Our Partners
All projects will be on display at the Free Impact and Legacy Exhibition in February 2027.
Around the World in 80 Fabrics
ATW80F is a multimedia educational non‑profit that fosters connections between plastic‑free fabrics and planetary health, celebrating the rich diversity of nature‑friendly alternatives to fast‑fashion materials. Through its Around the World in 80 Fabrics database, ATW80F showcases more than 260 sustainable materials and textiles.
RSN has partnered with ATW80F to select 20 sustainable fabrics from ATW80F’s extensive materials library, these fabrics will be tested for their suitability for embroidery and used across our partner projects to champion and promote responsible, planet‑friendly textile choices.
Global Generation
Global Generation is an educational charity, which works together with local children and young people, businesses, residents and families in Camden, Islington and Southwark. The RSN partnered with Global Generation in order to create a new art piece for their new garden in Kings Cross.
As part of the Fragile Threads initiative, the RSN is leading a year-long series of workshops to design and create a nature-based centrepiece.
The Project
In the October half-term, we held the first of nine workshops with Global Generations Generator clubs. RSN Tutor Sonja Galsworthy introduced the participants, aged between 10 and 18, to some basic embroidery skills, including embroidering words onto cards.
Workshops continue throughout the academic year, with short sessions in term-time and full-day workshops during the school holidays.
The club members have been progressing their embroidery skills, using recycled and reclaimed materials where possible and are also developing the design for their art piece – a centrepiece for the new Global Generation garden currently under construction.
The project will culminate in a final day in July where the final piece, designed and worked by these young stitchers will be unveiled to their community.
Intoart
Intoart is an evolving alternative art school and pioneering studio programme, championing equity, leadership & visibility of learning disabled and autistic artists, designers and makers. The RSN partnered with Intoart to deliver embroidery masterclasses to artists with learning disabilities using sustainable materials. These new skills can then be incorporated into the artists existing art practices.
The Project
In June, RSN Tutor Natalie Rowe will be leading two full-day masterclasses with artists from Intoart to develop embroidery skills and to work on sample designs inspired by pieces from the RSN’s collection.
Earlier in April, Natalie spent a half-day with the artists in their Studio in Peckham to meet them, understand their current art practice and introduce them to some of the sustainable materials from Around the World in 80 Fabrics. Natalie also showed off some of the pieces from the RSN collection to inspire the artists to start developing a design to work from in subsequent sessions.
The first full-day session will focus on introducing embroidery techniques to suit designs that the artists have been working on from the introductory session, using threads donated to the RSN and an organic calico to sample techniques and experiment with thread.
The second session will focus on working on their sample designs, screen printed onto Barkcloth from Uganda, made available to the project by Around the World in 80 Fabrics. Artists will be guided by Natalie on how to incorporate embroidery into their designs.
Hope for Home
The Hope for Home charity was born out of shared personal experiences looking after loved ones with dementia at home, and their mission is to help others to do the same.
The RSN has partnered with Hope for Home to deliver free embroidery kits to up to 100 carers of dementia patients who are living at home.
The Project
The RSN is working with Hope for Home to deliver up to 100 free embroidery kits to carers of people with dementia who are living at home.
The kits will include a unique hand-printed fabric and recycled materials and will ask the stitchers to consider their thoughts on nature. The final pieces will be returned and displayed as part of our 2027 exhibition.
Hand embroidery combines gentle cognitive stimulation, sensory engagement, and emotional reassurance in a calm, purposeful activity. The repetitive, rhythmic movements can be soothing and reduce anxiety or agitation, while following simple patterns or choosing colours helps maintain attention, hand–eye coordination, and fine motor skills. Embroidery can also trigger memories through familiar textures or techniques, supporting reminiscence and a sense of identity, and the act of making something tangible can foster feelings of achievement and self-worth at a time when confidence may be reduced.
Caring can be a lonely experience, so to support carers working on their kits, we will be holding monthly online sip & stitch session for participants to ask questions to the RSN team and to socialise with other carers.
The organic calico in the kits was hand-printed by staff and students at the RSN.
Are you a carer of someone with dementia who is living at home? Please get in contact.
QEST
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) is a charity that transforms the careers of talented and aspiring makers by funding their training and education, creating pathways to excellence and strengthening the future of the UK’s craft sector.
The RSN will be introducing QEST Alumni to new sustainable materials and supporting selected QEST Alumni through an embroidery workshop and mentoring programme with RSN Tutors. Pieces produced will be displayed as part of the Fragile Threads Exhibition.
The Project
The RSN and QEST have invited QEST Alumni to take part in an exciting new project to connect QEST makers with sustainable materials and provide expert RSN embroidery teaching and guidance.
The RSN has invited submissions from any QEST alumni to create pieces for the upcoming Fragile Threads exhibition using materials sourced from Around the World in 80 Fabrics.
Successful submitters will be invited to attend a workshop at the RSN, where they will be able to experiment with embroidery techniques and see and feel the sample materials from Around the World in 80 Fabrics. Alumni will also be paired with an RSN Tutor mentor to support the creation of their piece for the exhibition.
Action for Conservation
Action for Conservation (AFC) is a UK grassroots charity using innovative approaches to inspire and empower young people from diverse backgrounds, between the ages of 12 and 24, to become the next generation of environmental leaders. To them, being a ‘conservationist’ or ‘environmentalist’ doesn’t just mean following a career as a field biologist or a campaigner. They inspire today’s young people to a long-term belief in the wonder of the natural world, which will shape their dreams and actions whatever path they choose in life.
The RSN has partnered with Action for Conservation's young Ambassadors by offering courses on garment upcycling and transformation.
The Project
In February this year, we held a webinar for 30 Action for Conservation Ambassadors from London, Sussex and the North West to learn how to upcycle garments and give them a new lease of life.
Participants were sent materials starter kits with recycled fabrics and threads to use to learn key upcycling and repair techniques with RSN Tutor Sonia Lee, including patching holes with fabric scraps and covering stains with decorative stitching, beads and sequins.
Following on from the Webinar, 15 AfC Ambassadors from Sussex and London came to Hampton Court Palace for the day to further develop their stitching skills with RSN Tutor Sonia Lee. The participants worked on their own designs to create embellished pockets on donated denim using applique and decorative stitches including Running Stitch, French Knots and Satin Stitch.
Later in the year, the pockets will return to us to be made up onto a backing fabric of sustainable Himalayan Nettle and Organic Cotton fabric from Khali Khutta in Nepal, one of the fabrics in the Around the World in 80 Fabrics database.
The pockets will be stitched on to this fabric, which features a painting of the Sussex Coast a the contours of the Thames, and the AFC Ambassadors will provide a special item to go into the pockets.
