Completion by our 2020 sponsorship winner of the Canvaswork module

 The winner of our 2020 sponsorship to the Royal School of Needlework (an anonymous religious) has completed the second module of the Certificate Course, Canvaswork. This piece of work was awarded almost perfect marks: it's a beautiful piece of work, executed to the very highest standard. 

We at the Guild of St Clare take enormous pride in the success of both our sponsorship winners: we feel we are playing a very small part in building the restoration of the skills that made the English church famous throughout the world in medieval times.

We look forward to seeing the next piece on which our winner is currently engaged: Goldwork.

Sponsorship for the RSN Certificate Course: apply now!

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In 2019 the Guild of St Clare made the first award under its Sponsorship Scheme to help a student through the Certificate Course at the Royal School of Needlework (RSN), and in 2020 we made the second. Our two sponsored students are, despite the epidemic, progressing through the course, and we are now inviting new candidates to apply for the scheme.

The deadline for applications this year is 22nd June.

The RSN Certificate Course takes between one and four years, depending on how intensively students wish to do it. Its great flexibility makes it ideal for those who can only spare limited time, or whose availability fluctuates over the year. The Certificate gives its graduates a thorough grounding in a range of traditional hand-embroidery skills, skills for which the RSN is renowned, and which its experts apply to historic restoration projects and important commissions.

Sponsored students will be able to reclaim half the cost of their tuition days, up to a maximum of £2,000 a year, subject to satisfactory progress in the Certificate course, and their attendance (for free) at least one of the Guild’s two annual Sewing Retreats. Students at the RSN have to pay for tuition days when they book them; they would be reimbursed at that point. Progress will be monitored by reference to the successful completion of each module, and the reports which are provided by RSN tutors on each piece of work.

More information, and how to apply, can be found here.

Christmas sewing lesson

Lucy writes: Despite the stringent restrictions over Christmas, I was able to see some close family, and it was a particular joy to spend time in the sewing room teaching my Goddaughter, Agathe, how to make a patchwork scarf for her Luna Lapin to wear.

I was impressed by how quickly Agathe got the hang of the sewing machine. And Luna will be grateful for this beautiful handmade accessory in the cold weather we're having.

One of the things I'm looking forward to most when restrictions eventually lift is a return to spending time sewing with friends and family. Who knows when that will be?- but when it does happen, Guild of St Clare workshops and retreats will come roaring back into the calendar and I hope I will see many Guild members once again.

Handmade Christmas at St Philip's Priory, Chelmsford

 Fr Stephen writes: "If it's red, and not a flower, then I've sewn it this week (the last week of Advent)...Getting good at upcycling old bits!"

Fr Stephen has a remarkable gift for making beautiful new altar furnishings out of crumbling old bits of vestments: I hope he'll give us a tutorial one day soon!

Hand-stitched Christmas presents

It's the time of year when our sewing efforts are directed away from vestments and embroidery, and towards the children on our present lists. This year I enjoyed myself enormously, making felt crowns and more stuffed animals, with clothes to go with them. James Sharpe has also taken a break from Royal School of Needlework homework to make a felt cat. 

Luna and Alfie, made by Lucy

Felt crown, made by Lucy

Another felt crown, also by Lucy

James's marmalade felt cat

Completion by our 2020 sponsorship winner of the Jacobean Crewelwork module

 Regular readers will remember that our Royal School of Needlework Sponsorship was this year won by a religious, who because of the hidden nature of the vocation prefers to remain anonymous. Despite the difficulties posed by the lockdown, our winner has already completed the first module of the Certificate Course: Jacobean Crewelwork. This is a beautiful piece of work, admirably executed, which already displays the skill and imagination which the RSN exists to foster.

The colour scheme is charming, and shows a real feeling for colour.

I particularly love the use of trellis stitch in this piece: it's perfectly even, and the patterns are original and fun.

The unnamed embroiderer of this piece comments: "I was trying to figure out how long it took in total and know it's over 100 hours and probably somewhere around 150 hours or more...The romantic in me likes the idea of the sacrifice of hundreds of hours in making, say, a vestment and imagines the holy Angels adding this offering up to God at the Mass whenever the vestment is worn. 

"In meeting other broderers I was amazed at how talented others are; though it is also a little saddening when this talent is not used for God's glory, which is why it is very pleasing to me that the Guild of St Clare exists."

We are delighted to see the award in such hands as these, being put to such good use. Congratulations to our winner, and thanks for all you do to promote the use of embroidery in the service of God. 

December Vestment Mending day in Oxford

Thanks to the exemptions relating to instruction and training, our vestment mending day in December was able to go ahead, despite the restrictive Covid 19 tier system. 

We had a lovely day of sewing, mince pies and generally setting the world to rights: it was a delightful island of normality in this rather peculiar Advent season, which is usually so full of sociable festive preparations.

I hope we will be able to hold further sessions in the New Year, when mince pie eating will continue at least up to Candlemas.