Thursday 21 March 2024

Miniature Dalmatic Making at the Royal School of Needlework

The Guild of St Clare annual class at the Royal School of Needlework took place last Saturday, 16th March; this year we tackled a new skill, learning miniature Dalmatics.



Our class was led, as in previous years, by Heather Lewis, an RSN graduate Apprentice who specialises in ecclesiastical needlework. The Guild of St Clare is enormously indebted to Heather for her expertise which she has shared with us over many years, and her generosity in travelling from York, where she now lives, in order to tutor us at Hampton Court Palace.



She brought her own exquisitely made miniature Dalmatic to show us.



Making a Dalmatic is relatively complex in comparison with other vestments, and even the quite experienced vestment makers amongst us had to concentrate hard to understand the instructions.




The course was extremely popular, despite the rather esoteric subject, and it sold out online before the close of registrations. I was pleased to see several faces new to the Guild of St Clare.




The annual RSN class is always a sociable occasion, and the weather was sufficiently clement to allow us to lunch outside in the beautiful grounds of Hampton Court Palace.





Heather and I are already planning next year's course. As it happens, Heather has a book coming out within the next few months (it is hoped!), on the subject of vestments and ecclesiastical embroidery, and we are thinking of taking a project from that. More details to follow!




 

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