RSN Stitch Bank: 200 Essential Embroidery Stitches
The Royal School of Needlework
Search Press
Is this title simply another stitch dictionary? No, it is most certainly not. Sitting rather large and thick in size (336 pages in all) it is not the size which here counts. No, it is the reason this book has been curated and throughtfully been brought together by The Royal School of Needlework. It is all about conservation, holding onto this heirloom in our midst which is Embroidery. Often seen as important in the past are not of relevance in our society, the school have taken upon themselves to make sure that this wonderful form of art is not forgotten. It is a part of our history, but is not history - this is a current skill.
The school itself have over time brought together all the embroidery stitches they could find within a stitch bank. This is a legacy, but one which is not to sit in a glass box and appreciated as a part of our past culture, no this is a tool for the now. Like any tool, we simply need to know how to use it and where it can fit in our lives. Through this book, the RSN endeavour to evidence this.
Within the RSN Stitch Bank, you will find 200 stitches, all of which have been photographed, with text and diagrams. Some have examples from the RSN collections to show how they can be used in real settings.
This is a conservation, a preservation for the future - but it is a living one. Embroidery and its outcomes are often fragile, yet they have a beauty which cannot be described or shown in another art worm. Stitching is social, theraputic, a talking point, lets not let it become a ‘remember when’ story.
RSN Stitch Bank: 200 Essential Embroidery Stitches is available now through Search Press.