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Fine Cell Work

@finecellwork

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Rebuilding the lives of people in prison and prison leavers through the transformative power of needlework, one stitch at a time 🪡

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The snug started life as a dining room. I’d once seen a black lacquered dining room in somebody else’s house and never forgot how well it set off art and furniture - especially in the evening, which is when this room gets used most. So I painted it an aubergine-black from @paintandpaperlibrary.

The walls are a melange of paintings I’m fond of, for different reasons. There’s an unframed picture of a flight of steps. The restorer who worked on it noticed an address in Cape Town on the back, so I found the actual house on Google. I know exactly where those steps lead now. There’s an oar from southern India, carved with an elephant, that’s clearly seen some action, and a painting of a girl in bed with no face at all, given to me by a friend who died. It’s very precious to me.

My favourite I saw at an arts fair in Battersea, by @peterjoyce_art, and it was out of my reach at the time. Then by chance I went to another exhibition and asked the organiser if she still had it. It was still in her car. It felt like it had to be mine.

The rest of the room is fabric. Piles of it, rolls of it, all winking at me with potential.

#snugroom #countrydecor #countrysnug #snuginspo #countryinteriors

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A celebration of the outstanding and the rare…

Treasure House Fair brings together exhibitors and collectors from around the world at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, offering an exceptional showcase of art, antiques and design.

Expect everything from sculpture and silver to furniture, jewellery and rare books. Around 70 of the world’s foremost dealers present carefully curated collections, with every object independently vetted by experts.

@thehousedirectory visited on the Preview Day to explore this year’s fair and capture some of the stands and pieces that caught our eye. Scroll to the end to see who was awarded Stand of the Year 2026. 🏆

📍 Royal Hospital Chelsea, South Grounds, London SW3 4SR

🎟️ Tickets from £25
📅 Until 30 June

@treasurehousefair
@antiqnewsfairs

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A very special dinner on the balmiest night of the year hearing more about the incredible @finecellwork, a charity (recently awarded the royal warrant) which provides opportunities for prisoners to prepare to integrate successfully into the community after release. Also the only way they can earn money while in prison.
The slow, focussed and creative quality of needlework has been shown to be extremely beneficial to prisoners’ motivation and mental health. Recidivism drops to 2% (compared to 30%). According to the national Audit office, UK prisons cost taxpayers £7.41 billion a year, each prisoner is between £51,000 to £60,000).
Thank you #janemulvagh and #tonybourne for such generous hosting at home. Also @lucindachambers for being a 🪄 magic ✨ fairy 🧚
#haveconvictionhavehope

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Repurposing UK interiors samples into doorstops with our charity partner Fine Cell Work this week. And training prison leaver stitchers on the art of mouse making for future paid work from home.

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Thank you Katy Emck and @finecellwork for a fantastic talk yesterday evening.

As a founding director of Fine Cell Work, Katy provided a passionate and inspirational talk about the work the charity and social enterprise provides. Prisoners are trained in creative work to develop their skills, confidence and earn an income.

Statistics demonstrate that many prisoners have experienced difficult and often traumatic upbringings and lives, and as such experience emotional and mental health difficulties. The intense focus of needlework and other stitch work techniques and processes, transports prisoners out of their situation for a period of time and occupies their time. The human need to have something to do, to provide physical and mental stimulation, a sense of purpose is crucial to everyone.

Where once, the idea of taking needlework into prisons raised many eyebrows, the success of Fine Cell Work speaks for itself. Workshop premises have now been opened to provide training and support as individuals leave prison life, with a wider focus of different forms of craftwork. The charity embodies hope, humanity and the potential of change.

These photos are of The Cell Quilt which I managed to also see yesterday on show until the 1st April 2026 - Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London, WCZA ZLL.

“This is a hanging quilt depicting the aerial view of a life-size version of a two-man prison cell in HMP Bullingdon. It is exact to the last detail, measuring eleven feet by eight feet.

This is a portrayal of life in prison, recreating the tiny space in which two men are confined, in some cases, up to 23 hours a day, eating, reading, washing and using the toilet in each other’s company.

The fabrics used were dyed to produce the wear and tear of cell life - some were actually matched to the colour of prison soap - and fabric and thread were taken from actual prison sheets.

This collaborative piece took 14 months to complete.

It was first displayed at the Fine Cell Work exhibition “Voices from the Inside” at the Quilt Museum and Gallery, York, in 2015” (text from Fine Cell Work).

