Lost in Loops: Adventures of my First Month of Embroidery

It’s been one month since I began my journey as a Hand Embroidery Degree student at Hampton Court Palace — something that was once just a dream. And yet, here I am. Let me tell you: it’s every bit as surreal as you’d imagine…

First Impressions

From our very first day we began with inductions, introductions and a tour of the palace grounds, and honestly, it was hard to focus on practical things like where the toilets were when I was too busy whispering “wow” under my breath every three steps.

The palace is already looking like its from a storybook, with the weather changing, the leaves dropping and the warm coats being out, the feeling of walking through the gardens, rugged up with a cup of tea makes you feel like your in a movie from the 1800’s — complete with tapestries, turrets, and tourist groups walking through the halls.

In between gawking at 500-year-old architecture of course, we were also trying to remember each other’s names. A wonderfully talented bunch of students have joined this year — each with their own creative background and flair. It's both inspiring and, occasionally, a bit intimidating… but mostly inspiring (I promise).

We hit the ground running with our core stitch classes — and as someone who fully identifies as a perfectionist, this has been oddly satisfying. There's something deeply soothing about being allowed (and encouraged!) to get completely lost in making your stitch angles just right. The teaching style here is incredibly supportive, and it’s clear the tutors are masters of both technique and gentle encouragement. Honestly, my inner neat freak and OCD tendencies are thriving!

But just when I thought I had found my embroidery comfort zone, along came the experimental classes and markmaking...

When the Brief is "Think Outside the Hoop"

Let me just say: if traditional stitchwork is a calm walk through a rose garden, experimental embroidery is more like a spirited trek through an abstract art jungle… wearing mismatched shoes… and jumping over creeks to get to where I need to be. I have managed to get incredibly frustrated with myself in these classes, but overall, I have loved the opportunity to explore different ways of creating, following briefs that I wouldn’t normally have chosen, and honestly I’m loving the challenge and seeing the outcome of what I have managed to create is a great reassurance to myself.

We've been dabbling in all sorts of unexpected materials — from water-soluble felt tip markers, crayons, pencils, inks, more inks, to multimedia elements (including bleach and salt!). These sessions have really pushed me to loosen up, creatively speaking, and embrace the beautifully weird. It’s been challenging to shake off the “but-is-this-right?” mindset, but watching how wildly different each student's piece turns out has been the best kind of eye-opener. We're not just learning embroidery here — we're slowly discovering who we are as artists.

Threads of the Past

Alongside all the stitching and experimenting, we’re diving deep into the rich history of embroidery — starting from the 1500s onward. Each of us has been assigned a historical period to research, and we’ll be giving short presentations to the class. It’s already led to some fascinating rabbit holes (and a few “wait, embroidery did what during the 17th century?” moments). My particular era has been from 1650-1675 and let me tell you, my feminist side is rearing it’s head with this one! The mix of practical work and academic learning keeps things interesting…

We’ve also taken some field trips to soak in even more inspiration. The V&A Museum was a goldmine for our History of Embroidery project, and we also visited the Fashion and Textile Museum to explore the Cosprop exhibition — an incredible showcase of costume design that had us all mentally stitching waistcoats for imaginary period dramas and swooning over period style dresses.

Christmas with Lock and Co.

As if studying in a palace wasn’t enough of a fairytale, we have also been given the opportunity to contribute to the Christmas window display at Lock & Co. Hatters in Central London — the oldest hat shop in the world, no less. The theme is red and gold, and the brief struck the perfect balance between festive tradition and refined elegance. Each of us are creating unique hand-stitched decorations, from shimmering gold stars to rich red baubles and other charming flourishes. It will be a joy to see how our individual styles come together to form a cohesive display — a little RSN sparkle for the holiday season. There’s something surreal about knowing our work will be twinkling away in one of London’s most historic shop windows… and I may or may not have plans to loiter nearby to watch strangers admire it…

Palace Privileges

One of the biggest perks of studying here — apart from, you know, studying with the Royal School of Needlework — is the free roaming access we have to Hampton Court Palace during our breaks. There’s something wildly romantic about wandering the chapel and galleries between classes. The building is more than a backdrop; it’s a constant source of inspiration (and sometimes distraction, but who can blame us?).

Looking Ahead

It’s only been a month, but this experience already feels like the beginning of something big. I'm learning, stretching, unpicking (sometimes literally), and slowly weaving my identity into every stitch. There’s a real sense that we're all part of something special — not just because of where we’re studying, but because of who we're becoming through it.

If the first month is any indication, this year (and next three!) is going to be full of creativity, challenges, laughter, and probably a few thread-related emotional breakdowns. And honestly? I can’t wait.

My Embroidery Journey: From Iron to Gold

If you had told me a few years ago that I’d leave behind my somewhat stable life, sell my house, and move to the other side of the world to study a Bachelors Degree in Hand Embroidery at Hampton Court Palace as a mature age student, I might’ve laughed and given you a very Australian sarcastic response telling you it would be a dream come true, before going back to my Pilbara mining camp job as a housekeeper, never to speak of it again. Yet here I am, starting a new life chapter - needle in hand and heart wide open - at the Royal School of Needlework.

I was first introduced to embroidery through watching my mother as a young girl, though I didn’t pick up a needle and thread myself until many years later. I was often keeping myself occupied with drawing or other art mediums.

As you can see from my website, my main medium that I fell in love with from the age of 14 was beadwork, for years I would get absolutely lost in creating unique pieces through basic stringing and wire techniques, all the way through to more complicated bead weaving.

My real love for embroidery picked up when I was living in Perth, Australia.

I worked in mining hospitality for six years- remote, intense, hot, sweaty, gross… far removed from silk thread and the elegance of goldwork.

I had gone through a major adjustment already, quitting my FIFO mining job to spend my time at home and properly live in my house full time for the first time, I was working another hospitality job and had an off chance conversation with one of my colleagues on different techniques of embroidery and how I would love to learn to incorporate my beadwork into something bigger and more elaborate.

After this conversation, I was sent the contact information of Margot Merendino, a couture fashion designer and embroiderer based in Perth, whose brochure was conveniently pinned to the back of my colleagues toilet door, along with many other fashion related brochures…(a toilet door eh? who knew this dunny door would change my life). After this, I had the absolute pleasure of learning two couture embroidery sample boards from Margot, spending easily over 120 hours learning as much as I could while coming up with my further plan.

There was something in the detail, the discipline and the artistry that felt deeply intuitive to me. But in Australia, there was no path to formally study embroidery at the depth and standard I craved. I kept searching, and that’s when I discovered the RSN.

It was bold. It was terrifying.

But the seed had been planted… And it was exactly what I needed.

The desire to create, to reconnect with something so beautifully artistic and meaningful had massed over time. So I made one of the hardest and biggest decisions of my life: I sold my home, packed up everything familiar and thanks to my dual citizenship, I followed my dream to London.

After 4 years of living in London, Walking into Hampton Court Palace and the Royal School of Needlework was a life changing experience in the best possible way. The centuries of history, the echoes of craftsmanship, the weight of legacy - it felt both surreal and completely right. To be learning in such a place, with tutors who are masters of their art, is a privelege i still have to pinch myself about.

This blog is where I’ll share that journey: the beauty and the challenges of traditional techniques, the evolution of my practice, the moments of doubt and triumph, and all the stitches in between. I hope it becomes a space not to just document my path, but to connect with others who find joy, purpose and transformation in the making.

Thank you for being here. I’ve taken the first stitch- let’s see what unfolds.