I’m pleased to announce that my hand stitched coif – created for The Unstitched Coif project – is now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum Collections. So far 78 of the coifs have been documented and images will follow later in 2025.
Catherine Hill Coif – Victoria and Albert Museum Collections
The project is a collaboration between the V&A and curator Toni Buckby a PhD student.
Unstitched Coif Project
The project is based on an original 17th century coif in the V&A archives in London. This coif was partially stitched and then unpicked, but the pattern is still clearly visible consisting of hand drawn flowers and whimsical bugs.
Around 130 needleworkers from across the world took part in the project.
To see more about the story behind this artwork, please followthis link.
A new exhibition at the House of Smalls called ‘Childhood Interrupted’ prompted me to create a new piece of work called ‘Disowned’ for the Dollhouse gallery.
The exhibition takes place at The House of Smalls, 103 Henderson Row, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH3 5BB from the 30th January – 1st March 2025.
‘Childhood (noun): The condition of being a child; the period of life before puberty. Interrupted (adjective): Broken, discontinued, or hindered‘ ~ House of Smalls.
Artists taking part in the Dollhouse – Childhood Interrupted exhibition
Disowned
Life is like a jigsaw puzzle, with each piece representing our experiences, relationships and our family – but what happens when a sibling is disowned or renounced by a parent and suddenly those we hold dear are missing from our lives.
Disowned
The child is no longer welcome in the family home, not invited to family events, and for the siblings there is a wider impact.
They have to be forever cautious in conversations, they omit names for fear of further tension or conflict, and contact with those estranged requires deception for fear of being discovered.
Disowned – detail
In my own family it’s happened over two generations leaving a legacy of family rifts that decades later, still exist.
Size 11.5 x 11.5cm. Hand and machine embroidered cotton cloth, Aurifil embroidery thread, vintage Sylko thread, tea dye.
This piece forms part of a series of small works created for the House of Smalls.
Update February 2025:
Thank you to Amy, curator of The House of Smalls for sharing these images of my work in the Dollhouse gallery.
I’m honoured to be taking part in A Letter in Mind 2024. An exhibition where all work is sold anonymously for £85 each to raise funds for the National Brain Appeal.
A letter in Mind 2024 raising funds for The National Brain Appeal
The theme of this year’s exhibition is ‘The Wonder of Colour’.
In this its 11th year, over 800 plus artworks will be on exhibition at Gallery Different, 14 Percy St, London W1T 1DR.
The gallery is open to the public on Tuesday 29 October, 10am-8pm and from Wednesday 30 October – Saturday 2 November 10am-6pm.
You will be able to preview the artworks online at aletterinmind.org from 11am on 30 October – and artworks will go on sale online on Thursday 31 October from 11am.
All proceeds will fund projects at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. The National Hospital in Queen Square is one of the world’s leading centres for the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with neurological and neuromuscular conditions. The Institute of Neurology has a world-class reputation for neuroscience. Its mission is to translate neuroscience discovery research into treatments for patients with neurological diseases, including stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), brain cancer, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia among many others.
A Letter in Mind
“The idea is simple: use a plain, white envelope as your starting point to create an artwork based on a theme…. All proceeds from sales help to transform life for the millions of people affected by neurological and neuromuscular conditions in the UK. Last year, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of ALIM and saw the total raised exceed £300,000…. We provide much-needed funds to support The National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery and the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology …. One of the world’s leading centres for the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with neurological and neuromuscular conditions. These include stroke, multiple sclerosis, brain cancer, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia.
Each year hundreds of artists put time, effort and creativity into making unique artworks for ALIM. We are so grateful for the commitment of all contributing artists, some of whom have submitted work every year since the event launched in 2013! They come from across the UK and beyond, and include household names and professional artists, people who have been creating art for a lifetime and people who are just starting to dip their toe into drawing or painting.
Well-known contributors this year include: Orlanda Broom, Mark Dion, Polly Dunbar, Kevin Eldon, Mark Entwisle, James Fleet, Leigh Francis, Stephen Graham, Harry Hill, Frank Kiely, Anita Mangan, Ishbel Myerscough, Morag Myerscough, Chris Riddell, Dame Zandra Rhodes, Axel Scheffler, Indira Varma and Hannah Walters.
Set an alert for 11am on 29 October to preview the artworks, with sales launching at 11am on 31 October. We hope you find a piece you love!” A Letter in Mind.
I feel honoured to be part of A Letter in Mind 2024. It’s a charity that’s very close to my heart and one I’ve supported in previous years with my embroidered work.
