We are delighted to be included in the new book ‘Craft Britain: Why Making Matters’ and be part of their exhibition ‘Bespoke for a Book’ in aid of the Prince’s Foundation.

The book is written by Helen Chislett and David Linley and is a celebration of British craft both heritage and contemporary. It features makers from a range of crafts including architecture, interiors, fashion, art and design. As part of the launch of the book, some of the makers featured have created unique boxes or bags for the book, which will be on display at the ‘Bespoke for a Book’ exhibition.

The RSN Embroidery Studio has created a beautiful handmade book cover. The unique design features a floral decoration using a mixture of traditional hand embroidery techniques, including Appliqué, Goldwork and Surface Stitches.

The luxurious design is on a silk fabric background and includes a combination of twisted silks and metal threads for the flowers; applied metallic tissue edged with metal threads for the leaves; and a pretty embellishment of tiny pearl beads to give contrast. The floral design was inspired by our unique Textile & Archive Collection and was a design originally produced for a collar, dating to the late 1940s, early 1950s.

The highly skilled embroiderers in our Embroidery Studio also handmade the cover, which has been mounted and constructed as a book sleeve. The clever team thought of everything and even attached a ribbon to the cover to ease taking the book out when being read.

The aim of the exhibition is both to raise funds for the Prince’s Foundation, which does so much to encourage new generations of makers, artists and designers into the craft sector, while also showcasing a wide variety of master craftsmanship across all sectors.

‘Bespoke For A Book’ is open from 7 – 16 December at The Garrison Chapel, Chelsea Barracks in London. This fine Grade II-listed building is the London exhibition space of the Prince’s Foundation, exhibiting elements of its work, with a particular emphasis on traditional arts and heritage craft skills. Entrance to the exhibition is free. (NB; the exhibition is closed on 10 and 11 December).

For further information on the exhibition, please visit the Garrison Chapel website 

Read more about the RSN Embroidery Studio here

Read more about The Prince’s Foundation