London Embroidery School

Central London based Embroidery School

embroidery

Goldwork Letter 3 is Out Now!

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Goldwork Letters Style 3: Cutwork with padding and Pearle Purl edging is here. The final step in our goldwork for lettering series aimed at those who have done some goldwork before and are ready to apply those skills more specifically. Taught by breaking the letters down into their characteristics, we discuss the intricacies of the elements you will face and how to deal with each of them as well as showing how to bring all those elements together into one considered, cohesive outcome.

There are no kits for this class as we encourage you to make your own creative material choices for a truly personalised outcome. Do check out the materials listed on the class for our guide to what you’ll need. Head over to the London Embroidery school website for all the details and access to our most technically advanced goldwork class to date.

Goldwork Letters 2 Out Now!

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Goldwork Letters Style 2: Couching and Overstretched Pearle Purl has arrived.

Bringing colour and texture to the party, this goldwork class for a lettering outcome is designed for those who have done a little goldwork before and want to step it up a gear. Taught by breaking the letters down into their characteristics, you can apply the approaches to the letter of your choosing, and it will arm you to be able to take on any shapes you might come across.

There are no kits for this class as we encourage you to make your own creative material choices for a truly personalised outcome, however we will guide you through what types you will need to have to hand. This makes it a great class for those who want to get started straight away, and also for using up some left over materials you might have from previous goldwork projects.
Head over to the London Embroidery school website for all the details and to start creating your own sophisticated goldwork letter piece.

 

Materials and equipment

  • Base fabrics (felt, melton is best fabric if you are thinking about make it into a patch) & Calico (medium tight weave – any Goldwork with Plunging technique includes requires a supporting base fabric unless you are working on very heavy non stretch fabric)
  • Pricker
  • Pounce
  • Tracing paper design drawn (printed out or drawn. Blue transferable paper work too so no need to prick & pounce)
  • Gel Pen/ Water soluble Pen (optional, pencil works fine if it’s light fabric)
  • Goldwork Thread: Passing (2g – Yellow Gold Passing used in the video) & Rococco (1m – Very Fine used in the video), Pearle Purl (1g) (Some letters use less or more) Japanese Gold Thread or Twists can be used too.
  • Needles: Embroidery/Chenille Needle (Embroidery No.10 used in the video) Chenille Needle for Plunging (No. 22 used in the video) (optional) & Curved Needle (optional)
  • Thread to match Gold Thread
  • Embroidery Stranded Cotton
  • Sewing thread to match the stranded cotton
  • Heavy/stronger thread (Extra Upholstery Thread used in the video. Top Thread/Buttonhole Thread are good too) (optional)
  • Goldwork Scissors (ideally separate from normal embroidery scissors as Golwork will blunt the scissors)
  • Thread scissors
  • Mellor/Stiletto
  • Wax
  • Pins
  • Embroidery hoop/frame (ideally clamp/seat/slate frame so your both hands are free)
  • Access to a printer or trace off a computer screen at 100%
  • Temporary adhesive spray, wall paper paste, sewing machine (all optional)

LES loves Virtual Costume Exhibitions

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(Spoilers Included)

As our name suggests, we are based in the UK in London and for those of you in the Uk, you will know that we have just gone into ‘tier 4’ so movement has been restricted once again just in time for Christmas. For many of you, like us that will mean your plans for the Christmas break will change and might leave you a little… directionless.

Amongst the ever changing news, we will endevour to keep bringing you things to keep you enterained, motivated and inspired. Our online classes are always there if you fancy one, whether it be one of our free classes, kitless classes or something practical. If however today what you need is inspiration then let us show you this engaging virtual exhibition we came across from the Brooklyn Museum.

Those embroiderers of you that also cross over into costume fans cant help but to have noticed the excitement with which the two big costume dramas recently released on Netflix have received. ‘The Crown’, now on season 4 and ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ both take you into a snapshot of vintage fashion from the 20th century. ‘The Crown’ season 4 takes us through the 1980’s and the costume department play a huge role in this, painstakingly recreating legendary looks from events of the British Royal family during this period. Princess Diana’s wedding dress has to be one of the most monumental pieces in the collection- originally design by Elizabeth and David Emanuel, recreated by costume designer Amy Roberts, tailored by Sue Crawshaw.

