Looking for the perfect Christmas present for the embroiderer in your life? Then look no further as the RSN has just launched its new, exclusive January to June Day & Evening classes, and there really is something for everyone. Whether you want historical, contemporary, technical, or just joyously creative experimentation, we have put together a carefully curated range of classes to appeal to everyone, from the new embroiderer all the way through to the advanced.

Take a moment to look through and plan your way into 2025 with the perfect class! If you can’t decide which class to buy, then purchase a Day Class Gift Voucher which allows the lucky recipient to choose their own. And don’t forget to treat yourself too!

Browse our NEW January – June Day & Evening Classes here

We are thrilled to share the news of the exciting recent collaborations between the RSN BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery Students and Graduates, and Lock & Co. Hatters, St James’s Street, London, the ‘home of hats’ since 1676 and the oldest hat shop in the world.

RSN Degree students have had the pleasure of working with Lock & Co. Hatters several times over the past few years. Starting in 2022, Degree students each year have created head adornments based on a floral theme and embroidered and embellished baseball caps based on their hometowns and villages, which have been exhibited in the windows of Lock & Co. Hatters shop.

Degree Student Internships

In August, we had our first internships with Lock & Co. Hatters. Students were interviewed for the two, two-week internship places. The successful students were second year student, Izzy Ager and first year student Harriet Hawtry-Coombs. They were awarded £1500 each for their internship and spent time learning the many facets of the Lock & Co. Hatters business, from millinery techniques, to marketing, social media, photo shoots and accounting, an amazing opportunity!

Graduate Collaboration

The most recent collaboration with Lock & Co. Hatters has been with two RSN Degree Graduates, Livia Papiernik and Claire de Waard. Both Livia and Claire now work at the RSN as alumni lecturers and hand embroiderers, respectively. Both were commissioned by Awon Golding, Head Milliner for Lock & Co. Hatters, to develop embroidery for headbands for the Autumn/Winter collection. This collection is currently showcased in store and on the Lock & Co. Hatters website.

If you are in London to see the Christmas lights, make sure you pop in to the ‘home of hats’ to see their beautiful creations!

 

See more RSN Degree Awards & Success stories

Join our next Open Day Online or at Hampton Court Palace

 

Take the first step to starting your new hobby in 2025 and join the RSN’s Certificate & Diploma in Technical Hand Embroidery course.

The RSN’s Certificate & Diploma (C&D) offers you a unique experience of learning hand embroidery to a high technical standard, wherever and whenever suits you.

The C&D course is taught both Onsite at various venues across the world, at Hampton Court Palace in South West London, Bristol, Rugby, Durham, Glasgow, Australia, the USA and Japan, as well as Online via Zoom, attended by both international and UK based students.

The course contains a wonderful variety of techniques and can be booked on a class-by-class basis to fit in with your schedule. It is therefore perfect for those who want to start a new hobby but need to find one that they can fit around their busy schedules – it really is the most flexible course.

Want to hear just how flexible the course is from one of our students?

Here is Tamsyn Thorpe who attends RSN Bristol:

“I first started hand embroidery as a child during school holidays as both my grandparents and my mum embroidered. My first ever stitches were done using old DMC threads on pieces of old brushed cotton sheet.

I found the RSN whilst looking online for more specialist embroidery training, as I had not long had my first child and needed something for me.

I started on the C&D course when the Bristol venue was first formed. I initially had a choice of Hampton Court Palace or Durham, but living in the Midlands, neither were a short drive away. However, Bristol worked for me because although it was a similar distance to the others, my parents live in Cornwall, and it was en route!

The teaching has been fantastic, learning lots of new skills to such a high level. I have made long term friends and have enjoyed meeting like-minded people. I also enjoy volunteering at The Knitting & Stitching shows and telling others about the RSN and sometimes having my work on display.

Everybody does courses for different reasons but, when I started, I needed something for me that I could do as a hobby around caring for my autistic son. This gave me my place of calm to escape to. For me, stitching is a journey not a race, I am not a fast stitcher and I do love detail. Completing my pieces, for me in amongst life’s challenges, gives me a great sense of achievement.”

Inspired by Tamsyn’s words?

Why not join our next C&D Online info session to find out more about the course, and to ask any questions.

