RSN Essential Stitch Guides: Silk Shading - large format edition

A new, larger format edition of the Royal School of Needlework's essential guide to silk shading, giving you all you need to create thread-painted embroideries.

Graduate Apprentice, Sarah Homfray throws light onto the beautiful craft of silk shading, also known as painting with a needle, long and short stitch embroidery or thread painting. Sarah:

   • Reveals the history of the craft. then moves on to the materials and equipment required.
   • Covers design and using color; simplifying and demystifying this oft-neglected area of embroidery.
   • Covers all (main section) of the essential stitches and techniques through clear, step-by-step diagrams and photographs, coupled with beautiful, close-up photographs showing how they can be used in a finished piece.
   • Includes key traditional techniques: the fundamental stab, split and long and short stitches, along with couching, padding, adding beads and sequins, and knots.
   • Ends with beautiful and exquisitely-worked examples of how the techniques can be combined in finished pieces, and covering working with different fabrics, threads and incorporating painted backgrounds. 
The RSN teaches hand embroidery to the highest standard and is well respected all over the world. It not only upholds the traditions of English embroidery that go back many hundreds of years, but is constantly taking embroidery forward in new and innovative ways.
 

Sarah Homfray came to silk shading relatively late in life, after careers led as a mechanical engineer and a croupier. After enrolling on a textile home study course and wanting to learn more, she applied for and was awarded a place on The Royal School of Needlework Apprenticeship programme. She graduated in 2006 and currently teaches there on certificated, diploma and seasonal courses. Sarah went on to gain a Certificate in Education from Greenwich University and a Diploma in Fine Art from the Cyprus College of Art. She has won a number of awards for her embroidery work.