RSN Essential Stitch Guides: Goldwork - Hardcover

McCook, Helen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844487024 ISBN 13: 9781844487028

Publisher: Search Press, 2012

Synopsis

The Royal School of Needlework (RSN) teaches hand embroidery to the highest standard and is well respected all over the world. It not only upholds the traditions of English embroidery that go back many hundreds of years, but is constantly taking embroidery forward in new and innovative ways. This series of Essential Stitch Guides has been produced in close collaboration with the RSN with the aim of providing a set of definitive works on traditional embroidery techniques. All of the authors were chosen by the RSN and all are graduate apprentices of the Royal School. Goldwork is all about the interplay of colour, texture and light, and it is this quality that is at the heart of Helen McCook’s work. The book starts with a historical account of goldwork, then moves on to the materials and equipment required, framing up, how to transfer a design on to fabric and how to start and finish a thread. The main section of the book then covers all of the essential stitches and techniques through clear, step-by-step diagrams and photographs, coupled with beautiful, close-up photographs showing how then can be used in a finished piece. These include couching, bricking, basketweave, cutwork, spangles, s-ing, pearl purl, plate and kid. The book ends with a section in which the techniques described in the previous section are combined to create finished pieces, all beautifully and exquisitely worked by the author.

About this title

About the Author

Helen McCook is a tutor for the prestigious Royal School of Needlework. She has extensive experience in theatre and film costume, and pieces of her work can be found in private collections and galleries worldwide, including in the British Royal Collection. Her work has been featured in Embroidery, Selvedge, Vogue and Vanity Fair.

Helen was appointed as the first artist in residence for the Scottish National Portrait Gallery’s educative initiative and works as an associate lecturer at Scottish National Portrait Gallery, National Portrait Gallery (London) and Holyrood Palace. Helen worked as part of the RSN team which created the embellishment for the shoes; veil and wedding dress for Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, and has worked on a variety of private commissions.

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• Compact, spiral-bound, easy-to-use lay-flat format
• Published in conjunction with the prestigious RSN, whose expertise makes it an indispensable resource for both beginners and professional embroiderers
• Inspirational finished works, traditional and contemporary, to show how the stitches can be used

Edition details

• Publisher: Search Press
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1844487024
• ISBN 13: 9781844487028
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 96