Article About the UK: Stitching a Cultural Identity Study Abroad Program that I Developed

NC State's Office of International Affairs wrote an exciting article about the UK: Stitching a Cultural Identity study abroad program I led and the Internationalization Seed Grant that I received to develop the program.
Here's a link to it if you'd like to check it out:  https://international.ncsu.edu/ukstitching/

I am still reflecting on this trip even 5 months after our return.  Developing it and collaborating with the Royal School of Needlework was an absolutely amazing experience in itself.  I cannot say enough wonderful things about the student's RSN tutor, Mandy Ewing.  If you get a chance to take a class with her I highly recommend it!!!  Curating the different studio and museum visits, coordinating the different cultural activities and introducing students to London is something I will cherish.  They are a very special group of girls!

The students wrote blog posts for the College of Design while we were in the UK.  You can check out there posts here at the DesignLife Blog.

 At Hampton Court Palace with Henry VIII

 Final dinner with Mandy (our wonderful, wonderful RSN tutor)

UK: Stitching a Cultural Identity- Week 2, Classes Started at the Royal School of Needlework, Guided Tour of Hampton Court Palace, Hangout with Mr. X Stitch, Oxford and St. Paul's Cathedral

Week 2 started off with a guided tour of Hampton Court Palace with historian Vanda Nadolny.  She showed us through the palace explaining the history of the palace and the people that have graced its halls throughout the centuries.  She focused especially on the tapestries, describing to us the stories and process behind the creation of the tapestries and how they are cared for today. 

I'll update this shortly with a link to Rachel's blog post about this tour. 

Monday evening, we enjoyed an exciting trip up to King's Cross to "Drink, Shop, Do" and cross stitching with Mr. X Stitch himself at his X Stitch Hangout.  If you are ever in London on the first Monday of the month, I highly recommend it!  The cakes and drinks are delicious and the cross stitching is so much fun!  Jamie, Mr. X Stitch, teaches you the basics of cross stitch and provides a great environment with other stitch enthusiasts and stitch curious people.  

Notice Jamie wore his NC State hoodie from when he visited NC State to present a lecture and cross stitch workshop to our students in Raleigh!

Check out Angela's video blog post about our evening with Mr. X Stitch here.

Tuesday was the students first official day at the Royal School of Needlework (RSN).  There was a lot of excitement as we met Natalie from the RSN and she walked us up to our classroom at Hampton Court Palace.  The RSN tutor for the students was Mandy Ewing.  Mandy was amazing and the students and I loved her.  She is so very, very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor!  She had just gotten back from teaching for the RSN in Williamsburg, VA, USA in May with Tracy Franklin and Jenny Adin-Christie. 

The students spent Tuesdays and Thursdays for 4 weeks stitching at the RSN.  Mandy taught them 2 weeks of crewelwork and 2 weeks of goldwork, focusing on lots of sampling and starting a final motif that combined the two techniques.  When I developed this program, I thought these two techniques would complement the appointments we were going to and also would give the students a range of new skills (also thinking that if they weren't a huge fan of one they would probably like the other).  

On Day 1 of the RSN, the students received their scroll frames and materials kits.  They spent the morning learning the proper way of framing up and then embarked on their crewel adventure!  It was really fun watching them all so excited about beginning to stitch.  I especially enjoyed seeing the colors they chose for their crewelwork as you could really see their personalities come out in their choices. 

 Angela and Gillian choosing colors.

 

Rachel framing up.

  

Everyone getting ready to start to stitch!

 The view from our classroom!  

You can read the student's blog posts at links below:

Ashley wrote about the Royal School of Needlework

Rachel wrote about the 1st week of classes at the RSN-- updating post will blog link shortly!

Wednesday we took the train to Oxford.  Excited about their projects they started at the Mr. X Stitch Hangout, Carly, Katelynn and Rachel all spent the time on the train cross stitching away!

We enjoyed a two hour walking tour of Oxford with our animated guide Tom, a local writer and Oxford graduate.  It was quite exciting to see all the different colleges and gardens.  Oxford is beautiful and filled with history and stories!  We then had an appointment in the Study Room at the Ashmolean Museum to see some amazing examples of 17th Century stumpwork.

 I'll update this shortly with a link to Rachel's blog post about this tour.

Our last stop during Week 2 was St. Paul's Cathedral.  We arrived right as they were opening so the students were able to tour the inside before the crowds got very crazy.  Then we went up to the Broiderers' studio to meet with Anita (head broiderer) and two of her volunteer broiderers.  They were so generous with the students and I with their knowledge and process.  We were able to see new projects they were working on, restoration projects they were doing and pieces from the collection at St. Paul's.  My all time favorite has to be the Hammersmith Cope with the Jubilee Cope not far behind on my list.

It was so amazing for the students to see such a wealth of different techniques and mixes of techniques.  Additionally, it was truly wonderful having the tour with the broiderers as they explained their whole process and different decisions with the students for both new and restoration projects.  All three embroiderers were trained at the RSN and also shared experiences of the different projects they had done during their training and as part of the RSN.

During our St. Paul's trip, we were also able to see the "miniature" model of St. Paul's (if you ever go you must see this!!!! It's part of the Triforium tour) and climbed the roughly 600 steps up to the top to see an amazing view of London.  It was actually sunny for us too so we could see for miles!