Get ready for a month of Christmas fun and see our schedule full of festive treats this December.

 

Day & Evening Classes

A Tudor Christmas: Hampton Court Palace, Friday 6 December – 3 SPACES LEFT

A Christmas Wreath: Hampton Court Palace, Saturday 7 December

 

Events & Exhibitions

The RSN Big Give Christmas Challenge: One Donation, Twice the Impact: Tuesday 3 – Tuesday 10 December

 

Online Talks

‘Secrets and Codes: the embroidery of Mary, Queen of Scots’: with Eleri Lynn, Wednesday 11 December, 7pm, BST

 

BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery Degree Open Days

Online: Wednesday 4 December, 5pm BST

Hampton Court Palace: Wednesday 4 December, 2pm BST

 

Certificate & Diploma Online Information Session

Online: Thursday 5 December, 3pm BST

Have you ever wanted to pursue a career in the creative field, and think that hand embroidery could be for you?

The RSN offers a unique pathway for those seeking creative careers rooted in the rich tradition of hand embroidery, while embracing modern innovation.

With over 150 years of expertise, the RSN offers courses that open doors to diverse career opportunities. Graduates from the RSN’s BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery Degree, and the Professional Embroidery Tutor (Formally Future Tutors) Programme have gone on to work in high-profile fields such as Haute couture, costume production for film and theatre, bespoke embroidery for luxury brands, and many more.

 

View RSN Creative Careers Industry Spotlight Talk 

If you are a teacher or student looking for ways to discover creative career opportunities, Watch the RSN’s Online Industry Spotlight Talk with Speakers for Schools, where we discuss the different career paths available in the world of stitch. Watch here. 

 

Creative Careers Week with the RSN: 18 – 22 November

Want to find out more about what studying for a creative career looks like with the RSN? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram where during Discover Creative Careers week (18 – 22 November) we will be sharing work, day in the life videos and more from our Students and Graduates.

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Instagram

Register for the next Degree Open Day

Register for the next Professional Embroidery Tutor Programme Info Session

Have you considered applying for the RSN Certificate & Diploma in Technical hand embroidery?

If you have, but are not sure what to expect, here is what our lovely RSN Bristol student Sanchia Groves has to say about her experience on the course:

“I learnt some basic embroidery when I was a child, watching my mum embroider a duvet cover. I remember using iron on transfers and secretly embroidered some handkerchiefs for her birthday. I moved onto bigger cross stitch designs until I visited an RSN exhibition at one of the Stitch shows in Birmingham NEC, and I knew I wanted to learn more.  I asked the lady on the stand if I could attend a course in Stumpwork and she explained to me that it might be better to start with something less advanced! 

A couple of years later I took a day course in Jacobean Crewelwork with Tutor Deborah Wilding at the Fashion Museum in Bath, and she explained how the programme worked.  Not long after this the COVID pandemic hit and I had plenty of time at home to think about what I wanted to do, so as soon as I was able to, I enrolled on the C&D programme.

I have met many new friends at Bristol, and part of the pleasure of attending classes is to be able to talk with like-minded people about embroidery and share each other’s excitement about new threads and tools. But it’s also great to see others’ work and watch their designs progress – there are so many different modules being taken at one time, so there are lots of different techniques to see, and it starts to give you ideas for when you come to plan your work on that module. The teaching at Bristol is second-to-none and the Tutors are so talented and patient with the students.

It’s difficult to choose my favourite technique so far because there are things to enjoy about each of them.  However, Goldwork is probably the one I enjoyed most and it gave me the confidence and ability to be able to repair the Victorian altar frontals at my church. 

I’ve found that a couple of the techniques that I wasn’t looking forward to (Canvaswork and Blackwork) I’ve really enjoyed and have been planning further designs in these techniques – there just aren’t enough hours in the day!  I’m just starting the Advanced Silk Shading module and have chosen to work a tapestry shaded figure as I think this will give me a good foundation for more church embroidery.  Plus I’ve had a bit of a taster at this when working on my Appliqué piece, using tapestry shading for the figure’s face and hands, and I found it easier that ‘normal’ silk shading.

