I have been stitching for as long as I can remember. Like many, I learned a few basic surface stitches as a child by making a sampler on the ubiquitous blue Aida. I then learned to follow cross stitch patterns and work tent stitch ‘tapestry’ kits (which are in fact canvas embroidery, but let’s not get started on that one!).
Stitching continued to be a hobby for many years, providing a welcome change from my daily office job as a Mechanical Engineer. In 2015, I decided to learn a new skill, which was when I discovered that the RSN ran classes in Glasgow, Scotland, my home city at the time. I had often wanted to branch out from the pixilated designs of cross stitch, but had never known where to start. So why not take some advice from the experts?
Having no notion about the vast number of embroidery techniques or their characteristics, I really just wanted to give any of them a go! So I signed up for a Goldwork Day Class. It seems silly now, but I was actually very nervous. Goldwork looked extremely technical and, despite it being described as a beginner’s class, I worried that my basic stitching knowledge might not be enough. Then I spent a wonderful day learning from Tutor Lizzy Pye, surrounded by others who shared my joy and interest. One day, one class and I was hooked! What else could I try?
Okay, so I did one more Day Class (just to be sure it wasn’t a fluke) before enrolling on the RSN Certificate in Technical Hand Embroidery course with Tutor Helen McCook. I felt like a kid in a sweet shop! I wanted to try all the different techniques and squeeze everything I could into each piece, learning as much as I could from Helen every time we met. It wasn’t just learning new stitches, I became fascinated with the design process and how images could be translated into stitch patterns; something I still find immensely satisfying. Each class quickly became the highlight of my month and I longed to get home from the office to do my embroidery homework!
At the start of 2018, following years of Helen’s support and guidance, I had almost completed the Certificate course and was starting to think about what to do next. Well, that was obvious; there were techniques I hadn’t tried yet, so clearly I had to keep going! That was when Helen suggested I might like to look into the Future Tutor course. There followed a number of nervous, hesitant and excited weeks as I thought about turning my whole life upside down and focusing on embroidery full time. And that’s exactly what I did!
Well, the FT course is not for the faint hearted. It is a truly intense learning experience and I have found myself completely immersed in the world of embroidery for the past three years. I’ve even started to dream in stitch!
Every technique has taught me something new and has its individual challenges! Each new piece I have embroidered also has its own character, which revealed itself as it grew. So it is impossible for me to single out a favourite technique. There are the ones I found most challenging to work, which interestingly also tend to be the ones I am proud to have hung on my wall – like my Silk Shaded harvest mouse.
Others I appreciate for the surprises they bring. For example, I was dubious about Canvaswork, feeling I had progressed from the pixilated images of cross stitch. However an incredible amount of detail, texture and perspective can be created on canvas, despite being a counted stitch technique. Then there are those which are very special to me due to the subject matter or story they tell; the Blackwork portrait of my Grandmother and the Appliqué piece; inspired by a visit to the trenches at Sanctuary Woods on a tour to commemorate the 100 year passing of three of my ancestors who served and died in WWI. The common theme I have found throughout all my pieces is that stitches have life and give embroidery a voice.
The last year has been a challenge for everyone and we have all embraced new approaches to life, whether we wanted to or not! So when classes moved online half way through my second year I was wary. That said I’ve been kept so busy stitching that the impact of lockdown has almost passed me by! However, remote learning has proved to be a great opportunity for me to learn another set of skills. In December, I designed and ran my first online workshop; which gave me a tremendous confidence boost as it quickly sold out and I had students join from Germany and the USA! One silver lining to the pandemic is that it has opened up a whole new horizon of online teaching opportunities. Now my classes can reach students around the world, who may not have been able to attend classes in person.
RSN Future Tutor Graduate 2021 Kathryn Sanders teaching at a Family Stitch Workshop
My final year has been spent working in the RSN Embroidery Studio, giving me a tantalising glimpse into the commercial world of the professional embroiderer. It has been a privilege to see, handle and care for a variety of extraordinary embroideries, both historic and modern. I had been looking forward to this for some time and it surpassed expectations. It was intriguing to hear all the discussions of the different approach options available and understand why certain methods are chosen, before being trusted to help deliver them. I’ve learned a number of cleaning, conservation and restoration activities (although it has also made me realise how much I still have to learn!). I will never forget being trusted to work on precious family heirlooms for the first time, one of which was almost 200 years old!
There are definitely times throughout the course when I’ve wondered if I made the right decision to retrain; but then a commission came into the Studio and I knew I was in the right place at the right time. The highlight of the final year for me was the opportunity to be part of the team who restored the canopy for the shrine of St Alban and the creation of a new canopy for the shrine of St Amphibalus, both located at St Albans Cathedral; my local cathedral and a place I have visited regularly since childhood. I got to experience some of the renowned RSN practices; working collaboratively, sometimes two or three of us on the same (very big) frame, integrating Appliqué and Goldwork techniques. It was an honour and a joy to have been part of that project.
It is with a somewhat strange feeling that I find myself at the end of the course; a mixture of joy and achievement at all I have accomplished; of excitement and anticipation about all my plans for the future; and hope that I can forge a career using the skills I have learned. After all, this is not really the end, but merely the beginning of my next chapter. I had a great hunger to learn all when I started the RSN Future Tutors course, now I’m eager to explore and develop my own ideas. In a way, it feels like I have earned a map and compass; now is my time to explore this new world and establish my own place in it.
However, I could not have made it this far without the support and encouragement of others; be it family, friends, colleagues or the kind feedback given by my students. I feel blessed to have met so many of the RSN staff and tutors, who have taught and worked alongside me. All have gladly shared their knowledge, skill and passion; I hope I can do the same for my students in the future. I have also been fortunate to have received a bursary from the Worshipful Company of Girdlers, and secured a scholarship from the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust; truly invaluable support that has enabled me to focus on the creative challenges of the course.
Embroidery has changed my life and I want the world to know that hand embroidery is so much more than granny’s table cloth and monogrammed handkerchiefs! To so many people embroidery is limited to the idea of making up prepared designs and not as artistic expression in its own right. However, the more I learn about the vast array of embroidery techniques which are used around the world, the more I am convinced that this just isn’t the case. Hand embroidery needs to be studied, employed and taught if it is to continue to be a part of our rich heritage. I chose to become a Tutor so that I can play an active role in its survival; through continued personal learning and sharing that knowledge this others.
I am currently working on a series of introductory kits which I hope will persuade people to pick up a needle for the first time or maybe try a new technique. My goal for the coming years is to encourage more people to experience the joy of designing and creating their own embroideries; knowing that, as more people find inspiration in embroidery, the techniques will also continue to thrive.
You can follow Kathryn on her Instagram page.