RSN Essential Stitch Guides: Goldwork

Helen McCook is a tutor for the prestigious RSN. 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.

This book is a reformatted, larger version of the original 2012 edition. It’s A4 which makes it much easier to read, see and use because everything is printed larger. I’ve seen goldwork mentioned in various embroidery books so I wondered what I could actually learn from a specific book on it and how a whole book could be dedicated just to that technique but wow there’s a lot of content and different ways of using gold and metallic elements in your embroidery work.It’s absolutely full of step-by-step pictures and instructions to show you how to use gold thread and add sequins all the way up to much more complicated pieces incorporating multiple goldwork techniques using plate, couching, padding, purl and more. The instructions are clearly worded and pictured in detail so that you can easily follow along. There is a vast array of different techniques and these range from traditional designs to more contemporary and modern.I have a number of these RSN books and I’m always amazed at the sheer amount of information and variety in techniques they provide within each highly specific area of embroidery. It really is the book I didn’t know I needed and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to incorporate goldwork in their embroidery because you won’t find a more detailed, wide-ranging techniques book anywhere.

• The Royal School of Needlework 6, Introduction 8, The history of metal thread work 10, Materials and equipment 14, Framing up 24, Design 30, Starting to stitch 34, Order of work 36, Padding 38Methods 44Couching 45, Combining threads 45, Japanese gold 46, Turning and plunging 47, Bricking 50, Couching in a circle 51, Pearl purl 52, Twists 54, Basketweave 56, Cutwork 58, Cutwork chips over felt 59, Cutwork purls over felt 60, Cutwork purls over soft string 62, Flat cutwork 64, Kid 65, S-ing 66, Spangles 68, Spangles held on with purls 69Plate 70Attaching plate over soft string 71, Attaching plate over felt 72Stitching with gold threads 73Chain stitch 74, Feather stitch 75, Pekinese stitch 76, Trellis stitch 77Using colour 78Diaper couching 78, Or Nué 80, Or Nué with paint 82Combining techniques 86Three Wishes 86, Indian Summer 88, Spring Flight 89, More a Scottish Thistle than an English Rose 90, Pomegranate and Gilly Flower 92, Snowdrops 94Index 96