Did you know that we now teach embroidery classes in Birmingham, right in the heart of the city’s Jewellery Quarter?

RSN Tutor Helen McCook gave us a tour of her Birmingham Studio for you to enjoy, which you can also watch and share via our YouTube channel.

From ‘Introduction to Embroidery’ to a three day ‘Advanced Jacobean Crewelwork’ class, plus ‘Advanced Goldwork’ to ‘Tudor Blackwork’ and everything in-between, with our schedule of embroidery classes in Birmingham there really is a technique and level to suit everyone!

We look forward to welcoming you soon to RSN Birmingham!

For a limited period only, if you buy an RSN Online Course (via www.rsnonlinecourses.com) you will receive the matching RSN Essential Stitch Guide for free!  So for example, if you choose to buy the Online Introduction to Blackwork Puffin, you will receive the RSN Essential Stitch Guide to Blackwork (normally on sale for £10.99).

Our Online Courses partners, David & Charles, is running this special promotion until midnight 7 February.  To take advantage of this offer, visit rsnonlinecourses.com to buy your course.  No special code is needed, all purchases will automatically receive the corresponding book.  This offer is non-exchangeable.

Offer excludes the Canvaswork course. For terms and conditions, click here.

We are very excited about teaching a special Valentine’s workshop at the Fashion Roundtable’s ‘Love is Love’ event with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Jamie Windust & atelier Ashish.   ‘Love is Love’ takes place on Wednesday 12 February, 7pm-10pm, at the London members club The Curtain in Shoreditch.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor (singer and daughter of ‘Blue Peter’ presenter Janet Ellis) and Jamie Windust will kick off the evening with a Q&A discussing music, vintage, identity, inclusion and all things love.  This will be followed by a series of craft activities including an RSN Workshop.  Just in time for Valentine’s Day, RSN Tutor Amy Burt together with RSN Degree Students, will host a workshop to inspire hand embroidery of a large button brooch, perfect for your nearest and dearest to wear close to their heart, using atelier Ashishs’ archives and fabrics.

Attendees to the event can also enjoy make-up makeovers and a workshop to create Statement Earrings’ with Elizabeth Joseph who specialises in upcycling using broken and unworn jewellery. To book, please click here.

Our next exhibition, Stitch is International, will open at Hampton Court Palace on 29 April.   Celebrating stitch around the world, this latest display will feature pieces from the RSN’s unique Textiles Collection.

Showcasing a rich range of embellished objects, the exhibition includes textiles from Europe, Turkey, the Arab world, Indian sub-continent, China, Japan, North and South America.  Embroidery is an art form which has been used by people from different times and in many different places, including as expressions of high art, folk art and cultural identity.  From Guatemalan Huipil designs and a Japanese kimono to Turkish towels and Indian Goldwork, Stitch is International will be a diverse display of stitches, colours, textures and fashions.

Dr Susan Kay-Williams, Chief Executive of the Royal School of Needlework said: “This exhibition will demonstrate the shared aspects of embroidery: the same stitches worked in different countries and in different patterns, but all part of a shared experience of embellishment. It may also help us highlight stitches which have become lost or forgotten when they fall out of use.  Teaching the diversity of needlework to new generations is at the heart of our core purpose.  We hope that the exhibition may even trigger the introduction of forgotten stitches to the RSN Stitch Bank – the new world directory resource of stitch we are currently compiling online.  The RSN Stitch Bank will include video, written instructions, illustrations and photographs of each stitch, making it an invaluable source of information for all stitchers across the continents.”

Tours start from £16 per person.  There are different Tour options including, Talk & Tour, Curator’s Tour, Tour & Taster embroidery workshop and Family Stitch Workshop.  Group Tours are also available.  To book visit the website or email: [email protected].  The exhibition is in the RSN’s Embroidery Studios at Hampton Court Palace and only open on set days, so pre-booking is essential.  The exhibition runs until 2 December 2020.

If you can’t wait to visit us, book onto our current exhibition ‘Faces & Figures in Stitch’ which includes a Blackwork portrait of our patron, The Duchess of Cornwall.

By popular demand, we are returning to the D Day Story Museum in Portsmouth to teach three Day Classes in March, May and July.

RSN Tutor Helen Stevens will be teaching a beautiful Silk Shaded Daisy (20th March) and Goldwork Stork (10th July).  RSN Tutor Helen Jones will be teaching a Stumpwork Rose & Nettle motif (15th May) inspired by the D-Day memorial window at Portsmouth Cathedral.

The classes are suitable for all levels and cost £86 each (plus kit cost).  The D Day Story Museum features the unique Overlord Embroidery which was made by RSN Embroiderers from 1968 to 1974.  Students taking the class will also have the opportunity to view this unique historical project.

View all Portsmouth Day Classes

Book here or contact [email protected] / tel: 020 3166 6939.

We are delighted to announce that we will be returning to Fashion Museum Bath to teach three bespoke embroidery classes.  Each class will feature a different technique and design inspired by clothing pieces in the Museum’s exhibition, ‘A History of Fashion in 100 Objects’, and led by RSN Tutors, Kate Barlow or Deborah Wilding.  The classes begin with a viewing of the corresponding item of clothing on display in the Museum with a curator.  These include a 1600s Gauntlet Glove (14 March), Victorian Ladies Boots (25 April) and 1700s Ladies Shoes (16 May).