To anyone thinking of starting the C&D Programme I would say, just go ahead and do it.  You don’t have to be an amazing embroiderer already, all you really need to know is some basics, and they’ll teach you the rest.  It’s been an amazing journey so far and I’m looking forward to learning even more.”

Start your technical hand embroidery journey, and sign up for our next Certificate & Diploma Online Info Session here

The RSN Embroidery Studio team were honoured to work on nine pieces for the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. One of the Coronation pieces, designed and hand embroidered by the RSN, was the Robe of Estate of Her Majesty Queen Camilla. The Coronation Robe was made with a rich purple velvet and embroidered using the technique of Goldwork.

The RSN Embroidery Studio has produced six embroidery kits from beginner to advanced levels, each inspired by the Robe of Estate. The kits have been worked onto purple cotton velvet using gold threads with each design featuring a flower and insect from the original design. These new designs were produced by the expert RSN professional embroiderers who were instrumental in designing the Robe.

The six kits are:

• Lady’s Mantle and Snail – Beginner
• Pincushion Flower and Dragonfly – Beginner
• Forget-me-knot and Caterpillar – Intermediate
• Cornflower Spray and Butterfly – Intermediate
• Dandelion and Ladybird – Advanced
• Delphiniums and Bee – Advanced

View all Coronation inspired kits

Read more about our work on the Coronation

The RSN is co-supervising a fully funded Collaborative Doctoral Award alongside De Montfort University. The project, entitled ‘Embroidering Empire: Women, Textiles, and Colonial Collecting, 1872-1950’, will be joint supervised by RSN Curator Dr Isabella Rosner, and Dr Serena Dyer, Dr Emily Baines, and Dr Laura Beltran-Rubio of De Montfort University.

This project will investigate the relationship between embroidery and Empire. It interrogates the role of embroidery in mediating understandings of and creative engagements with Empire. The RSN’s Grove Book, a volume filled with hundreds of textiles collected from all corners of the world, will form the central starting point for the project. Collected by Georgina Annie Grove, the wife of a brigadier-general who served in British India, this volume represents a millennium of textile history, which Grove placed in conversation with snippets of contemporary domestic interior magazines.

This example of women’s colonial collecting will be contextualised against textiles given to the RSN by Queen Mary of Teck and British and Indian textiles connected to Queen Victoria’s jubilees and role as Empress of India. The examination of these objects will help to untangle the complicated relationship between women and textile collecting and production in the British Empire.

The successful PhD student will spend approximately 12 weeks per year working at the RSN to catalogue and research within our collections. Applicants should have completed an MA and have a background in material culture, fashion or textile history, gender history, or colonial histories. An interest in museums and curatorial work would also be an advantage.

Individuals with a material culture or fashion and textile history background do not need to have knowledge of colonial histories; similarly, applicants with a background in gender or colonial history do not need to have knowledge of material culture or fashion and textile history. No specialist knowledge of embroidery is required.

Click here to apply

View the RSN Collection & Archive here

Join us this month for Day & Evening Classes, unique exhibitions and two fascinating Live Online Talks.

 

Online Classes

Crewelwork Owl: Online, Weekly, from Saturday 2 – Saturday 23 November

Learn to Draw for Embroiderers 2: Get Confident with Using Colour: Online, Wednesday 6 November – ONLY 3 SPACES LEFT

Introduction to Embroidery: ‘Stylised Flower Sampler’: Online, Weekly, from Wednesday 6 – Wednesday 27 November

Jacobean Crewelwork: ‘Autumn’: Online, Weekly, from Saturday 09 – Saturday 16 November

Stumpwork Acorns & Oak Leaves: Online, Weekly, Sunday 17 – Sunday 24 November

Rockpool Embroidered Brooch: Online, Weekly, from Friday 29 November – Friday 6 December

 

Classes at Hampton Court Palace, South West London

Goldwork Map Making: Hampton Court Palace, Saturday 2 and Sunday 2 November

Designing for Blackwork: Hampton Court Palace, Tuesday 12 November – 1 SPACE LEFT

Experimental Embroidery: Hampton Court Palace, Sunday 17 November

Experimental Goldwork: Hampton Court Palace, Saturday 30 November- Sunday 1 December

 

See our Christmas Day & Evening Classes here

 

