We see many family pieces come into the RSN Embroidery Studio for conservation or restoration, and they all arrive with treasured memories. Several years ago, a client approached us with a beautiful cushion originally embroidered by her grandmother. The grandmother had been an accomplished embroiderer, and the client wanted to preserve her work. Although the embroidery itself was still complete, the background fabric had deteriorated and become extremely fragile, making the cushion unusable.

During our discussions, the client explained that her niece would love to recreate the embroidery, despite having very little experience. We worked with them to redraw the design from the original cushion, gently refining the lines, as tracing directly from embroidery can often create a slight wobble in the drawn line. The design was then transferred onto new silk using the prick-and-pounce method, followed by painting in the lines.

We carefully matched the threads to the colours on the original cushion, working across both the Anchor and DMC ranges to achieve the closest possible match. The fabric was then mounted into a slate frame, ready for stitching.

The client’s niece came to the studio for a lesson to help her get started, and she took to the stitches remarkably well. The project took some time to complete, and a couple of months ago the finished embroidery was brought back to us. She had worked it beautifully and clearly enjoyed the process, something we believe is the most important part of any project.

It was wonderful to see the finished piece, and she has certainly inherited her grandmother’s embroidery skills. Our client had the embroidery made into a cushion, matching the backing fabric and cord as closely as possible to the original, and planned to present it to her niece as a surprise.

The original cushion has now been carefully packed for storage in conservation tissue and a protective box.

Do you have a you have a treasured family piece that you would like restored or conserved?

Get in touch with the RSN Embroidery Studio Team or visit the website today for bespoke embroidery commissions, restoration and conservation services.