Bluebird Studio

Professional hand embroiderer Helen Richman runs The Bluebird Embroidery Company from her home in Somerset, England. Helen provides specialist hand embroidery services creating bespoke pieces of embroidered art while also selling hand embroidery kits to aspiring embroiderers all over the world.

As a graduate of the Royal School of Needlework's three year apprenticeship, Helen was trained as an expert in the design, creation and conservation of embroidery in a huge range of techniques.

Helen has been a member of the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen since 2014, exhibiting her work in their gallery in Wells, Somerset. She has taken on commissions in the past from The Royal Mail, Jo Christoforides Bridalwear and Ely Cathedral as well as creating art pieces for private commission. She has had articles published in "New Stitches" and "Stitch" magazines and has written Stumpwork Embroidery: Techniques and Projects, published by Crowood Press. Helen regularly teaches day classes for the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace and their Bristol satellite centre as well as assessing the work of Royal School of Needlework students. She has taught a series of successful day classes on behalf of the Royal School of Needlework overseas at both the Williamsburg School of Needlework, Virginia, USA and at the Toronto Botanical Garden, Canada. She is currently working on her third artwork collection to follow her popular British Wildlife and Garden Birds Collections.

Colour In Flight

A growing collection of artworks focusing on the colour and movement of birds whilst in flight. These mixed media pieces are created with fabric paint, inktense pencils and silk shading in stranded cotton on white cotton fabric.

British Wildlife

This is a collection of eight pieces created using silk shading to create some of the most iconic animals found on the British Isles. The silk shading technique was used to carefully replicate the texture of fur and feathers using DMC stranded cotton threads on a background of ivory cotton felt fabric. Helen spent much time studying each animal to capture their movement and expression.

High quality prints and greetings cards of these designs are available for purchase by clicking here.

Pet Portraits

A fantastic way to treasure a special photo of a beloved pet is to have it created by The Bluebird Embroidery Company as a hand stitched piece of artwork. Stitched portraits can be created using silk shading needle painting in stranded cotton threads or using crewel wool needle painting and are available in various sizes. Click here for more information.

Garden Birds

These beautifully detailed little birds perched on real needles were created by combining the silk shading and stumpwork hand embroidery techniques. The birds are stitched directly onto a background of white aida fabric and are displayed within a 4inch ring frame.

Book: Stumpwork Embroidery – Techniques And Projects

A selection of some of the projects featured in Helen’s Stumpwork Embroidery book which can be purchased by clicking here. Many of these projects are available as kits and can be purchased by clicking here.

Past Commissions

A collection of several commissions worked by Helen Richman of The Bluebird Embroidery Company. Here we can see the broad range of items and projects that embroidery can be used for, all of them just as beautiful as each other.

Apprentice work

A selection of the pieces which Helen Richman created as part of her three-year apprenticeship at the Royal School Of Needlework. As you can see, her training covered a huge breadth of embroidery techniques: from stumpwork to silk shading, canvas work to blackwork, ceremonial goldwork to both sides alike.