#katyemck #finecellwork #needleworkinprisons #stitched #textiles

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Last week, the charity Fine Cell Work hosted a special Christmas pop up at Goldsmiths’ Hall. Members were invited to see and purchase exquisitely-stitched products, created in collaboration with some of the country’s leading contemporary designers.

Fine Cell Work is a UK-based rehabilitation charity and social enterprise. Since 1997, they have transforming the lives of prisoners and prison leavers, one stitch at a time. They are committed to the rehabilitation of prisoners through providing them with purposeful activity. They do this by teaching them soft work skills, by training and paying them to do exquisite needlework to create beautiful products for sale.

Earlier this year Fine Cell Work received funding from the Goldsmiths’ Foundation that will support the expansion of their project, which over the next year will train 700 prisoners and 35 prison leavers through four key programmes, including in-cell embroidery classes, commercial prison workshops, support for advanced ‘lone stitchers’, and post-release training and employment at the Hub.

Head to @finecellwork to learn more.

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Spotted in @archdigest:
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Inside @kendalljenner’s playful mountain escape, a Sister x @finecellwork cushion finds its perfect perch on the entry window seat.⁠
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Part of a past collaboration, the Californian Poppies Needlepoint Cushion features a tapestry design inspired by an original Mary Lennox photograph - a vase overflowing with sunlit Californian poppies.⁠
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On this collaboration with Fine Cell Work, @SophieAshby says: "Working with Fine Cell Work, and the stitchers who have brought our vision to life with so much intention and care, is an absolute pleasure."⁠
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Still available to purchase via Fine Cell Work through the link in our bio. ⁠
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Interiors designed by @heidicaillierdesign⁠
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By Christine Lennon, Photography by @frankfrancesstudio, Styled by @mieketenhave⁠
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#SisterByStudioAshby #archdigest #kendalljenner⁠
⁠

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How exciting to see our Kent project get its own double page spread in the Interiors section of the weekend Telegraph recently
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Creating a beautiful and comfortable family home for our clients from this ancient country house wasn’t an easy task, especially when tackling most of it remotely from our Ibiza HQ
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Step forward Nichola Snuggs of @penmaninteriors, our invaluable UK partner in this long, complex project. Teamwork definitely made this particular dream work!
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Huge credit to our lovely clients who took all the upheaval in their stride and maintained a sense of humour throughout the two year domestic invasion
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And a very big thank you to:
@telegraph 📰
@jgoulding80 ✍️
@benedictedrummond_photography 📸
@telescope_agency 🤝

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Fine Cell Work was humbling, a feast for the eyes and totally in awe of the quality and hours of work put in to make such wonderful work. A fabulous charity, concept and delivery on so many layers. A big thank you to the men and women who make these outstanding works of art. Plus a thank you to the owners for the amazing setting of Godmersham Park. To experience the same views and beautiful rooms that Jane Austen walked in, was thrilling! @finecellwork @godmershampark #tapestry #embroidery #therapueticart #craftsmanship

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BOWS ARE BACK! | Last year we launched our Christmas silk bows, and you absolutely loved them - so they’re back for 2025! Made in collaboration with the amazing @finecellwork, these bows are handmade using 100% surplus silk fabric and include a loop at the back so you can adorn them to your tree, mantelpiece or even your hair!

Available in pink, red and blue we have a colour for every taste. Head to the link in our bio to shop now - quick!

A huge thank you to the skilled work of @finecellwork - if you don’t know them already they’re a fantastic charity who help prisoners in the UK rebuild their lives with the transformative power of needlework 💚

#bows #christmasbows #silkbows #pinkbow #redbow #handmadebow #christmasdecor #sustainablechristmasdecorations #christmasdecorations

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Fab day at festival of quilts, amazing selection of stalls for shopping and loads of quilt inspiration, including some which were very thought provoking… I even got well over my daily steps target… best of all has to be seeing good friends! The pics above are just a few which have made me happy today 🥰 @contrarytextilemary @cloudtori @jenniesthreads @rosie.taylor.crafts @sewgolly… I am off on my hols now and will take pics of my purchases shortly - maybe even on the ferry haha
Liberty skirt by @zestandlavender
Transatlantic quilt with my block in the top right by @suzanne.campion and @morristextiles
Joan of arc pattern by @prideandjoyquilting
The stall is the @linapatchworkepp stall- always one of my favourites!

. #festivalofquilts2025 #festivalofquilts #quiltersofinstagram #fabricaddict #fabrichoarder

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