Human Touch with Fine Cell Work

Following on from our mention of the UK charity Fine Cell Work in All Stitched Up! issue #222, who help rehabilitate prisoners through teaching them needlework, we discovered a recent exhibition held at Sotheby’s in London. The exhibition was of embroideries designed by a number of well-known contemporary artists and stitched by members of Fine Cell Work.

Hope From a Thin Line by Annie Morris (source)

Although each piece was very different, what brought them together was the meticulous work of the contributors.

Some 6,500 stitching hours went into the artworks, with the majority completed by male prisoners.

No Man is an Island cushion by Wolfgang Tillmans (Source)

While the exhibition and the auctions have now finished, it’s still worth checking out the testimonials of both the artists and the stitchers involved in the project on the Fine Cell website HERE to see just how powerful the art of needlework can be.

Silk Road to Sydney Exhibition

If you happen to be in Sydney this coming April, there is a special treat waiting for you at Gallery76, the new headquarters of the NSW Embroiderers’ Guild.

‘Silk Road to Sydney’ is a brand-new exhibition created to celebrate Chinese embroidery in Australia featuring some 40 pieces by the talented Margaret Lee.

Most of you will know Margaret as a frequent contributor to Inspirations, a regular tutor at Beating Around the Bush, and one of the most talented needlework artisans we know.

Margaret Lee

Skilled in Japanese-style bead embroidery, Margaret is also an expert in Chinese Embroidery, which all the pieces in this exhibition will demonstrate.

In conjunction with the opening of the Silk Road to Sydney exhibition, on April 8th there is also going to be a very special book launch at Gallery76.

Many of you will remember that back in 2013, Inspirations published Margaret’s book The Art of Chinese Embroidery which introduced readers to this exquisite form of needlework.

Morning Glory from the book The Art of Chinese Embroidery 1

Well, it’s just a teaser at this point, but if you have Margaret’s first book and are itching to know more, you might not need to wait much longer…

Keep reading All Stitched Up! and in the coming weeks we’ll give you more information on both the exhibition and the soon to be released new book.