I've been quiet about this online, but if you've seen me over the last year you might know that I applied to join the Royal School of Needlework's Future Tutors programme. his week I found out I was accepted and will be off in September to Hampton Court Palace to join their 3 year course, where I'll learn how to be a professional embroiderer and how to teach others these wonderful skills.
I'm thrilled to have been accepted so that I can continue my plan of turning my hobby into my career.
So Finishing Embroidery of the title doesn't refer to me giving up the activity in the slightest. Instead I spent a day at the RSN last week learning how to get my pieces ready for framing. I went on the course because I have a bunch of finished projects lying around that I want to frame up rather than turning into cushions or hoops, and also because I'll need to finish all my student pieces using this technique and I wanted to get a head start on learning how.
The class was small - just 3 of us, which was fabulous,because although you'd think this is the easy bit, it's a fiddly process and is quite tricky first time out. Our lovely tutor, Helen McCook guided us through mounting up a plain price of fabric rather than one of our own pieces (although one person did, I wasn't nearly brave enough to have my first attempt on a piece of my own). I didn't get my sample finished on the day, but had all the skills and tips demonstrated on the day along with a take home guide.
This is not the most beautiful thing I have ever created, but it is very interesting (to me at least).
There are, I'm sure quicker ways of mounting up pieces for framing, but the RSN method is designed to last a couple of hundred years - using acid free card and making sure no adhesive is in contact with the fabric you've embroidered on. They use the technique to preserve historic pieces as well as new pieces.
This week I put my new skill into practice and mounted up Owlbert in all his feathery glory. (I tried to upload a pic of the finished finishing, but my laptop was playing silly buggers)
I'm thrilled to have been accepted so that I can continue my plan of turning my hobby into my career.
So Finishing Embroidery of the title doesn't refer to me giving up the activity in the slightest. Instead I spent a day at the RSN last week learning how to get my pieces ready for framing. I went on the course because I have a bunch of finished projects lying around that I want to frame up rather than turning into cushions or hoops, and also because I'll need to finish all my student pieces using this technique and I wanted to get a head start on learning how.
The class was small - just 3 of us, which was fabulous,because although you'd think this is the easy bit, it's a fiddly process and is quite tricky first time out. Our lovely tutor, Helen McCook guided us through mounting up a plain price of fabric rather than one of our own pieces (although one person did, I wasn't nearly brave enough to have my first attempt on a piece of my own). I didn't get my sample finished on the day, but had all the skills and tips demonstrated on the day along with a take home guide.
This is not the most beautiful thing I have ever created, but it is very interesting (to me at least).
There are, I'm sure quicker ways of mounting up pieces for framing, but the RSN method is designed to last a couple of hundred years - using acid free card and making sure no adhesive is in contact with the fabric you've embroidered on. They use the technique to preserve historic pieces as well as new pieces.
This week I put my new skill into practice and mounted up Owlbert in all his feathery glory. (I tried to upload a pic of the finished finishing, but my laptop was playing silly buggers)
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