hampton Court Palace, home of the Royal School of Needlework.
Enjoy our range of historic kits, books and equipment that celebrate the breathtaking architecture and grounds of the Tudor Palace.
See some on the items below!
Shop our full regal range here
RSN Scotland invites you to a Stitch Social at The Glasgow Art Club on Saturday 19 July, 10am to 4pm.
Join the RSN’s Scottish branch for a Stitch Social day of embroidery at The Glasgow Art Club, where the RSN teaches hand embroidery in Scotland.
This is a free drop in event so come with your friends, on your own, for five minutes or all day! You can bring along any embroidery work with you, join others on a project at the venue, or simply socialise with fellow stitchers.
On the day, Stitch Social visitors will be invited to add more stitching to the ‘Processions’ banner which was created by RSN Scotland students for the march in 2018, in Edinburgh. ‘Processions’ was a mass participation artwork that took place across several British cities.
Tens of thousands of women marched “forming a living portrait of women in the 21st century and a visual expression of equality, strength and cultural representation”. It celebrated 100 years of when British women won the vote. Those marching wore the purple, green and white colours of the suffragette movement, with many holding banners, which they had created, including RSN Scotland.
Entry to the event is free, just ring the Glasgow Art Club doorbell on arrival; refreshments will be available for purchase at the venue.
This will be a wonderful social event at RSN Scotland and we really look forward to seeing you there!
Learn more about RSN Scotland here
Join our next C&D Open Day
*work by RSN Scotland Certificate student Paula Reynolds*
We are delighted to be returning to Northern Ireland this August with two stunning RSN Experience classes in partnership with Hillsborough Castle and Linen Biennale 2025.
Stitch with us on 22 or 23 August, and learn either Surface Stitches with our stunning Snake Head Fritillary Native Wildflower motif, or learn Goldwork with our glorious Wheel of Blackwork Tulips, and enjoy a visit to the acclaimed Royal Style in the Making exhibition.
Spaces are limited, so be sure to book soon to avoid missing out on this special experience!
See the Native Wildflower Class: https://bit.ly/3Z6dVJm
See the Wheel of Blackwork Tulips Class: https://bit.ly/44YqnhX
Learn more about the Royal Style in the Making exhibition at Hillsborough Castle here
See all the classes, Online Talks, Exhibitions and more happening at the RSN this month!
Online Day & Evening Classes
A Wheel of Blue Leaves: Weekly, from Sunday 15 to Sunday 22 June
Hampton Court Palace Classes
Introduction to Box Making: ‘Nigella Initial Box’: Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 June
Carnation: A Reticello Design: Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 June
Colour In Flight: Puffin: ‘Combining Painting, Coloured pencil and Stitch’: Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 June
Live Online Talks
The RSN Collection & Archive: Behind the scenes of the RSN Collections website, FREE TALK: with RSN Curator Dr Isabella Roser & Guests, Wednesday 25 June, 7pm GMT
Events & Exhibitions
New Designers: Graduate Art & Design Showcase, Business Design Centre, London, 2 – 5 July, stand T46
‘Handstitched Heritage’: RWA Bristol, until 15 June, an exhibition of RSN Apprentice and Future Tutor Alumni work
Certificate & Diploma Graduate Exhibition: Hampton Court Palace, Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6, 11am to 4pm
Future Tutor Graduate Exhibition: Hampton Court Palace, Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6, 11am to 4pm
Certificate & Diploma Online Info Session: Monday 16 June, 9am GMT
RSN Scotland Stitch Social: The Glasgow Art Club, Scotland, 19 July 10am-4pm
In the wake of the 2023 film ‘Napoleon’, the RSN Embroidery Studio restored the embroidery on two Napoleonic chairs.
The client purchased the two chairs from an auction house, and they came with a provenance suggesting that Napoleon himself owned them, and they were in his home. The border and central design were embroidered in a silver gilt, on a silk velvet. Considering the age of the embroidery, it was in relatively good condition with only sporadic purls missing from the padded cut work. However, the silk velvet had completely worn through in many places and on one chair the central motif had completely detached itself from the fabric around it.
The velvet was matched to the original and, in conjunction with the client, a fine cotton velvet was chosen. This will have greater longevity than a silk velvet. Before the transfer, the pieces were lightly surface cleaned to remove any dust, dirt and debris. The embroidery was removed from the original velvet and transferred onto new velvet, making sure that the positioning was the same as the original. The team took copious measurements and diagrams to ensure this was achieved. Once the pieces were stitched into place, they were edged with a self-coloured thread to blend it with the new velvet. Once completed, the client used their upholsterer to restore the chairs and mount the embroidery onto them. Now complete, the chairs have returned to glorious pieces of furniture they once were.
