Couture Sequinned Peony : Nature Meets Couture

Explore the world of couture embroidery with this Fragile Threads online course, learning how hand beading, sequin work and embroidery can be used to transform a peony into a sculptural three-dimensional design.

Inspired by the beauty and structure of the natural world, you will explore how different materials can be layered, blended and manipulated to create depth across the petals of the flower. Learn how to blend sequins with thread work to create subtle transitions of colour, texture and light, giving the impression of movement and three-dimensional form.

Some petals will be created as raised, sculptural elements, while others will be worked directly onto the fabric, using carefully placed materials to create the illusion of depth. You will also learn couture-inspired approaches to thread work, exploring how the direction and placement of stitches can create a smooth surface with a beautiful sheen.

Goldwork materials and beads will be incorporated throughout the design, introducing contrasting textures and details that bring the different elements of the peony together.

Combining botanical inspiration with contemporary couture techniques, this special online course celebrates nature through texture, structure and embellishment, creating a peony that appears to emerge from the fabric.

About Fragile Threads

Fragile Threads is a pioneering project from the Royal School of Needlework (RSN), exploring how embroidery can be used to engage with some of the most important issues facing our world today.

The project reconnects the historic practice of embroidery with contemporary conversations, bringing together artists, embroiderers, designers, communities and partner organisations to explore how making can encourage reflection, connection and positive change.

The current focus of Fragile Threads is biodiversity and our relationship with the natural world. Through embroidery, the project explores the beauty, complexity and fragility of the ecosystems around us, translating conversations around biodiversity and species loss into creative experiences that feel personal, tangible and hopeful.

Working with organisations and communities from grassroots groups to major cultural and environmental partners, Fragile Threads combines heritage, contemporary practice, education and collaboration. At its heart is the idea that embroidery can do more than decorate: it can tell stories, preserve experiences, connect people and provide a powerful way of responding to the world around us.

The project will culminate in Nature’s Fragile Threads, a major exhibition at Bankside Gallery in London from 23 February to 7 March 2027. The exhibition will bring together historic works and designs from the RSN Collection and Archive with contemporary embroidery from within and beyond the RSN community, exploring how nature has inspired embroiderers across generations and how stitch can bear witness to biodiversity and species loss.

Fragile Threads is made possible with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Royal School of Needlework Fragile Threads Courses

As part of Fragile Threads, the Royal School of Needlework has created a special collection of five Short Courses exploring biodiversity, the natural world and our relationship with nature through hand embroidery.

The collection includes two online courses and three special in-person courses hosted at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Inspired by the themes of Fragile Threads, participants will explore colour, texture and three-dimensional embroidery techniques while taking inspiration from the extraordinary diversity of the natural world.

Through these creative experiences, participants will discover how embroidery can encourage closer observation of nature and provide a powerful way to celebrate its beauty, complexity and fragility.