Experience Classes

17th Century Silk Flora inspired by Tales of Textiles exhibition: Hampton Court Palace, Wednesday 13 November

Pilgrims’ Christmas Stockings inspired by 12th century stained-glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, Saturday 16 November – 1 SPACE LEFT

 

Events & Exhibitions

RSN Sip & Stitch Week, Friday 1 – Friday 8 November

‘Tales of Textiles: The RSN Collection in Focus’: Hampton Court Palace, 25 September 2024 to June 2025

‘Embroidered Excellence: Treasures from the RSN Collection’: FREE Entry, Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum, Stirling, Scotland, open until Sunday 10 November

The Knitting & Stitching Show: Harrogate Convention Centre, Harrogate, Stand TG640, 21 – 24 November Join our 90-minute workshop

 

Online Talks

‘Sunflowers, ‘Souls’ and Stitches: Early designs from the RSN’: with RSN Archivist Vicky Bevan, Wednesday 13 November, 7pm BST

‘Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History’ with Dr Tracy Borman OBE, Wednesday 27 November, 7pm BST

 

Open Days & Information Sessions

BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery Open Day, Hampton Court Palace, Wednesday 13 November, 2pm BST

Certificate & Diploma Online Info Session, Online, Tuesday 12 November, 8:30am BST

 

We are excited to announce the launch of RSN Stitch Bank: 200 Essential Embroidery Stitches, the printed companion to our online directory, RSN Stitch Bank. The new book offers enthusiasts and professionals an essential stitch guide in one volume.

The RSN Stitch Bank book brings together 200 essential embroidery stitches. Each stitch is accompanied by detailed step-by-step instructions, illustrations and high-quality images that capture the beauty of each technique. This book offers inspiration for seasoned embroiders looking to refine their craft and also those eager to learn new skills.

The book provides everything from basic stitches such as running stitch and French knots, to advanced techniques like three dimensional stitches and cutwork. Each stitch is organised into clear categories, making it easy to reference and use in your embroidery practice. The book also includes helpful tips and interesting historical insights.

RSN Stitch Bank aims to digitally preserve and conserve every stitch around the world. There are currently 450 stitches featured on RSN Stitch Bank.

Pre-order your copy today from the RSN Online Shop.

We are thrilled to welcome our First Year BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery Degree Students to Hampton Court Palace. They have already got started with a Welcome Week filled with a tour of the palace, Art & Design, and embroidery practice classes. We also welcome back our returning Second and Third Year Students, and the Degree team, for another year of beautiful hand embroidery.

If you are interested in joining the Degree Course for the next academic year, starting September 2025, our next Open Days will be Online on Friday 25 October, and Onsite at Hampton Court Palace on Wednesday 13 November.

You can also view some of our 2024 Graduates’ final projects at The Knitting & Stitching Show from 10 – 13 October.

Come along to our next Degree Open Day

Read more about the course here

On 9 September we welcomed the first cohort for the RSN Professional Embroidery Tutor Programme, our three year flexible course to become a professional Tutor and Embroiderer.

Several of our students have changed their careers and moved countries to attend this course to fulfil their dreams,  and help to ensure the future of hand embroidery for generations to come.

If you would like to learn more about our Professional Embroidery Tutor Programme, visit our next Online Information Session to find out more.

HCPBAC24 A TUDOR CHRISTMAS — EXCLUSIVE CLASS AT HAMPTON COURT PALACE — FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER 2024.

We are incredibly excited to announce a very special Christmas class coming to Hampton Court Palace this December, inspired by the historic Bacton Altar Cloth, a Tudor textile believed to have belonged to Queen Elizabeth I.

Along with stitching a glorious mistletoe design inspired by the Altar Cloth, taught by RSN Tutor Helen Stevens and Sarah Smith, the day will include a guided tour of Hampton Court Palace in all of its festive glory, and a rare private view of the Bacton Altar Cloth itself.

Eleri Lynn, Fashion and Textile Historian, Curator and Author, will also give a talk sharing her journey of identifying this important historical piece. The day will include a festive lunch, coffees and pastries, and you will also be gifted a book to take home.

This promises to be an unforgettable day, so be sure to book soon as spaces are limited!

Book the class here