Image credit: Ogled Antiques
Do you have an object you would like made, restored or conserved?
Contact the RSN Embroidery Studio Team or visit the website today for bespoke embroidery commissions, restoration and conservation services.
We often say in the RSN Embroidery Studio that pieces come along like buses, all at once, and this has certainly been the case with chairs over the last 18 months.
We were approached by a client who had commissioned a chair to be upholstered in the most amazing fabric, depicting country scenes and fishermen, all in shade of green on a pale cream coloured background. The client wanted to refurbish a second chair that would sit with this one and commissioned us to embroider one of the Fishermen.
The embroidery was on a plain off-white linen for the back of the chair, and the seat was also in off-white, with the special fabric used in other areas on the chair. The embroidery was worked in several different weights of thread and only in three shades of green, with a fourth thread of a dark grey blue as a low light.
The design from the fabric to be made in embroidery was quite sketchy in appearance, so the embroidery used a combination of stitches that could be worked in such a way that they appear to be drawn, thus replicating the feel of the original fabric design. Only the main lines of the design were transferred onto the fabric and stitched, whilst the rest were stitched freehand as if sketched with stitch straight onto the fabric. This is a great way to embroider, and the team really enjoy the freedom of this process. It also allows the studio embroiderer to use their amazing skill and add their own feel to the piece, making it an individual, unrepeatable piece of embroidery. The chair will be finished with a cushion made in the original fabric that will sit perfectly below the embroidery.
Do you have an object you would like made, restored or conserved?
Contact the RSN Embroidery Studio Team or visit the website today for bespoke embroidery commissions, restoration and conservation services.
The RSN Embroidery Studio was recently approached by a gentleman who, while travelling, had embroidered a full set of dining room chair seats. He had enjoyed using them but fancied a change, so he removed them from the chairs and had them reupholstered. He then came to us for suggestions on what to do with the embroidered pieces.
They had been beautifully worked in canvas work—a slow, detailed embroidery technique that takes many hours to complete. With so much effort involved, it would have been a shame not to reuse them in some way. We suggested transforming the pieces into a rug.
Of course, it wasn’t that straightforward, as a chair seat, when laid flat, is not a square or rectangular shape. The team put on their thinking caps and turned to pencil and paper. We wanted to preserve as much of the embroidery as possible and were keen to avoid cutting through the client’s hard work.
With meticulous planning, the team cleverly positioned the individual pieces to form a cohesive rug. The canvas pieces had two different background colours, so we arranged several layout options and sent images to the client, who chose their preferred combination. Once the canvases were joined, the rug was edged with a suitable fabric to create an even rectangular shape. It was then interlined, lined, and finished with non-slip strips stitched to the back, making it safe for use on both laminate and carpeted floors.
Do you have an object you would like made, restored or conserved?
Contact the RSN Embroidery Studio Team or visit the website today for bespoke embroidery commissions, restoration and conservation services.
We often have returning clients to the RSN Embroidery Studio, and it is always special for us when we do. This client owned many beautiful pieces of embroidery produced by her great-grandmother, all of which are very precious to her. This particular piece had originally been a chair seat and had been well-used, loved, and enjoyed. However, over time, the background fabric had become brittle and deteriorated, developing large splits in the background.
It was decided that once restored, the piece would be transformed into a cushion. This would allow it to continue being appreciated, without the wear and tear that comes from being sat on.
The embroidery was lightly surface cleaned using a low-suction conservation hoover to remove any surface dust. The design was traced as a record for repositioning onto the new background. The original background fabric was removed by cutting as close to the embroidery as possible. A new fabric, onto which the embroidery is placed, was chosen with the client.
Once placed onto the new fabric, the embroidery was stitched around the outside and throughout the piece and finally edged with couching to enclose the raw edge and blend the embroidery onto the new fabric. Once all the restoration was completed, it was made into a cushion with matching piping. This precious embroidery can now be enjoyed once again.
Do you have an object you would like made, restored or conserved?
Contact the RSN Embroidery Studio Team or visit the website today for bespoke embroidery commissions, restoration and conservation services.
We are delighted to introduce the exceptional work of RSN Third Year Degree students as they approach their graduation this June. Here’s a glimpse of their Major Projects, which will be on display at New Designers in London this July.