Detail of ”The Crown’s” Princess Diana Wedding Dress Bodice

”The dress took three people four weeks and 600 hours to create. 95 metres of fabric and 100 metres of lace were used. The train is approx. 30 feet. Tailoring the dress required 5 fittings with actress Emma Corrin.”

With such efforts put into this piece to make it as accurate as possible, we would have liked to have seen more of it in the screen time!

 

The exhibition allows you to turn the ensembles, zoom in on special details, view the clip of the costume in action and read write ups on the pieces and view the working designs and desginers notes.

 

For the embroiderers, the Trooping of the Colour uniform might well be a highlight as you can zoom in on the details of the medals, aiguillettes and eupaulettes. Aside the costumes, the museum has selected pieces from their collections which compliment the exhibits such as the silhouette portrait of Queen Elizabeth called ‘Koh-I-Noor’ by Hew Locke made of hundreds of plastic trinkets.

 

From ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ set in the 1960’s USA designed by Gabiele Binder, we particulally liked the first dress we see the protagonist ‘Beth’ dressed in. The naive embroidery on the chest tugs at ones heartstrings in a way only embroidery can (though we are terribly bias!)

 

This is shown alongside this ‘Gaming Board’ which is an undeniably beuatiful piece in its own right, particulally when it is considered to date circa 1390–1353 B.C.E.

 

We also really liked the ‘I’m Chess’ dress and being able to appreciate the thought and symbolism invested into the creation of these costumes as a vehical of storytelling.

The Brooklyn Museum’s physical exhibition has now ended but the virtual exhibtion is currently still available if you fancy furthering you watching  interest with a deep dive into the costumes.

Check this exhibition out whilst you can!

Images Credits : All images courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum and Netflix (The Queen and The Crown is created by Netflix in collaboration with the Brooklyn Museum, and curated by Matthew Yokobosky, Senior Curator, Fashion and Material Culture, Brooklyn Museum.)

Last Minute Gift Ideas

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Are you stuck for last minute gifts?

Monogramming Online Class

Our christmas postage deadline has now past, however, we have lots of online classes which you can gift that dont have kits that require postage. So for that present you need why not consider giving the gift of lettering in the shape of our monogramming online class series, or a practical skill like Darning. Or for the more experienced stitcher, think about the goldwork letters online class. Quite a few of our other classes only require materials that a crafter is likely to have already like the chiffon rose and lace applique classes.

Chiffon Rose Online Class

Failing that, if you dont feel confident enough to choose which class to get for them, gift certificates are also still available which can come in £10 increments up to £150 so you can pick exactly what suits you best. Find the gift certificates in the Christmas section of our website or the online classes in the online classes section.

We will be open for orders throughout the Christmas period and will still be sending out orders until the 20th Dec, but can no longer expect them to arrive before Christmas. After the 20th all orders will be sent out by the 6th Jan when we will return to business as usual. See you in 2021.

Goldwork Letters Online Class

Christmas Postage Dates are now past…

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As we are expecting some disruption to the postal system this year, our date for Christmas postage for all countries including the UK has now past. However we are still working and will continue to dispatch orders up to the 20th Dec, we just cant say that they should get to you before Christmas. Any orders placed after the 20th Dec will be fulfilled after our Christmas break, and will be due to leave us by the 6th Jan 2021.

We hope that fits in with all your plans 🙂

LES

x

 

Christmas UK Postage Deadline Fast Approaches

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All our embroidery online class kits, whether Chrismas gift wrapped or not, come presented beautifully in a recyclable box so that you get a fun unboxing experience when you receive your parcel. In this year when we might not be able to see one another as we usually would, sending someone the gift of a skill or something you have made with your new skills has an enhanced meaning.

As the final postage date before Christmas creeps ever closer (15th Dec for UK) , get your order into us to avoid disappointment as we can’t wait to see what you will go on to stitch.

We will continue to be working and post items out until the 20th Dec, but cant say for sure they will arrived before Christmas. After that all new orders will be despatched by the 6th Jan 2021.