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Threads of Connection with Emma Broughton

Regular price £250.00 GBP
Location:
Hampton Court Palace
Technique:
Whitework
Duration:
2 days. 10am - 4pm
Dates
Course Description

Beneath our feet lies a hidden world of networks and connections: the fine fungal filaments that help forests grow and communicate. In this class, you will explore this invisible ecosystem through experimental stitch, creating a design that celebrates both fragility and resilience.

You will begin with coffee painting on calico to create an earthy backing fabric with soft, organic tones. You will then work on 25-count even weave linen to develop branching ‘root’ systems using drawn thread, pulled work and couching. Pulled thread patterns will open the fabric to suggest delicate, web-like mycelium, while thicker roots will be formed by couching removed drawn threads or threads taken from the fabric’s extended edge.

The finished piece will combine texture, transparency and layering, highlighting the unseen connections that sustain life beneath the soil. The class focuses on experimentation and mark-making rather than perfection, encouraging you to explore how stitch can reveal what is usually hidden.

By the end of the course, you will have developed an understanding of drawn thread, pulled work and couching techniques and how these can be applied to your own embroidery projects.

You can follow the set design or use the techniques you learn to create your own organically inspired root formations.

What you will need to bring

All of the specialist materials and equipment required for the course will be provided for you. We recommend bringing a notebook and pen if you would like to make notes throughout the course. And if you have a favourite mug, feel free to bring it along for your refreshment breaks!

Tutor Biography

Emma Broughton

Emma Broughton is a fine art embroidery artist, RSN Professional Tutor and Fellow of the Royal School of Needlework (FRSN), based in Wiltshire. Her work sits at the intersection of traditional needlework and contemporary storytelling, using embroidery as a medium for portraiture, narrative and cultural expression. Emma holds a Diploma in Embroidery with Distinction from the Royal School of Needlework, awarded in 2009 and signed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as well as a BA from the University for the Creative Arts, completed in 2012. In 2019, her book Embroidered Boxes: Techniques and Projects was published by Crowood Press. In 2023, Emma was awarded a Developing Your Creative Practice grant by Arts Council England to support Woman Unbound, an ongoing Blackwork portrait series exploring female empowerment, defiance and resilience. Alongside her artistic practice, Emma teaches hand embroidery both in person and online. She teaches independently and with organisations including the Royal School of Needlework, the Embroiderers’ Guild of America and the Embroiderers’ Association of Canada, and has travelled internationally to teach in the United States and Canada.

Important Venue Information

Please note this is an in-person class at Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU.

On Arrival

Access to Hampton Court Palace is security controlled. Access to the Palace grounds is only available via the main Palace gate (Trophy Gate) - this is the large gate closest to Hampton Court Bridge. Access is currently not available via other gates. On arrival, walk down the drive to the Palace itself and then around the left-hand (north) side of the building until you see the vehicle security barrier and the entrance to the Security Office.

There will be a member of staff to meet you outside the Security Office at 9.45am to escort you to the classroom. You will be issued a visitor pass - please make sure that you wear this and that it is visible at all times.

Accessibility

Hampton Court Palace dates back to the 14th Century. The main RSN classrooms are on the 3rd floor which can be accessed by the Chocolate Court Stairs in Fountain Court, whilst the other classroom has an additional six steps in order to access it. The palace is very old and the walk to our classrooms may have uneven surfaces, for example cobbles, worn steps, uneven steps and slopes. Please choose footwear that is comfortable and appropriate for the conditions. Some surfaces may be slippery, particularly if they are wet from rain. There is a lift available for acces from Fountain Court to the RSN apartments but access is prioritised for those with mobility issues.

Breaks and Lunchtime

Refreshments will be provided in the morning. You may take your lunch break in our break room or within the Palace gardens. Please bring a packed lunch and drink with you as there are only two sets of Palace facilities and there are likely to be lengthy queues at lunchtime. Please remember to wear your pass at all times.

Access to toilets

There two upstairs toilets will be available, Additional toilet facilities are available in Fountain Court.

Staff

The RSN Education Team are not onsite at the weekend so please do not expect to see any on your visit, if you need to speak with or contact a member of the team please email education@royal-needlework.co.uk in the first instance.

Materials

Your kit will be ready for you in the classroom. Any additional equipment will be available to purchase or borrow from the RSN on the day. It is useful to bring a notepad and pen, a thimble if you use one and a pair of sharp, favoured embroidery scissors.

RSN Shop

The shop is located on the ground floor next to the East Front Gate and will be open between 11am-4pm. We do have a 'click and collect' pickup service option if you wish to order anything from the shop in advance and pick it up when you attend for your class. This option is available at the Online Shop checkout. Please note that five working days notice must be given to use the shop pickup service.

Photography

You may take photographs of your own work in progress, or of other students’ work with their permission. Photography of work on the walls or any RSN collection pieces is not permitted in any area of the RSN. From time to time we may wish to take photographs of your class and work in progress for publicity material to be used on-line and in print. If you would prefer not to be included in these photographs please let us know.

Checklist BEFORE you Leave Home

[  ] HCP Pass – if you have one
[  ]  Embroidery Scissors
[  ]  Pen and paper
[  ]  Drink and packed lunch

SKU: HCP27049

Threads of Connection with Emma Broughton

£250.00 GBP