You can read more from Katelynn's blog post here. 

Week 3 and 4 coming shortly :)!

UK: Stitching a Cultural Identity- Week 1

As I write this I am still actually trying to pinch myself to make sure it's real.  Seven years ago when I started traveling to the UK to learn embroidery I never would have guessed that I would be bringing a group of enthusiastic students over to learn embroidery too!  I feel so honored to have developed this summer study abroad program with the Royal School of Needlework and a big thank you to the NC State Office of International Affairs for awarding me one of the Internationalization Seed Grants to help get this program off the ground.  With that said, if you or anyone you know would like to support this program going forward or help with student funding, please email me!  I would love for this program to become an every other summer opportunity for our students (it is open to ALL university students not just NC State students!).

First of all, I just need to say- what a time to be in the UK.  The past 3 weeks in the news has been incredibly interesting as an American in the UK.  I landed the day of the Brexit vote and stayed up way too late watching the returns.  UK politics have provided lots to talk about with the students this trip!

So highlights of the 1st week:
Week 1 saw the students staying in housing near Portobello Road in Notting Hill.  This allowed the students to experience living in the center of London and allowed us take advantage of a lot of the museums and exhibitions in London without the students having a long commute. 

Tuesday:  Tate Britain to introduce the students to art in the UK.  We started with The Growth of British Art Tour.  Then the students had the choice to visit one of the special exhibitions, either Painting with Light or Conceptual Art in Britain.
You can read Giovanna's review of Painting with Light here.

 
We then made our way to Victoria Coach Station to take a ride in the Afternoon Tea Tour Bus.  We enjoyed a yummy mix of savories and cakes as we saw sights including Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Harrods, the V&A, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Piccadilly Circus.
You can watch Angela's video blog post here.

Wednesday:  I introduced the students to the V&A!  I "lectured" on Opus Anglicanum to Stuart Stumpwork as the students viewed pieces in the Medieval Wing and the British Galleries, providing a brief history of the UK as we spoke about the development of the embroidery.  It was so awesome to have these pieces in person as I spoke about them as normally I am just teaching off slides and photos.  So, as much as it's an awesome opportunity for the students to see the pieces in person, it's also an amazing experience teaching beside them too!

After lunch at Whole Foods on Kensington High Street (I had hoped for a picnic but it was icky and raining), we made our way to Kensington Palace for the palace tour and the special exhibition Fashion Rules Restyled.  Here are a couple of my favorite pieces on display:


 
 
 
 
You can read more about the above Flowers of the Fields of France dress by Norman Hartnell here.  
Read Rachel's post about our visit to Kensington Palace here. 

Thursday:  We started the day with a visit to the V&A's Clothworkers' Centre where the students were allowed to see a selection of both historical and contemporary British embroidery.

 

Here are links to some of the pieces the students and I were able to view:

Two 17th Century Stumpwork Caskets

18th Century Court Jacket

Evening Gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II by Hardy Amies

Evening Gown worn by Princess Diana by Catherine Walker

Lot's Wife by Audrey Walker

Evening Gown by Erdem Moralioglu

Read Giovanna's post about our trip to the Clothworkers' Centre here. 

After a quick lunch, we were given a studio and workroom tour of Catherine Walker & Co.  I am still in awe of our tour here.  The owner and director presented such a wonderful tour of Catherine Walker the company and their design process.  He spoke a lot about design symbolism and the process of creating bespoke garments.  Growing up a huge fan of Catherine Walker's pieces for Princess Diana, this experience was truly special.  I remember reading about the process and thought behind Ms. Walker's pieces for Princess Diana's state gowns and it making me want to read more about both fashion design and cultural symbolism.  They were never pieces created void of concept or cultural awareness.  Their richness of concept was matched with the beauty of traditional craft utilized in their creation.  It was an amazing opportunity for the students to see each of the workrooms and to see traditional craft in action.

They had displayed presentations in each room with examples of each step of the process.  We were even able to see a couple gowns worn by Princess Diana to various events.  When we went to the showroom, we were able to see some of their pieces available for order.  It was so exciting to see such beautifully crafted pieces.  Look at the beauty of these sleeves and how beautifully they are set into the jacket.  Truly the handcrafted details make my heart happy!!!

Carly's post about our tour of Catherine Walker is here. 

 Friday:  We ventured over to the New Designers Showcase to see work from design students graduating in numerous universities across the UK.  It was a great opportunity for the students to see how other students and universities displayed their portfolios and final projects.  We also saw some really great embroidery and were able to speak with a couple very talented students about their work. 

Read Katelynn's review of the New Designers Showcase here.

Week 1 wrapped up with the students moving to their new accommodations near Kingston.  

Week 2:  post coming soon!  Students start classes at the Royal School of Needlework!

Some Updates: Study Abroad Stitching and RSN Canvaswork

I have lots and lots to tell you about here shortly!  I'm about 2 weeks into the UK: Stitching a Cultural Identity study abroad program that I am directing this summer.  I have a great group of students over here with me and I will be doing some posts about all the fun things we have been doing soon.  In the meantime, please follow the program blog UK: Stitching a Cultural Identity Summer 2016 and my Professor Katherine Diuguid Facebook.  

Also, my fingers are furiously stitching away in spare moments after the kids have gone to sleep on my RSN canvaswork piece.  Lots of greenery has been added!