Queen Anne’s Pyn Pillow class

The 2024 running of Queen Anne’s Pyn Pillow is sold out. To be notified when the class runs again, please sign up below

Queen Anne’s Pyn Pillow is a 9 month online class, beginning January 1, 2024 that will fully cover the working of this dazzling pincushion, start to finish. Featuring a new, exclusive color of Gilt Sylke Twist, Queen Anne’s Pyn Pillow is a master class in embroidery, silk shading and sparkle.

Inspired by the luxury objects that once graced 17th century women’s dressing tables, the pyn pillow celebrates the beauty and shine of silk and the dazzling sparkle of gilt and silver with scrolling floral motifs dancing on a background of silver tambour thread. It is both an homage to girlhood needlework of the 17th century, and to adult mastery of this wonderful art, combining the best elements of both to produce a unique and spectacular needlework accessory.

The class kit includes everything needed to work this piece except an embroidery frame, although instructions on choosing and using a frame are part of your course materials. The kit includes full spools of thread, with 10 colors of Soie de Paris, a full 25g spool of silver plated tambour, and a spool of our exclusive Gilt Sylke Twist Vitruve. Providing full spools of thread enhances the learning experience, giving you room to experiment, err, or revise your work, and giving extra to use afterwards, if desired.

The kit also includes all needles, wool roving to stuff your pincushion, and a ceramic pencil set with alternate colors of lead for design transfer, as well as your ground and finishing fabrics, as well as materials for the tassels. A full kit unboxing can be seen on flosstube #56, starting at 58 minutes. The finished pillow measures approximately 7 1/2 x 4 inches.

The class is structured to be worked at your own pace, with no set targets on beginning or completing the project. The lessons are downloadable PDFs that can be reviewed at your convenience, with video supplements where necessary. All course materials must be downloaded within 3 months of course conclusion, but there are no requirements on your stitching.

Although it was designed as a companion piece to the Elizabethan Valentine class, the Valentine is not a prerequisite. Those who took the Elizabethan Valentine will find that the Pyn Pillow will teach you additional skills such as design transfer, handling of more advanced threads like Gilt Sylke Twist, and long & short stitch, one of the most essential stitches in any embroiderer’s tool box. How to shade, orient your stitches, and blend colors is the subject of a dedicated lesson, teaching you how to shade and blend silks with confidence.

An ambitious beginner can work this piece, as the course does not assume prior embroidery knowledge. All necessary skills from how to start and stop threads, transfer your design for working, lacing and preparing your ground linen for embroidery, as well as the embroidery and finishing are fully covered in detailed, step by step lessons with photographs, stitch diagrams and video supplements. Tips on how to handle the threads are also part of the course.

Queen Anne’s Pyn Pillow provides a unique educational experience as an intensive seminar level course that you can take at home, on your own time. Whether this is the first step in your embroidery journey, or the final addition to a completed stumpwork casket, Queen Anne’s Pyn Pillow is a unique and spectacular piece that is both beautiful and satisfying to stitch.

Class price: $400, payable in full or in 2 or 3 month installments. Class kits will ship once course cost has been paid in full

Lessons are hosted on my Thinkific teaching website, and all course login information will be emailed to students in late December

A full discussion of the Pyn Pillow and a kit unboxing can be found on flosstube #56