The Creative Thread

Embroidery is a way to stitch your voice into the world, one beautiful, rebellious thread at a time The Embroiderers’ Guild was established in 1906 when 16 determined former students of the Royal School of Needlework collaborated to create a society dedicated to raising the standards of embroidery, sharing knowledge and amplifying the craft. This group became the Embroiderers’ Guild, with Louisa Pesel as their first President. The mission - to champion embroidery's singular creativity and celebrate it as an intentional and important art form. Today this purpose continues. The Guild instructs, inspires and promotes embroidery by fostering an environment where excellence and creative expression flourish, whilst teaching the public the history of textile art and how it's threaded into our culture. With a commitment to education and community the…

Welcome to the first issue of The Creative Thread. When I began shaping this new Embroiderers’ Guild members’ magazine, I kept returning to a simple idea: the talented and rebellious women who started the Guild and how today's community continues their ethos. Collaborating, challenging yourself and championing textile art remains at the heart of the Guild, and in this magazine you'll find a balance of content, from exclusive projects to artist insights; creative inspiration to reviews. Since it's spring we explore how our natural world can spark new ideas for embroidery. Sometimes just looking more closely at what's around us can transform the approach to stitching. Alongside this, we hear from practicing artists who reveal how their skills and ideas develop, highlight pieces from the Guild's extensive Collection and, in…

TICKLED PINK Update your home with this beautiful large cushion from Jan Constantine's Chinoiserie collection, designed to be a future heirloom. It comes in blush pink felt wool, is appliquéd and hand embroidered with two red-crowned cranes in full flight. Their feathers and wings are hand worked with intricate pale grey chain stitch detail. Fluffy clouds complete the design and the edges are finished with black blanket stitch. The back of the cushion opens with two mother of pearl buttons. £149, janconstantine.com GARDEN LEAVE These charming garden embroidery hoops from the WI combine cute designs for a simple but satisfying embroidery pieces. The kit comes with everything you need: four hoops, a needle, threads, printed fabric, hanging ribbon and instructions. This could be a good starting point for outdoor inspired…

MATERIALS » 5” embroidery hoop » DMC embroidery thread » Cotton fabric (25cm x 25cm) » Needle » Scissors » Frixion pen DMC THREADS » White (B5200) » Black (310) » Dark grey (3799) » Medium grey (04) » Light grey (01) » Dark red (816) » Light red (350) » Light blue (798) » Dark blue (336) The swallow represents freedom, and heralds the start of spring. Capture its free spirit in this colourful project, full of texture and personality. 1 PREP Transfer the design (page 10) onto your the fabric, Lauren likes to use a Frixion pen and a lightbox. Once transferred, mount the fabric in a hoop ensuring it's taut like a drum. Work with a single strand of embroidery thread throughout, and unless otherwise stated, all…

Lauren is a Yorkshire-based embroidery artist who first picked up a needle in 2018 and quickly fell in love with the calm of the craft. What began as personalised pet portraits has evolved into designing modern embroidery patterns that encourage people of all levels to create something beautiful. See more from Lauren on her website and shop and on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. TOP TIPS » Let your stitch direction follow the form of the swallow's body and wings. Sometimes it helps to make a few guiding lines across the area first to help you know which direction to embroider, especially when the stitch direction may gradually change within the same area. » Blend gradually. When working long and short stitch, overlap some of your stitches slightly more than feels…

Try Anne's Garden Bird Collage on-demand workshop free to Guild members with your discount code - available in the members’ area of the website. EXHIBITION Canticle of the Birds is a mixed-media exhibition inspired by Sufi poet Farid al-Din Attar, exploring themes of spiritual journey, transformation and interconnectedness. Organised in partnership with the Royal School of Needlework, The King's Foundation School of Traditional Arts and more, it features work (pictured) by Guild member Anne Kelly. Canticle of the Birds at the Aga Khan Centre, Kings Cross, London until 31 May MEMBER PROJECTS » Former Guild graduate Suzy Ager's Kingfisher Kinesis (left) won the Members’ Challenge 2025 Jane Lemon Award for drama and creativity. » The Nightingale's Love Song by Zoe Childs (right) won the Beryl Dean Award for best hand…