RSN Canvaswork: Drum roll, please!!!!!

Here it is, the very last thread tied back for my very last module of my RSN Certificate!  Can you tell I'm just a little bit excited about this!  Now just for awaiting the marks from assessment....

 Here is an image of my final piece.  It is from an illustration that was on the front of UK Vogue in May 1936 for Royal Ascot.  I have to admit I am really pleased with it.  It was a great challenge but I've really fallen in love with this technique.

For some technical information:

The threads are mainly DMC cotton stranded, however, I've mixed in Appleton wools for the greenery and silks and rayons for the butterfly, lips and flowers.  There is tent stitch and trammed tent in the flowers and lips.  Tied gobelin into some encroaching gobelin for the hat.  Parisian and diagonal parisian form the blouse.  All kinds of different cross stitches create the areas of greenery.  I constrained myself to just cross stitch patterns for the greenery as I thought it had a more "bushy" type appearance and I wanted to try lots of different stitch patterns.  The skin is in diagonal satin. The little blossoms are chain stitch within chain stitch.  Finally, the Lily-of-the-Valley are padded satin with a stem stitch stem.

 I had to sneak some Lily-of-the-Valley in somewhere!

Here's a detail of turning the corner of the blouse. 

 I have to admit, canvaswork was a module that I was not originally terribly excited about.  However, I have found that I absolutely LOVE it!  I love the color mixing aspect of it and the constraint of the counted stitch patterns.  I love the textures that the stitches create and the painterly quality of it.  I really cannot wait to start another piece of canvaswork and I already know what it's going to be :)! 

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!