Beatriz Braga – “ALCHEMIA – The Design of Time”
ALCHEMIA – The Design of Time, is an art installation by hand embroiderer Beatriz Braga, inspired by how time can act as a designer through a series of alchemical processes and how this can contribute to a new understanding of what it means to design. By looking at processes like oxidisation, friction and sedimentation, Beatriz rethinks her own creative practice by including tarnished and worn materials.
Charlotte Farrant – “The Codification of Stitch”
The Codification of Stitch explores the intrinsic link between a person’s garment and how they are understood by society. The embellishment used within garments can dramatically alter how a garment is read, enabling the viewer to understand more. Inspired by Anne Lister’s coded diary writing and her own fascination with mechanics, Charlotte has developed a codification of embroidery stitches that can be directly translated into Lister’s coded diaries.
Clara Donald – “My Heritage”
Clara Donald’s latest collection draws inspiration from time spent in Scotland with her family, reflecting on both the striking beauty and the stark, unforgiving aspects of the Scottish landscape. One of her earliest influences was a detailed painting of a Scottish thistle in her grandfather’s home with the following inscription, ‘Thistle wild, proud and free, blooming where none dare to be.’ This sparked a deeper exploration of Scotland’s flora and fauna, a land where both of her grandfathers originate.
Gwyneth Melling – “Welcome to the Valley of the Tallest Waterfall – In the Tallest Waterfall’s Pool”
The Valley of the Tallest Waterfall manifests in our world as embroidered textile sculptures. Each creature is half life-sized, giving the viewer a window into this new fantasy world. Gwyneth’s practice hinges on imaginative storytelling, frequently aiming to question binary boundaries between ‘real’ and ‘imaginary’ through the creation of a new, embroidered environment to create tension between the conventionally-real world and the new world of her own.
Izzy Ager – “Tracing Floral Journeys”
Tracing Floral Journeys explores the journeys and findings of botanical illustrators from the late 17th century up to the present day, such as Edith Holden and Catherine Hamilton. Both created diaries to document their journeys and everyday life, accompanied with an illustration of botany. Reflecting their processes, hand embroidery artist, Izzy Ager, explored the shapes and patterns of flora collected over her travels to historical places and gardens near her and in Surrey and its outskirts, to develop her ideas for this collection.
Olaitan Onibuje – “Echoes of my Ancestors”
Echoes of my Ancestors is a collection of caps and canvas jackets inspired by streetwear, by hand embroiderer, Olaitan Onibuje. The main themes draw on her personal history, culture and heritage that have formed her identity.
This body of work highlights the importance of different cultures coming together to form someone’s identity. Growing up with two immigrant parents, Olaitan was raised with their Nigerian values as well as having her own, being brought up in Ireland and the UK. She shows her appreciation for her culture and her parents through the use of embroidery, her love of patterns and organic form, using traditional pre-colonial art as an inspiration.
Ruta Malik – “I See You: Noticing the Unnoticeable”
In the fast-moving world, everyone is rushing and it becomes more difficult to see commonplace things. The intricacies of the natural world often get dismissed and taken for granted. I See You: Noticing the Unnoticeable, hand embroiderer Ruta Malik’s most recent collection, is about appreciating the ordinary. It consists of two pieces – The Stone Cut in Half and Fragmented. This is the artist’s personal response to noticing the details in everyday life: sharing her feeling of awe in relation to simple objects and transforming them into tangible pieces of art.
Would you like to see these pieces in person?
Come along to New Designers in London this July to see the Major Projects in detail, and to chat to our Degree Graduate Students about their work.
With so many wonderful classes to choose from for our International Summer School, we want to help you pick the class (or classes!) that are right for you and your ability level, to ensure you have the best time!
For Beginners
For complete embroidery beginners, if you are a little ‘rusty’, or if you would just simply prefer to start at the beginning again (which is a very good place to start!) then you might choose a class aimed at Beginners. Our Beginner classes are suitable for those who have little to no experience of embroidery and will be taught all the fundamental stitches required to get started.
You can also look at classes marked as ‘Mixed Ability’, which are suitable for all levels. Our Tutors are well versed in adjusting their teaching to ensure everyone receives the right level of tuition to match their experience, so you progress confidently with the design.
See our Beginner and Mixed Ability classes
Intermediate Classes
If you have already attended a Beginners/Mixed Ability class, you may feel ready to stretch yourself a little further and take an Intermediate class. These classes are perfect for those who already have some experience with embroidery and are looking to expand their skills further and take the next step.
If you are unsure, check the class description on the booking page to see if a Tutor specifies the level of experience needed.
