Reconnecting Embroidery with the World Around Us
For centuries, people have turned to thread to express their thoughts and record experiences. The Royal School of Needlework (RSN) brings that impulse into the present through Fragile Threads, a pioneering project that uses embroidery to spark meaningful conversations about the issues shaping our world.
What is Fragile Threads?
Fragile Threads aims to grow awareness of embroidery by partnering with organisations, designers, and cultural changemakers. It’s more than stitching, it’s a movement that connects creativity with causes that matter today:
Environment & Biodiversity
The natural world has always been at the heart of embroidery, with historical examples such as embroideries reflecting new species of plants and animals brought to the UK from the Americas in the 17th Century right through to the modern day where embroidery artists are inspired by the beauty and fragility of nature.
Fragile Threads is not only highlighting this connection it is also championing more sustainable practices and encouraging the use of eco-friendly materials and recycling.
Mindfulness & Wellness
In recent years more and more of us have turned to creative pastimes such as hand embroidery as a powerful tool for mental health and well-being. It is well known that the slow, focused attention and gentle repetition can calm the nervous system and reduce stress and anxiety. And the rhythmic actions of stitching help regulate breathing and heart rate, helping to promote mindfulness
Community & Education
Fragile Threads aims to grow awareness and uptake of embroidery, by partnering with organisations, designers and cultural changemakers. It uses the art of embroidery as a means for our partners to share their passion for the things that are important to them today such as environment, mindfulness, community, education and wellness.
Fragile Threads is how we spread the word.
More information on these partnerships can be found below.
Embroidery as a Language for Nature
One million species face extinction, threatening the systems that sustain life, our food, water, and health.
Fragile Threads transforms scientific facts into acts of care, connecting us emotionally to what is at stake and showing that nature is part of us.
Every stitch tells a story of beauty, fragility, and survival.
Our Partners
Impact and Legacy
Exhibition
Fragile Threads will culminate in an exhibition at Bankside Gallery in London from 23 February to 7 March 2027. The exhibition, entitled Nature’s Fragile Threads, will include historical embroideries and designs from the Royal School of Needlework’s Collection and Archive alongside contemporary works by embroiderers within and beyond the RSN community and by members of our Fragile Threads partner groups. The exhibition will be open 11am to 6pm daily and is free to enter.
Nature’s Fragile Threads will illustrate how embroidery has served as a witness to biodiversity and species loss over the course of centuries, and how embroiderers within the UK and outside of it have used nature to inspire, emote, reflect, and mourn. With embroidered objects spanning more than 300 years, multiple continents, and innumerable techniques and stitches, the exhibition will consider what in nature has been lost, what has been gained, and where we now stand.
Symposium
In addition to our standout exhibition our second RSN Embroidery Conference will lead with the theme of Fragile Threads, featuring a programme of invited speakers.
Short Courses
In 2027, the RSN will be launching a series of embroidery classes linked to the core messages of Fragile Threads.
How this project has been funded
Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Fragile Threads is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to support the Fragile Threads partnership projects and plan and host the Fragile Threads exhibition.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Join a Movement of Craft and Conservation
Fragile Threads is more than an embroidery project; it is a collective call to action for our planet. We believe that every stitch can tell a story of resilience and restoration. Whether you represent a conservation group, a community organization, or a creative institution, your hands and your voice can help us highlight the beauty and fragility of our natural world.
Help us create a legacy of awareness. Are you ready to help us weave a new narrative?
