Our Embroidery Studio is very privileged to work on many, much loved, family treasures.  Read about a recent commission to restore a military badge with immense sentimental value.

During the First World War, many soldiers ended up spending months recuperating from injuries in military hospitals.  As part of their occupational therapy they undertook different types of rehabilitation activities, including embroidery which helped improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Our expert embroiderers restored a piece of embroidery by a client’s Grandfather.  It was stitched during his recovery from serious wounds suffered at the third Battle of Ypres in 1917.  The embroidery was on a badge, depicting The Royal Flying Corp with which the young man at the time, was serving and was worked originally in Long and Short Shading.

Over time, the piece had become a little stained from age and unfortunately it is very difficult to remove these marks.  So in this instance, the best way to preserve the piece was to utilise the technique of transferring the embroidery.  Our Studio team began by taking an accurate tracing of the embroidery.  The next step was to cut out the embroidery, remove it from the original background and position it onto a new support fabric.  Once stabilised the edges were covered with a couched thread and the piece was mounted, ready for framing.  It is an honour to work on such special pieces and lovely to know the piece will continue to be admired by many more generations to come.

During this time, our Embroidery Studio team are working remotely, but can be contacted for enquiries via email: [email protected]. 

Please email your enquiries with photographs, measurements and any other information you may feel useful and we will get back to you with suggestions of processes and costs. 

You can also follow the RSN Embroidery Studio on Instagram @rsnembroiderystudio where we share stories and news about our projects.

This could be a good time to complete any of your UnFinished Objects (UFOs) stashed away in a bottom drawer!  To help get these projects back ‘off the ground’, we have put together some Top Tips:

• To decide which UFO project to start, set aside time when you are not going to be disturbed.  It will take you some time to decide on which UFO to complete and it should be a kit which brings you joy, and not one which you did not complete for negative reasons.  Once you start embroidering again, it will initially take you longer to pick up from where you left off and to get back in to a rhythm and flow.

• Don’t rush – it’s not a race, you want to enjoy the kit you are working on which will no doubt bring back some happy memories of your time in class.

• If you can find them, revisit any notes you made during the class as they will help jog your memory.

• If you attended a class with a friend or met new ones, you could reconnect virtually.  It always helps to stitch with someone and encourage each other along the way.  Even if this means an online partner at this current time, it’s a great way of being able to help and offer ideas.

• When you finish your UFO you might like to mount your work, to offer as a gift to someone or to hang in your home.  If you are finishing pieces during our ‘Stay at Home’ period the pieces hanging will bring back memories of this unprecedented time when you perhaps dedicated more time to yourself and to your wellbeing.  We will be teaching Mounting Classes again when they are rescheduled.

• Don’t forget to share images of your pieces with us on social media.

• Happy Stitching!

Meet Heather Lewis, Author of the new RSN Book Embroidered Boxes and RSN Tutor.  The new book explores the intricate art of creating, embroidering and embellishing boxes for use as keepsakes and jewellery boxes.   We caught up with Heather to find out more.

When and why did you first come to the Royal School of Needlework?
I have always been interested in embroidery, when I was a young girl I used to visit my grandmother regularly and we often used to spend time together stitching. As I grew older it was something I knew I wanted to do more of, so after some research I found out about the Royal School of Needlework. I applied for a place on the Royal School of Needlework Apprenticeship Scheme and started my three years of training in 1999.

What prompted you to write Embroidered Boxes?
I have always wanted to write an embroidery book and as I love combining embroidery with the precision of box making, I was thrilled to work with Search Press who made my ideas a reality.

What can readers expect from the book?
This book is aimed at those new to box making along with those with some experience. There is a simple box project that I suggest readers start with and progress from there. The book includes lots of ideas for different boxes and different lids, and includes inspiration for your own embroidered box.

Do you have a favourite project featured in the book?
I think my favourite piece has to be the Stumpwork Casket. I took my inspiration from several 17th century embroidered caskets. I loved the challenge of designing and stitching it with its many compartments, lids, drawers and a secret drawer. The casket also includes a working lock. The casket is featured in the book as one of the extended projects. I had always wanted to make one but somehow never found the time.  Writing the book gave me the perfect excuse.

