Friday, March 12, 2010

Love + Hate + Chain stitch

The redeeming power of craft! In The Age's Odd Spot this morning: prisoners in the UK are being taught embroidery - and the work is sold through the charity Fine Cell Work.

I love the fact that the work displayed on the website looks just like the type of needlework you'd expect to see on inmates' skin, if you look here.

I'm not much of an embroiderer (ok, I'm not at all an embroiderer), so I was impressed by all of it - there is some serious skill on display. You couldn't pay me enough to embroider a high-definition picture of a beetroot onto a cushion. Anything I attempt with needles thinner than 2.5mm involves first sulks, then tears, a minor tanty, and finally a mess of cotton and cloth dumped in the lap of my mother to fix.

It might sound like and odd scheme, but big respect to the people involved in Fine Cell Work.

5 comments:

  1. Hi

    Awwwww they're FANTASTIC!!! So delicate, so lovely.. aren't they just beautiful!

    Oh wow. I love them. I might even get some - I so need cushions. Thank you for such a wonderful link.

    I would love to be able to knit, embroider and crochet!!! But like you they all end up not so much on my mum's lap but my auntie's who is much more patient and more craft-ty than me or my mum.

    :-)

    Take care
    x

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  2. Hi Old Kitty,
    My favourite was the angel of the north cushion! It's a great statue.

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  3. Liked your tattoo comment. That's what made me follow the link, and you're right! LOL!

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  4. Hello KarenG - I did wonder who would be the market for an embroidered Love Hate cushion! A bikie's grandma perhaps.

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  5. Hi

    I have my eye on the Carnation design in the Classics section... very pretty.

    Thank you for your kind words about my cat - they really do help.

    Take care
    x

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