The workshops are suitable for all levels and run from 10am to 4pm at Fashion Museum, Assembly Rooms, Bennett Street, Bath BA1 2QH.  Each class costs £86 (plus kit cost) which includes a ticket to the Museum, valid for one month from the date of the class.

Book here or contact [email protected] / tel: 020 3166 6939.

Karen Newbrook started on the RSN Certificate in September 2017 with a Jacobean Crewelwork design.  Next, she completed Canvas Stitches and more recently, a stunning Goldwork Reindeer.  Karen shares her journey to study with us and her love of needlework.

“Some of my fondest early memories are of the cute little dresses my mum made for my sister and me when we were growing up in York.  She inspired me, from a very early age, to create clothes for my dolls and then for myself, leading to a life-long love of all things fabric and needlework.  Over the years, I’ve done many related courses and projects, but I’ve always enjoyed hand embroidery the most.  There’s something about the steady rhythm of stitching by hand that is so absorbing, enjoyable and therapeutic.

“For many years, my hobbies had to play second fiddle to a career in publishing.  But now that I’m nearing retirement and the RSN course is so flexible, I can attend the RSN’s Bristol satellite.  It gives me the opportunity to really focus on consolidating and broadening my skills in hand embroidery techniques and design.  I can learn from the best Tutors, feel at home in an inviting environment and enjoy the company of like-minded people, who are a true inspiration – pure indulgence for me!

“The flexibility of the course – to be able to work at my own pace and pay on a session-by-session basis – has made all the difference to my being able to make this journey.  Nowadays, it’s easy to fit embroidery into my everyday life, even though I sometimes still have to wear my publishing hat.

“I’ve loved working on all three of my Certificate designs so far.  I’ve learnt such a lot and now feel more confident that I could design and execute other equally pleasing pieces.  The flowing lines, wealth of stitches and quirky motifs for the Jacobean were a joy to explore and there was such satisfaction in seeing those sinuous lines of Japanese thread bringing my Goldwork to life.  But it’s Canvas Stitches that have been the true revelation and my design was inspired by a watercolour painting by Amanda Clark.

“I used to say that Canvas Stitches was the one technique I wasn’t looking forward to and, at times, keeping track of all the colours drove me mad, but it stretched me and showed me how I could break out of the canvas grid and paint with thread to create a design I’m truly proud of – even though it took me the best part of a year to finish!

“The RSN has always been at the pinnacle of excellence in hand embroidery and I feel very privileged to be able to learn from the best.”

If you would like to know more about our Certificate & Diploma Course, please visit our website and book onto one of our forthcoming Open Days:  Saturday 1 February and Monday 23 March at Hampton Court Palace; Saturday 28 March at RSN Glasgow and Sunday 17 May at RSN Bristol.  Alternatively, email: [email protected]

Whether you want to learn a new technique for wellbeing, curiosity or pleasure, there are many different options for you at the RSN.  We have a range of Introduction to Embroidery classes for beginners to start you on your journey, including special offer packages.

If you love attending Day Classes, but now want to challenge yourself further, then why not try our Certificate & Diploma in Technical Hand Embroidery? Or if you are thinking of options of a career in hand embroidery, join us on our Degree in Hand Embroidery or Future Tutors programme.  To find out more about all our courses, view our video here.

We teach at Hampton Court Palace, Bristol, Birmingham, Rugby, Durham and Glasgow, and internationally in North America and Japan.  Attend one of our forthcoming Open Days:

Degree Open Day on 8 January at Hampton Court Palace

C&D and Future Tutors Courses Open Day on 1 February at Hampton Court Palace.

RSN Glasgow Open Day on 28 March 2020

RSN Bristol Open Day on 17 May 2020

During the summer, we hold Intensive Courses for our Certificate & Diploma in Technical Hand Embroidery at Hampton Court Palace.  These courses are held over 12 days structured around tuition, homework and mounting the finished piece.  We spoke to Denise Kristof, from Pasadena in California, who attended our C&D Intensive programme in Hampton Court Palace last year.  Denise is an attorney and started the C&D course in May 2017.

How did you learn of the RSN Certificate & Diploma Intensive course?
During the summer of 1995, between my first and second year of law school, I travelled to the UK with my mother and my son.  One of our visits was to Hampton Court Palace.  In the area, just outside what is now the RSN Gift Shop, there were three ladies embroidering.  We stopped and watched them embroider.  They were so very gracious and their work was so very excitingly beautiful.  I vowed that I would study at the RSN someday.

Where are you now on the C&D student journey?
I have completed all four modules for my Certificate and only have three modules remaining of my Diploma.

What do you find are the benefits of attending the C&D intensive course?

• Learning new skills at a first rate institution with first rate Tutors
• Sense of accomplishment
• Meeting people from all over the world
• Seeing the world through new lenses

What is your favourite hand embroidery technique?
Goldwork, because it is so impressive!