What advice would you give to someone starting box making?
The success of an embroidered box lies with precision.  For a handmade box to fit together accurately the card pieces need to be cut to the correct size, so my advice is to measure twice and cut once!
There are three projects for you to try, featured in the book – a small treasure chest with a curved lid, embroidered dragonfly detail and a false floor; a hexagonal box with a beautiful embroidered lid depicting afternoon tea; and an intricate Stumpwork casket with a mirror in the lid and a hidden drawer. Each has a template and extensive instructions for preparation, embroidery and construction.

The book costs £17.99.  Buy online or visit our shop at Hampton Court Palace.

This Mothering Sunday weekend (20-22 March), the spectacular and much loved Florimania event will return to the King’s State Apartments at Hampton Court Palace, bringing the historic building to life and celebrating spring with vibrant floral displays.  You can explore the Palace’s rich heraldic past, using flowers to represent the symbolic badges and emblems of the Tudor Kings and Queens of England.

Alongside Florimania, a RSN Future Tutor and Degree Student will demonstrate the beautiful art of hand embroidery through Goldwork and explain how the RSN created our magnificent RSN Royal Coat of Arms which will be on display together with some of their own Goldwork pieces.

Demonstrations are every day at 12.45pm and 15.15pm, for one hour on all days, in The Stone Room, William III’s Apartments.

Read More

We have just launched our new Tour & Taster workshops for our next exhibition Stitch is International, which opens in April.  These workshops enable you to visit our new exhibition in the morning and attend a Taster Embroidery Workshop in the afternoon.  Learn how to create a beautiful flower and butterfly motif using traditional Korean Silk Shading embroidery techniques.

Inspired by the international focus of our exhibition, RSN Tutor Jung Byun, will give students the unique experience of using traditional silk threads to create unique stitches, including Korean style Satin Stitch, Slanted Satin Stitch, Outline Stitch, and Korean style Long and Short Stitch.  Book your place here

From supporting Future Tutors and Degree students with bursaries and underpinning course costs, to helping us develop new programmes and add to our Collection of textiles, gifts in Wills make an incredibly important contribution to our work.  Once you have provided for loved ones please consider leaving a legacy to the RSN.  Your gift will ensure future generations will continue to learn and pass on the traditional art of hand embroidery.

A legacy gift, no matter how large or small, makes a lasting difference. Gifts can be for the area of greatest need, from student bursaries and awards, to support for the Collection & Archive and Tutors, or to the RSN as a whole.

A Life Friend of the RSN very kindly gifted £20,000. This is wonderful as it will enable us to support several programmes and projects this year. Another Friend left us £1,000 and this will help with some of the seminars for our Future Tutors programme. But, of course, anyone can leave a gift in their Will, you do not have to be an RSN Friend.

To leave a gift in your Will to the RSN, please visit your solicitor or other adviser. It is quite easy, you just need to give your solicitor the RSN’s details and let them know how much you would like to leave. This can be either a residuary gift, which is taken from the estate after all the specific bequests have been made, or it can be a pecuniary gift which simply means it is a specified amount. If you leave a residuary amount it is usually expressed as a percentage of the residue and, making sure your loved ones are looked after first, will determine what percentage you might have available for a charitable gift. Or for the pecuniary gift, you simply specify how much you would like to go to the named beneficiary.

To leave a gift in your Will to the RSN you need to know our name, Royal School of Needlework, our address – Apt 12A Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU and our registered charity number (312774). This is so that your solicitor can check that we are bona fide and also find us when the Will comes into force.

A gift in a Will can really help the RSN to look forward with confidence, so if you’ve enjoyed stitching during your life, please think about leaving a gift in your Will which will help the RSN to inspire the next generation to learn that same skill and gain pleasure from embroidery.

To find out more visit our website or ring 020 3166 6936 for a friendly chat about Wills.  Thank you

The deadline for applications to our Future Tutors programme is 1 March.

Learn all the different hand embroidery techniques to the highest standard and gain a City & Guilds qualification in teaching.  Our third year students have recently finished their Creative Embroidered Boxes.  During the three year course, RSN Future Tutor Student, Matthew Cayton, created a magical Harry Potter themed box.  Click here to view the video where Matthew reveals the interior of his box and a secret drawer!

To apply for the Future Tutors programme visit our website or email: [email protected]

The RSN Summer School this July in the USA is more than just attending classes. There’s the lecture programme to keep you more informed about the RSN as a whole and an opportunity to see items from the RSN’s textile collection. Above all you will meet like-minded enthusiasts of technical hand embroidery who appreciate learning in a calm but fun environment.

Our Early Bird booking rate for our USA Summer School in Lexington, Kentucky ends on Saturday 29 February (midnight GMT) so book your class now so you don’t miss out.  Click  here to view all the wonderful class designs for 2020.

If you are unable to attend our Summer School in July, we have one space left on our Certificate & Diploma Intensive Course in Williamsburg, Virginia this April.

We are excited to be returning to Lancaster in April to teach a series of Day Classes – but this time in a brand new venue!

All Lancaster classes will now be held at Lancaster Castle, which is one of the most historically fascinating surviving buildings in the country. Dating back to Roman times, the castle has a commanding position on the hill overlooking the town of Lancaster and the River Lune.

The forthcoming classes take place from 15 – 19 April and are for all levels.  Click on these three links to view videos of Sarah Jane Dennis talking about her classes – Students can choose to stitch a Goldwork brooch, Silk Shading Flower, Whitework birds or de-stress in a unique Mindfulness class.

For those who have never picked up a needle before, choose the Introduction to Crewelwork bird (Wednesday 15 April) or the relaxing Mindfulness class to make a ‘Tree of Life’ lavender bag (Sunday 19 April).  For anyone who likes to stitch and wants to take the next step, learn what it means to ‘paint with a needle’ and create a stunning flower using the Silk Shading technique (Thursday 16 April); alternatively stitch a Goldwork brooch (Friday 17 April); or try the traditional Whitework technique (Saturday 18 April).  Classes start from £108 (cost of classes vary depending upon kit which is included).

The classes in Lancaster Castle will be taught by RSN Tutor Sara Jane Dennis who grew up on her parents’ farm in Sedbergh.  Sara-Jane studied a Degree in Art History at Lancaster University before coming to the Royal School of Needlework to train as a Tutor on the Future Tutors programme at Hampton Court Palace.

Lancaster Castle is one of the most historically fascinating surviving buildings in the country. Dating back to Roman times, the castle has a commanding position on the hill overlooking the town of Lancaster and the River Lune.  Classes run from 10am – 4pm at Lancaster Castle, Castle Parade, Lancaster LA1 1YJ.

 

We are excited to return to the Fashion & Embroidery exhibition, taking place at the NEC Birmingham, 19-22 March.  This year we are highlighting the Embroidery Classes that we teach in Birmingham, Bristol and Lancaster, as well as showcasing students’ work including the RSN Degree ‘Hanbok Project’ (Korean Dress), exhibited in the UK and Seoul, Korea. Three RSN Degree 2019 Graduates will also exhibit their work in the Graduate Showcase, created from their Final Major Project in fashion, interiors and textile art.

You can book on to one of our 90 minute workshops, led by the Head of Studio Anne Butcher, which will take place every day with Silk Shaded & Needlewomen Leaf Spray (Thursday and Saturday) and Goldwork Leaf Spray (Friday and Sunday) HERE

We look forward to seeing you there!

From Physics to Stitches, meet Julian Keeley, a student on the RSN Certificate in Technical Hand Embroidery.  Julian studies at Hampton Court Palace and has completed three of the four techniques for the Certificate – Jacobean Crewelwork, Canvaswork and Silk Shading – and is about to embark on Goldwork.  Read his story.

I studied Physics at university and subsequently worked in the telecoms industry for 30 years.  On reaching 50, I decided on a career change and retrained as a physics teacher.  I taught for seven years in a variety of schools at secondary level.

My mother taught me to knit when I was a boy but that skill had long gone.  One busy year on holiday in Provence, I was too tired to read having been speed reading regulatory documents for months.  My wife suggested that I try completing a small cross-stitch kit she had brought along.  I was initially reluctant but to my surprise I found the craft of stitching absorbing and relaxing.

I went on with various Cross-Stitch projects which culminated in an intricate picture of a Japanese woman which included French Knots, plenty of Back Stitch, and some Couching.  I was intrigued by where embroidery might lead and I was keen to develop the ability to work on my own designs.  I cannot recall where I first came across the Royal School of Needlework but dipped my toe into the water with a three-day Crewelwork course at Hampton Court Palace.

From there it was a matter of looking at opportunities on the RSN website and exploring the possibilities of the Certificate in Technical Hand Embroidery on an introductory afternoon.  The opportunity to study various styles of embroidery was appealing.  I started the course in January 2018 and liked the flexibility of study days.

I’ve now completed three of the four modules for the Certificate – Jacobean Crewelwork, Canvaswork and Silk Shading.  Having practised on the introductory course, I enjoyed the Crewelwork.  My Canvaswork piece is based on a photograph I took on an inspirational trip to Nara in Japan.  The tulip in my Silk Shading was again based on one of my photographs but this time from the wonderful Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands.  My last module will be Goldwork on which I have made a start with a design and choice of base material.

I find the colours in embroidery fascinating, the way the colours interact with each other and change as they are seen from different directions.  The process of embroidering is one that I find absorbing.  It is both relaxing and demanding.  My ability at school with art was all but non-existent.  To now find that I have produced a beautiful picture of a tulip, for instance, is most gratifying.

I am enjoying the experience of learning new skills at the RSN.  The RSN Tutors are consistently gentle in approach taking me forward one step at a time.  There have been times when I have felt daunted with so many choices to make on the types of stitches but the Tutors have always been available to help.  At other times, they have quietly instilled me with the confidence that I can push on and complete a section without any more assistance.

The flexibility of the course has proved to be handy as I’ve managed to fit in other activities and to work at the pace which suits me.  The atmosphere in the teaching room is always a delight with all of us concentrating over our frames whilst also learning from the instructions being given to a neighbouring student!  It is good to see the progress which others are making on their own pieces.

I’m now excited to be able to bring together my love of Physics with my new found joy of embroidery.  My Goldwork module will be an exploration of different ways to understand gravitational force from Newton to Einstein.  It may well be unusual to see algebra depicted in embroidery but that is the delight on this course, to be able to explore my own designs and experiences in different techniques.  Each of my pieces has meaning for me and is an expression of my development.

Embroidery is a fascinating art form.  The RSN is a great place to learn to improve one’s skills.

More information on the Certificate & Diploma click here. 

More information about our Summer Intensive Courses click here.

We are delighted to announce our partnership with The Aga Khan Centre in London’s vibrant King’s Cross where we will be staging a one-day class on 18 April. Inspired by the gallery’s exhibition, Rethreading and Retracing, Textiles & Techniques by Bita Ghezelaygh, students will learn how to embellish vintage fabrics and create their own unique textile motif. Attendees will also enjoy a private view of the exhibition with the artist.  The class is suitable for all levels with beginners welcome. For more information and bookings click here.

In addition, our Chief Executive, Dr Susan Kay-Williams, will be giving a special Talk on the Universal Language of Stitch at the Aga Khan Centre on 23 April at 6pm.  The Talk is FREE.  Dr Kay-Williams will explore the concept of stitch as a universal language in relation to both Bita Ghezelayagh’s exhibition and our forthcoming exhibition Stitch is International, opening in April. There will also be the opportunity to view examples of embroidery by RSN Tutors and take part in a Q&A session.  To registered click here.