We are delighted to be part of a brand new virtual event, The Creative Craft Show, Access All Areas, ‘Craftfulness Festival’.  The festival commences on Saturday 17 April, featuring lots of inspiring, virtual craft content and workshops…with a mindful twist!

Once you have booked your ticket, you will be given access to a private Facebook group and you can enjoy over 50 hours of craft content and demos which can be revisited at any time, up until 29 May.

The RSN’s 90 minute Workshop, ‘Faux Nué: Shading Over Couched Threads’, will be taught by third year Future Tutor, Kate Pankhurst.  You can join Kate in the Embroidery Den at 2pm on  Saturday 17 April where she will be ready to answer any questions live whilst you embroider with her.

Inspired by the beautiful effects created in Or Nué Goldwork, ‘Faux Nué’ uses DMC/Anchor stranded threads, couched down with different colours to create a charming apple tree.  The background rows are stitched in a regular pattern known as ‘bricking’, while the colour threads are introduced to build up the design – a mesmerising and satisfying technique.

There is no kit or pattern for this Workshop. You will draw freehand a small tree on to your fabric. In the Workshop, the Tutor, Kate Pankhurst will teach you how to complete a few rows by going through the technique thoroughly, and you will finish the piece in your own time.

You will need:

• An 8” hoop with a seat frame
• Printed or plain cotton to fit the hoop
• DMC / Anchor stranded cotton in 3 or 4 colours,  or any threads you have to hand, including any sort of gold thread
• Several size 10 embroidery/sharp needles
• Colour pencils or fine gel pens

Kate has created this ‘Faux Nué’ design.  After a long career of graphic design in magazine publishing, she wanted a new direction that was truly challenging, authentic, creative and full of integrity, and joined the RSN Future Tutors Programme in 2018. Supported as a QEST Scholar, she has learnt embroidery techniques from, her words, “the foremost school in the world”, and looks forward to teaching and making in the future.

The ‘Craftfulness Festival’ is run by ICHF Events, the same organisers as the annual ‘Fashion & Embroidery’ exhibition at the Birmingham NEC.  The event, normally held in March, has been postponed until 24-27 June and we will share more information on our participation in the May eNews.

Book your Craftfulness Festival tickets here.