How was your experience of the course?
My experience with every module has been wonderful!  Each and every Tutor has been professional, knowledgeable, patient and gracious.  The administrative staff at RSN has been wonderfully helpful.  When I study at Hampton Court Palace, I have to pinch myself that I am allowed to spend time in a building with such rich history.

What has been the highlight?
It is difficult to pinpoint just one highlight of the RSN course.  Expanding my designing skills, learning new techniques, perfecting skills are all important and the reason for enrolling on the program.  Studying at Hampton Court Palace is such an indescribable privilege.  But, without question, the people are what make the RSN special.  I have had the honour of studying with almost all the Tutors.  Every one of them has been exemplary, professional, knowledgeable and gracious.  The assessment of my work has been strict and I have not always received the marks that I anticipated.  My assessments have been rigorous and very fair, which I appreciate so that I can improve.

How do you balance the course and homework with work/home life?
I can only study during the Summer Intensive Programme, due to living outside the UK, so I am very appreciative that the RSN offers this programme.  The Intensives allow me to study needlework the same way I do everything else – at full tilt!

Has anything/anyone inspired or surprised you on the C&D course?
When I began studying at the RSN I especially wanted to study Goldwork.  I was reticent to study the three other modules before Goldwork, which is the last technique on the Certificate but was pleasantly surprised with the other techniques.  I would not have studied some of the techniques if they had not been required components, so I am really glad that the RSN required me to stretch my abilities.

Why do you choose to learn hand embroidery from the RSN rather than from another organisation?
Because of their rigorous standards.  The RSN required me to learn components that I would not have entertained otherwise.  I did not want to waste my time stitching what I could have done without their requirements and tutelage.

What makes the RSN special?
Hands down, the things that make the RSN special are the people and the surroundings!  I find myself giggling incessantly when I am there.

This year our Certificate & Diploma Summer Intensive Courses at Hampton Court Palace takes place from: 22 June – 14 August.  To find out more click here.

We also teach the C&D Intensive Courses in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA usually in April and October.

The images below are all examples of Denise’s work, completed during the Summer Intensives.

The Royal School of Needlework welcomed The Queen of Malaysia today at its base at Hampton Court Palace.

Her Majesty, Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, met with RSN staff, embroiderers from the Embroidery Studio and students.  Students were from different courses: Certificate & Diploma in Technical Hand Embroidery, Future Tutors programme and Degree in Hand Embroidery, including third year Degree Student, Francesca Lim who was brought up in Malaysia.

Her Majesty also viewed the unique ‘Lost Dress of Elizabeth I’ exhibition, currently on display at Hampton Court Palace, and then had the opportunity to learn the traditional ‘Seeding Stitch’ which was one of the stitches used in Queen Elizabeth I’s original dress.  Her Majesty was taught the hand embroidery techniques by Royal School of Needlework Tutor, Sarah Smith.

Dr Susan Kay-Williams, Chief Executive of the Royal School of Needlework said: “We were delighted to welcome The Queen of Malaysia.  Her Majesty is clearly a great enthusiast of embroidery.  She was asking the students many detailed questions about their work and really enjoyed seeing the variety of techniques being taught.”

The King and Queen of Malaysia are currently on a special visit to the UK which will include a luncheon hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

Our three year Degree in Hand Embroidery is taught in dedicated studios at Hampton Court Palace.  We have been catching up with some of our graduates and you can now read all about their achievements so far!

Laura Baverstock who graduated in 2016, became a Freeman of the City of London at the official ceremony at the Guildhall in August, having been invited to be the youngest Trade Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Gold & Silver Wyre Drawers three years ago.  Laura has been Costume Embroiderer for several films, the latest being The Aeronauts, as well as Mary Queen of Scots and Murder on the Orient Express.

Hattie McGill, who also graduated in 2016, has become a very successful Textile Artist, receiving commissions for her metalwork pieces from all over the world, and is a columnist for Mr X Stitch.

Harriet Stiles graduated in 2014 and is Design & Product Development Manager for Turquoise Mountain, based in Riyadh, exploring traditional needlecraft in contemporary jewellery.  In July, Harriet became a Trade Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Gold & Silver Wyre Drawers.

Since graduating in 2018, Nina Brabbins and Abigail Frusher have been exploring their own hand embroidery practice.  Nina’s Final Major Project, ‘Sea Change’, explored the human effect on the natural world and our lack of connection towards it and has recently started teaching coil basketry Workshops around plastic beach waste and ghost gear, ‘Let’s Weave the Seas Clean’.  Meanwhile, in August, Abigail held her first solo show at the West Acre Gallery, King’s Lynn, inspired by pebble collection along the Norfolk coastline, and is now Artist in Residence at Downham Market Academy, Norfolk.

Charlie Ellis and Abigail Noronha graduated this summer having established their brand ‘ellis+noronha’ in their third year and launched in Bermondsey during the London Design Festival, in September.  Abigail enjoys working with paint and expressive drawings whilst Charlie enjoys digital design, and the combination of skills has resulted in their first collection.  They are now busy working on their next Collection to launch in May.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Degree Course, our next Open Day is on Wednesday 8 January at 11am and 2pm. Book your place here.