Start with a solid foundation…

As my journey on the RSN Future Tutors course gets underway Module One (the last two weeks) have focussed on building a solid foundation of Basic Skills. After the excitement of being handed a wonderful box of embroidery supplies we finally got down to the business of using them.

The 2019 intake of Future Tutors consists of six students with varied backgrounds and experiences, so we have spent our first Module focussing on the basic skills that we will all rely on to complete this course. When you bring together a new group of students it is a good idea to ensure that they all have the same basic understanding of the course that they are on, the standards that they will need to meet, and the guidance that will provided to help them along the way.

The RSN has this communication down to a fine art. With the assistance of a very calm, highly experienced, and patient tutor we were all taken through a planned series of steps – while working on a set Crewel embroidery design – with the aim of ensuring we fully understood the many components that work together to produce embroidery to the RSN expected standards.

During the Basic Skills Module we have reviewed:-

• The style and history of the technique (Crewel)
• Understanding the brief
• Organising supplies and trestles
• Discussing ground fabrics – Linen Twill
• Reviewing the elements of the set design
• Choosing colours and colour planning
• Reviewing stitches
• Framing up fabric onto a Slate frame
• Applying the design
• Threads and Needles
• Commencing stitching – line & direction
• Unpicking and restiching
• Mounting and labelling
• Preparation for assessment

My thoughts

This was a really great start to the course. I gained a good understanding of the steps and standards expected, and I know the purpose of each of our embroidery supplies. As a group of students commencing a three year journey we all got to know a little more about each other and the way we each like to work, and best of all we got to stitch!

Here are a few photos of my work in progress.

Framed up and ready to stitch.

First stitches go in

Happy with my colour choice

Gradually building up the stitching

. And then there is the mounting……..

Next Module

I have now moved onto developing my design for the first of the major assessed techniques – Jacobean Crewelwork.