See our Intermediate classes
Advanced Classes
Advanced classes are the perfect choice for stitchers who wish to build on skills already learnt. We recommend that to take one of our Advanced classes, you should be confident with all basic embroidery stitches, and experience in the specific technique of the class is advantageous.
See our Advanced classes
What is Included?
Onsite Classes at Hampton Court Palace Include: Class kit, exclusive talks, themed palace tours, lunch each day, discount for local accommodation, a welcome gift and a certificate of attendance.
Online Classes Include: Class kit, exclusive online talks, a welcome gift, a certificate of attendance and access to class recordings.
Have a question about our International Summer School?
Get in touch with us and email [email protected].
See all International Summer School classes here
The RSN is home to more than 10,000 unique and priceless Collection and Archive pieces. In April 2024, we celebrated the launch of the RSN Collection & Archive website, with 100 objects from the RSN Collection. One year on, and there are now 250 objects listed on the website, from across the world.
The website is part of our mission to make the treasures of the RSN accessible to a wider online audience and we would love for you to join us for this free online event.
On Wednesday 25 June, during the round table discussion, RSN Curator, Dr Isabella Rosner, will be in conversation with a panel of some of those involved in the project and using the website to inform their work, sharing their stories, from the development process through to the website you can enjoy today. These textile and paper objects span centuries and continents, revealing stories of everything from Arts and Crafts movement designers to Queen Mary’s textile collection.
You will have the opportunity to pose questions to the panel and to learn how this wonderful free resource will contribute to your own world of stitch…and, who knows what treasures will be revealed!
The RSN Collections website can be accessed free of charge, anywhere in the world. It features comprehensive catalogue entries, including high-definition images for each object with the option to view stitches up close, maker’s names, dates, places, stitches, motifs, techniques and extensive descriptions. You can also find out more about the techniques and stitches featured via handy links to RSN Stitch Bank.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have supported the RSN in opening the doors to our unique Collection and Archive through the RSN Collections website, as well as RSN Stitch Bank, the free online world directory of stitches. Our aim is to make embroidery accessible for everyone, all around the world, and ensure we pass on our skills to new generations. Without your generous donations, these initiatives would not be possible. Thank you.
Explore the RSN Collection & Archive website
Explore RSN Stitch Bank website
Donate to the RSN Collection & Archive here
Sponsor a stitch on RSN Stitch Bank here
Explore all RSN Online Talks here
For Mental Health Awareness Week, from 12 – 18 May, the RSN is celebrating the therapeutic power of hand embroidery. In a fast-paced, digital world, stitching offers a calming, mindful escape with remarkable effects on the mind.
The simple, repetitive motion of needle and thread helps quiet racing thoughts, reduce anxiety, and encourage focus.
Hand Embroidery is..
Read the stories of some of the RSN’s supporters and how embroidery has supported their mental health:
“I am autistic, and the beneficial effects of embroidery are more than I can put into words. The rhythm brings me peace, calms anxiety and drains negativity. It is such a calming activity as well as being beautifully creative. I have stitched in one form or another all my life (I am now 72). I do not exaggerate in saying it has been—and still is—a lifesaver. It is my absolute favourite pursuit.” – Lynn
“Embroidery has woven itself into the fabric of my life. It’s a grounding force amidst chaos, a way to express creativity, and a source of both solitary reflection and community connection. Whether it’s a cup of tea in the autumn sun or a few stitches after a busy day, each moment brings me peace. The most satisfying part? Watching my skills blossom over time.” – Sonya
“When I was at one of my lowest points, I found an embroidery kit under my bed. I picked it up and started playing around with it. At first it was cross-stitch, but then I moved to embroidery and loved it even more. It gave me something to do with my hands and took my mind off everything. It gave me a creative outlet to express emotions. That’s why I’ll always credit embroidery with saving my life.” – Colby
Join the RSN at the Hampton Court Palace ‘Feel Good Festival’, 16 – 18 May
As part of the Hampton Court Palace ‘Feel Good Festival’, the RSN will be running daily 90 min embroidery workshops, where visitors can stitch a Colourful Peacock motif and experience the calming, creative benefits of embroidery. These sessions offer a space to unwind, reconnect, and discover the mental wellbeing that can be found in every stitch.
Book your place here
Relax your mind and step into the serene surroundings of Hampton Court Palace for a day of hand embroidery, or learn online in the tranquility of home. Explore RSN Onsite and Online Day & Evening Classes or join our summer festival at the International Summer School, online and at Hampton Court Palace.
Work featured by:
