Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall, our Patron, visited us on 22 November for the first time since taking over the patronage from Her Majesty The Queen in January 2017. The Duchess of Cornwall visited us at Hampton Court Palace with The Duchess of Gloucester, our President.

The Duchess of Cornwall received a short tutorial in hand embroidery learning the traditional technique of Jacobean Crewelwork.

RSN Tutor Jacqui McDonald said: “I taught The Duchess of Cornwall Fly Stitch which is one of the stitches used in Jacobean Crewelwork. Jacobean Crewelwork is the first technique we teach our Certificate & Diploma students. Her Royal Highness was a quick learner and would make a natural stitcher! I very much hope she returns soon for a full lesson.”

The royal visitors also met with staff, students and volunteers, and enjoyed a tour of the RSN’s Education Department, Embroidery Studio and the current exhibition, ‘Embellishment in Fashion’.

Sally Killingback, RSN Certificate Student said: “It was a privilege to meet The Duchess of Cornwall. She told me that her mother was very good at needlework and she wished she could be more like her in that respect! We both shared fond memories of our grandmothers with drawers full of needlework samples.”

Eleanor Latham, Degree Student said: “We talked about my work and the colour scheme I had chosen which matched her outfit! It was such a fantastic opportunity to meet a member of the Royal Family.”

Megan Foxlow, Degree Student said: “At first I was really nervous but The Duchess of Gloucester talked so passionately about needlework and my work that she really put me at ease. I talked to her about the tassel making I had been working on and The Duchess was really interested in the techniques I had used.”

During the visit, the RSN presented The Duchess of Cornwall with a bespoke velvet cushion for her hatpins, embroidered by their expert Embroidery Studio. The cushion was embroidered with a cluster of Goldwork acorns from the Cornish Oak Tree.

The Duchess of Gloucester, who is a keen needlewoman, received a limited edition strawberry shaped needle cleaner, embroidered to celebrate 30 years of the RSN being based at Hampton Court Palace.

Dr Susan Kay-Williams, the RSN Chief Executive commented: “It was wonderful that our students, staff, volunteers and supporters could meet Their Royal Highnesses, not only to showcase some of the innovative and beautiful work they are creating, but also to demonstrate how they are using this traditional art in such a dynamic and contemporary way.”

We are delighted to announce that we are returning to Dublin 6 – 12 July 2018 for the third time to teach a new series of five Day Classes and will launch bookings on Monday 15 January.  Please bear in mind that there are only 12 places per class so book early to avoid disappointment.

Pippa Foulds, who also teaches at RSN Durham, will be the RSN Tutor and is coming with a range of techniques.  Pippa will start with one day Introduction classes in Crewelwork, Blackwork and Goldwork, followed by a beautiful two day ‘Intermediate Stumpwork’ class and one day ‘Introduction to Whitework: Pulled Work’, the latter two classes are rarely taught in Ireland.

We were delighted to meet so many new faces at The Knitting & Stitching Show, Dublin, recently, and congratulations to Anita Caldbeck who won our Day Class competition.

Two of our Degree graduates worked as Costume Embroiderers for the 2017 Agatha Christie adaptation Murder on the Orient Express. Laura Baverstock and Hattie McGill, who graduated from the course in 2016, embroidered the 1930s era costumes, designed by Academy Award winning Costume Designer Alexandra Byrne.

The film, directed by Kenneth Branagh, featured an all-star cast including Dame Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer, Johnny Depp and Branagh himself as the famous detective Hercule Poirot. The lavish costumes, designed by Byrne, played an important role in defining their characters in the ensemble cast.

The hand embroidery work of our graduates can be seen in Dench’s outfit as Princess Dragomiroff, featuring stunning Goldwork embroidery, Michelle Pfeiffer’s dress with Syrian-inspired designs, and Marwan Kenzari’s Conductor uniform. Hattie even monogrammed the handkerchief found by Poirot at the murder scene! The requirement of such precise hand embroidery for film costumes goes to show the level of detail demanded by HD formats in film-making today.

Hattie McGill has also worked on the Doctor Strange film (2016). She embroidered the cape worn by Benedict Cumberbatch in Marvel’s Dr Strange, in twelve different versions owing to the cloak’s own star appeal in the film and comics!

Away from the screen, Laura Baverstock produces bespoke commissions of Raised-Work insects and butterflies. In 2016, Laura became the youngest Trade Freeman admitted to the Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers.

For more information on our Degree programme visit rsndegree.uk

We are delighted to open the doors of our latest exhibition Embellishment in Fashion at Hampton Court Palace.  The exhibition has been featured in a wide range of embroidery & craft publications – the one above is from the current issue of Sewing World magazine as ‘Exhibition of the month!’

Here’s what visitors are saying….

“Such a brilliant presentation and tour.”

Well worth a visit – very enjoyable!”

“I would absolu tely recommend the RSN’s Embellishment in Fashion exhibition. If you’ve never attempted hand-embroidery, the pieces on view at the exhibition will inspire you to try.”

“Thank you so much – the tour was extremely interesting and informative.”

There are different Tour options to suit all interests including Talk & Tours, Tour & Tasterworkshops (image left); as well as Curator’s Toursthat include rare insights to additional pieces from the RSN Collection.  We also offer bespoke Group Tours.

Tours start from £16 per person and the exhibition runs until March 2018.

To book your place and view a diverse range of fashion pieces spanning 250 years, visit the RSN’s website or contact Natalie Thew on +44 (0)20 3166 6939.

The exhibition is in the RSN’s Embroidery Studio at Hampton Court Palace and only open on set days, so pre-booking is essential.

RSN Degree Students  Win Prizes in International Embroidery Competition

RSN Degree Graduate, Elena Thornton (left), swept the board at the recent Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery Ceremony, winning three major awards!  She won first prize in the Textile Art Student Category, the Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers Award as well as the Chairman’s Award.

Elena Thornton graduated from the Royal School o f Needlework in 2017 with a First Class BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery for Fashion, Interiors, Textile Art.   Elena specialised in couture body adornment which beautifully merged different hand embroidery techniques, including Goldwork and Stumpwork, to create her winning entry.

Charis Kibble who  graduated from our Degree Course in 2015, won 3rd prize in the Textile Art Open Category.  Charis created a portrait worked on 25 count linen with three threads in every stitch and developed her own Blackwork stitch for her entry.

Angie Wyman, Degree Course Leader at the Royal School of Needlework said: “We are delighted that two of our Degree Graduates have been recognised and awarded in this international embroidery competition.  Both entries featured traditional hand embroidery techniques with a contemporary edge to really showcase their amazing talent, skill and innovative thinking. Huge congratulations to Elena and Charis.”

The annual Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery was established in 2000 to help emerging talent in the world of embroidery. In recent years it has been expanded to include textile artists, interior and accessory designers as well as those working in fashion. The Prize receives thousands of entries from fashion students and talented embroiderers from all over the world.  All these entries were then shortlisted to just 32 finalists.

We teach the BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery for Fashion, Interiors, Textile Art which is validated by the University for the Creative Arts (UCA). This is the only specialist Degree in hand embroidery.   Students immerse themselves in contemporary and traditional hand embroidery practice and explore creative approaches to research.  Taught by expert practitioners in dedicated apartments at Hampton Court Palace, the course features live projects with fashion houses, designers and galleries.

Elena Thornton and Charis Kibble amassed a varied background of industry experience as part of their studies at the Royal School of Needlework, including collaborations with Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Zandra Rhodes, Netflix (The Crown), HBO (Game of Thrones), Hussein Chalayan, Oxfam/Marks & Spencer Shwop Campaign and Nicholas Oakwell for the GREAT Britain campaign.

For further information on the RSN Degree Course visit www.rsndegree.uk or call +44 (0)20 3166 6929

Our Degree Students are often visited by special guest Tutors and recently we were delighted to welcome Lisa Salama (left), a freelance embroidery consultant who has worked for fashion designer Mary Katrantzou.

Our 2nd Year Students and new 1st Years were tasked with embellishing vintage tights and gloves respectively using a surreal theme.

The Tutors were so pleased with their wonderful creations that we displayed them on our stand at the Knitting & Stitching Show in London.

For details on our Degree programme visit the website and book onto one of our forthcoming Open Days on:

Saturday 4th November at 11am
Wednesday 29th November at 10am & 2pm
Wednesday 6th December at 10am & 2pm

To book your place call us on +44 (0) 20 3166 6929 or via a request form.

Our first ever USA Summer School in Lexington, Kentucky will run from 8 – 21 July 2018.

The Summer School will run for two, one-week programmes of activities.  Each week long programme will include evening events and a wide choice of two, three and five-Day Classes for beginners through to advanced.  The outline programme will be as follows:

Sunday 8 July: Early evening welcome Reception, meet the tutors and your fellow students.

Monday to Friday: Teaching 10am to 4pm.   In the evening there will be a programme of lectures and events.

Thursday evening: Summer School Dinner.

Saturday morning: Either an Introduction to Mounting class OR a practical workshop exploring colour with the RSN Chief Executive, then for the final half hour there will be a visit to everyone’s class to see what they’ve done before leaving at lunchtime.

Week 2 will be the same (but with a few subtle differences for those who wish to attend both weeks).

We will confirm all the Tutors and their designs soon but in the meantime we are delighted to announce that Owen Davies, Helen McCook, Deborah Wilding, Sara Meanwell, Mandy Ewing, Kate Barlow, Heather Lewis, Shelley Cox and Annalee Levin will be teaching in Lexington.

Registered students will have access to more news as it is released and a special early bird price once bookings go live.  Bookings are scheduled to launch week commencing 15 January 2018.

To ensure you don’t miss any updates, register your interest here.

Following our sell-out Balenciaga Brooch class taught by RSN Tutor Sara Meanwell at the V&A, London, in July, we are delighted to announce that we are running it again next year on 3 – 4 February.

You will gain an introduction to techniques used in haute couture such as Metalwork Embroidery, Stumpwork and Beading.

Led by experts, you will learn how to: apply Pearl Purl and form 3D petals; create wired shapes and decorate with beads and sequins.

Combining these techniques, you will create your own flower brooch, taking inspiration from the ingenious craftsmanship of Cristóbal Balenciaga.

With a maximum of 12 places please book asap via the V&A website.

We are  delighted that we will be back at Williamsburg School of Needlework in Virginia, USA from 12 – 23 October.  Come and join us for one of our Day Classes – we have a few remaining spaces.

We have a choice of one day Introduction Classes, perfect if you are a beginner.   From Crewelwork and Ribbonwork to Beading, our RSN Tutor Auburn Claire Lucas has created a series of stunning designs.

Alternatively, if you would prefer a more in-depth two day class, book onto Historic Stitch, inspired by a 16th century embroidered panel.  Auburn has been selected as a new tutor working with Phillipa Turnbull and two of Auburn’s pieces featuring our new Embellishment in Fashion exhibition.

1 Day Introduction to Embroidery with Ribbonwork Elements

1 Day Introduction to Crewelwork

1 Day Embroidered Monogram Inspired by the RSN Archive

1 Day Introduction to Beading:’Christmas Bauble’

2 Day Historical Stitch: ‘Elizabethan Sweet Pea’

For more information on the RSN in Williamsburg.  For bookings click on the above links, email [email protected] or call Noleen Wyatt-jones on 020 3166 6938.