Why are you doing the RSN Certificate?
I’m often asked this question when I mention to friends or anyone who’s interested that I’m doing the Royal School of Needlework’s Certificate in Technical Hand Embroidery. And to be honest I’m not really sure that there is an easy answer, as there are so many reasons.
The first reason is that I wanted a challenge. At the time, although I enjoyed my paid job, I was comfortable with the workloads and the work and so were the people around me - so there was not much scope for moving to another job or for getting more challenging work. So I felt I needed to find a challenge somewhere else in my life.
The second main reason is that going to the Royal School of Needlework was something that I wanted to do for years, ever since attending the weekend classes set up by Wendy Hogg in Norfolk. Sadly Wendy had passed away in 2011 so the classes had stopped and other classes either seemed too far away from Norwich or where fully booked by the time I found out about them. Day classes at the RSN seemed too far away and would involve the extra expense of having to stay over. Gradually I realised that sometimes if you want to do something, you just have to commit to it and do it. It would take the tragic death of somebody who was a real joy to be around to make me realise that life is just too short not to do the things you love or want to do.
As I did more embroidery projects, I started to realise that I was ready to start challenging myself and design my own projects. Initially these were often just gifts for friends and family to celebrate life events - weddings, new babies or significant wedding anniversaries. Although I was happy with those designs, I could see that there were areas that could improve - such as balancing the design, what elements to include, how to work the design and how to implement my design ideas more accurately. I also wanted to improve my technical skill and learn how to prepare the fabric before putting in the first stitches. Also I wanted to learn how to mount my embroideries - something that I always avoided and would find other people to do for me.
Having researched the RSN Certificate course, I knew it would cover all of these aspects and more including learning some techniques I was less keen on such as crewel work or blackwork - more about those in future blogs! If you are interested in doing the RSN Certificate have a look at the RSN’s website Certificate & Diploma | Royal School of Needlework (royal-needlework.org.uk). I thought long and hard about making the commitment and talked so several friends about what they thought or was it just a silly pipe dream. They were nothing but encouraging and one even encouraged me to do a blog about my progress - especially being left-handed.
Yes, I did have worries about doing the course. Would I be able to cope with the work load and also manage my 4 day at work, how would I get there and would I need to plan overnight stays, and more importantly could I afford it? I also worried if my embroidery skills were good enough and my habitual worry of would being left-handed be a problem. But actually the biggest worries were probably within my gift to solve. Then after doing a day course with the RSN at Hampton Court Palace, made me realise that I could probably work my way around most of those worries or ‘barriers’ as they had become in my head. I attended an Open Day at the RSN, back in summer 2019, to find out more and to actually speak to people and that just confirmed that I wanted to do the course and it was do-able. My husband helped to convince me too - he pointed out that staying overnight was practicable as we already had stayed in a nearby hotel, so it was nothing new. I could attend classes on my non-working Fridays and travel down after work on a Thursday and be refreshed for class on a Friday, then travel home.
I was convinced and signed up to start classes in January 2020 - after we’d celebrated a big family wedding and already for a new year and new beginnings. Perhaps with hindsight starting something new and not so close home, just before a global pandemic hits was not so great, but I absolutely love doing the course and do not regret it at any point. So if you are thinking about doing the course don’t hesitate.
There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask “What if I fall?”
Oh but my darling,
What if you fly?
Erin Hanson