For Pleasure & Ornament
A Lecture by Nicola Jarvis
Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 1pm via Zoom
For Pleasure and Ornament is the compelling and colorful story of Nicola’s extensive career in embroidery.
From training as an apprentice at the Royal School of Needlework in 1991, to working as a sample embroiderer in the British fashion industry, and going on to develop her current art practice combining drawing, embroidery and kit design.
Highlights include working on Catherine, the Princess of Wales’ wedding lace, staging popular exhibitions at notable museums and galleries and contributing to the anointing screen for the coronation of King Charles III.
No registration is required. A Zoom link will be emailed to all Region members a few days before the lecture.
Nicola Jarvis Bio
Nicola has designed and taught embroidery for over thirty years, and since her apprenticeship training at the Royal School of Needlework, she has used stitch in a wide range of applications and teaches her craft internationally to people of all ages and backgrounds. Recognition for these skills came in 2018, when she received a Commendation from the prestigious Beryl Dean Award for Excellence in Teaching.
With a First Class Honours degree in Fine Art Printmaking (Manchester Art School), a Masters degree in Fine Art Drawing (Wimbledon College of Art) and a Certificate of Education (University of Greenwich), Nicola was part of the team that wrote, launched and delivered the Foundation Degree and Honours Degree curriculum at the Royal School of Needlework.
Over the last decade Nicola has enjoyed delivering site-specific embroidery courses in stately homes, museums and other venues across the UK, Europe and USA. Projects include collaborations with textile historian Lynn Hulse of Ornamental Embroidery, where they co-delivered object-based learning programs at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. These courses culminated in an exhibition of contemporary raised work caskets entitled ‘The Needle’s Excellency’ at the museum in 2017, and a collaborative exhibition ‘The Needle’s Art’ at the Bodelian Library, Oxford in 2022, showcasing twenty embroidered artworks inspired by the Ashmole 1504 model book/manuscript.
You can learn more about Nicola Jarvis at her website: https://www.nicolajarvisstudio.co.uk/
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Mermaid Sewing Pouch
Sandie Cormaci-Boles
(Registration is now closed)
ABOUT THE DESIGN:
“The Mermaid Sewing Pouch” features: cross stitch over one and two threads, rice stitch, tied
oblong cross stitch, French knots, straight stitch, diamond eyelets, nun’s stitch, and bead
attachment. The finishing of the sewing pouch uses hand overdyed silk ribbon, silver charms,
and an assortment of glass charms. The finished design size is 4″ wide x 5.5″ high per side
(front and back).
SUPPLY KIT LIST
11” x 18” cut of 28 or 32 count linen
Threads: DMC cotton floss, DMC perle cotton, hand overdyed silk & ribbon, Kreinik metallic
Extras: glass beads, embellishments, charms, needles, Instruction Book
Sandie Cormaci-Boles will be teaching the next online class for the Metropolitan Region, with her design, Mermaid Sewing Pouch.
Zoom classes will be on October 7, 14, and 21 from 7 – 8:30pm.
The “Mermaid Sewing Pouch” features counted thread techniques. The Pouch is two sided and stitched on a rectangle cut of 28 or 32 count linen. The techniques taught are: cross stitch over one and two threads, rice stitch, tied oblong cross stitch, French knots, straight stitch, diamond eyelets, nun’s stitch, and bead attachment. The finished design size is approximately 4” wide x 5.5” high per side (front and back)
Students will be stitching on a 10” wide by 18” high cut of 28 or 32 count linen. The teacher recommends stitching on a hoop or on Q-snaps (but students may work “in hand”).
Embroidery scissors are required. Light and magnification is optional but highly recommended.
Also optional but recommended: an awl and/or laying tool, a needle magnet or a pin cushion.
For more information, please contact Marietta Douglas at mlette_97@yahoo.com
The deadline to register is July 30, 2025, and the registration form can be found here.
Sandie Cormaci-Boles Bio:
Sandie hales from Southern California. She has been designing and teaching needlework professionally to children and adults since 1992. Sandie has a passion for learning and sharing her knowledge about all forms of needlework, but particularly counted work, samplers, and the history of needlework.
Sandie has professionally judged needlework and handcrafts for adults and children at State and County Fairs. She has also entered her own work earning several blue ribbons as well as a perfect score. Her teaching goals are to instruct and truly encourage her students. She likes to introduce them to new fabrics, threads, embellishments, and techniques.
Sandie also mentors students wishing to go further with their abilities with the goal of winning judged competitions and exhibits.