RSN Whitework Diploma Course

I am a little slow updating my blog.  Last July I finished my diploma courses at the Royal School of Needlework in England.  

Our tutor was Jenny Adin-Christie,  (click here to see her website) she is a wonderful tutor.   I came home with a couple of her kits too.

This course was a real adventure!  My friend rented the Fish Court Apartment in Hampton Court Palace.  There were four ladies staying in the apartment and my husband.  The class was taught just across the palace from the apartment.  Loved the commute, in the past I rode the big red bus to class each day sometimes carrying my project bag and slate frame.

We set up our trestles in the dining room, no room to walk around the room or eat in there.  We had more fun than anyone can imagine in this room.

The night before we had to turn in our projects, my friend said we are going to wash your whitework.  I wasn't sure about it.   We left it in the slate frame, put it in the bathtub, warm water and eucalyptus wash, rinsed, stood it up in the slate frame to dry.  By morning it was dry.  I am so glad she didn't pay any attention to me and went ahead and washed it while I watched and took pictures. It turned out great.

After 8 days of class and many hours working on our own I finished my whitework, turned it in for grading.  Picked up my project  and sadly said good bye to Hampton Court Palace and the Royal School of Needlework for now.  

 The above picture is my drawn and pulled thread.  My Grandmother was Irish and her birthday was on St Patrick's Day, love the shamrock.

We also, had to do hemstitching . . . 

 Front

Back

I hope to go back to England to take a couple more techniques in a couple years.  It was sad to leave, but planning to return made it easier.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures at the Royal School of Needlework.  It took me about five years to complete the four Certificate Courses and  six Diploma Courses.  

I loved all of the courses!  I have made so many new friends around the world, it was a wonderful experience.

Needlepoint Stitching Chair

My ANG chapter has decided to make chairs, everyone is designing their own, I couldn't wait to make mine.  

The stitching is all done on congress cloth with size 8 DMC perle cotton and floss #800.  I crocheted the doily for the back and the rug is a Hardanger piece I made several years ago, but I am thinking about a new rug now.

This was a fun project, the base is 2 X 3 from Sudberry House.  The accessories are from Idee Creation, I purchased these at L'alguille en fete in Paris a couple years ago.  Not knowing what I was going to do with them until I finished my chair.

I have to say the Royal School of Needlework box making Diploma course was very helpful in figuring this out.  Things I learned - measure twice and measure a couple more times, take my time to do the finishing and think outside the box.

Timeless Tomato . . .

I have been working on Debbie Stiehler's Timeless Tomato for a while and finally finished it!  (Debbie also has a pumpkin, no I am not going to do it.)  I am known for not following directions.  The leaves were suppose to be needlepoint and were kind of square, an other friend was working on the same project and said she was going to redesign the leaves (she passed away before she finished) so I had to figure it out.  One friend said the leaves look like an octopus sitting on top of a tomato.  

The tomato is very big, 16" around and about 4" high.  I filled it with ground up walnut shells, which makes it heavy and was interesting to fill.  Again the best part is it is done!

There are 5 different sides and each side is a different pattern using several different fibers on congress cloth, very fun to stitch.

The other part of not following directions - it is suppose to be like the original tomato pin cushion with a emery strawberry, I just wanted the tomato.  Maybe someday I will follow directions, probably not.

Here are pictures of the other sides:

Top view:

And the bottom view:

Miniatures . . .

Friendship Garden

 Miniatures are fun, they are small and can be completed in a shorter amount of time.  Mercer Island Visual Arts League had a Treasures in Miniature show earlier this spring.  The size had to be less than 64 square inches.  Friendship Garden is framed in a 12" X 4" frame, silk thread on silk fabric.  The flowers are a variety of embroidery stitches.

Golden Mushroom

 The Golden Mushroom is frame in a 2 1/2" X 3 1/2" shadow box frame, goldwork on silk fabric. 

Wilted Daisy

My Wilted Daisy is cotton floss on silk, the frame is a 2 1/2" X 3 1/2" shadow box.

Jacobean Crewel Revisited . . .

A while back I ask our daughter-in-law what she would like me to make for her, she pointed to my Jacobean Crewel picture I did in my first certificate course at the Royal School of Needlework.  So, I ask what colors, she said red to orange, purples and greens.  I have to say I wasn't sure, but pulled out my color chart and picked the colors, I was surprised how much I liked them. 

This is my original picture stitched with Appleton wools in blues, greens and yellows on tan linen twill.  In class we were suppose to pick two colors and on accent color.  I really like working fewer colors, not so many choices when stitching, just need to balance and remember a snail doesn't have to be brown.

And this is the new picture with the new colors, stitched with Appleton wool on white linen twill.  I changed some of the stitches.   I framed it with a white mat and a red frame.  Now they just need to find a place to hang it.

It was fun to stitch it again and may have to do another one in different colors.

American Needlepoint Guild - Royal School of Needlework

My friend has written another article for the American Needlepoint Guild magazine, "Needle Pointers."  This time she included six students from the Royal School of Needlework.  The article is wonderful.  She ask each of us questions about our projects, what was your challenge, what we learned, why we choose the picture.  

My challenge was to make a round waterwheel on square needlepoint canvas.  My tutor suggested queen stitch, my favorite stitch, so it was easy to remove parts of the stitch to make the curves.  I learned two things that I could make a circle on canvas and make a reflection in the water.  I choose the picture because it is the perfect picture to stitch for a memory of one of our favorite places.

 Mine is the canvaswork project I did for my Certificate course at the Royal School of Needlework in Hampton Court Palace.  The others were done in England and/or San Francisco, California.  The courses are offered in San Francisco in the spring and the fall. 

The waterwheel is located in Bayeux France near the Bayeux Tapestry.  We visited France in the summer of 2008 when I was taking classes.

There are four Certificate courses Jacobean Crewel, Canvaswork or Blackwork, Silk Shading and Goldwork.  Each course is 8 days of instruction and 3 days working our your own.  The tutors are all trained at the Royal School of Needlework in England.  When your project is completed the tutors do an assessment so you know how well you have done.

I am not an employee of the Royal School of Needlework and do not benefit from the school, but I do love taking the courses and learning.

Teaching . . . .

Recently I had the opportunity to teach for Pacific Northwest Needle Arts Guild.  (click here to see their website)

I taught goldwork, Henry Hedgehog and my Golden Tree.  I had 6 students, 3 doing Henry and 3 doing the tree.  It was so much fun, I loved teaching these ladies.  

 

Henry was a little goldwork and a little silk shading.  

The Golden Tree was all goldwork using many different types of gold threads.  I have seen two of the trees finished. Every tree is different because I give the shape for the trunk and the students create their own tree.  So much fun!

I am looking forward to teaching more in the future for PNNAG and other guilds and/or shops.  If you are interested in a class for your guild please send me a message.

Thank you for checking back . . . hope you are enjoying spring weather!