![]() The experts at Fine Cell Work helped to translate my 2-D designs into 3-D embroidery – it was really interesting to get a glimpse into that process. (Doodling is, of course, another form of hand work – keeping me sane on long sleepless nights of activity monitoring when I was studying bears.) Ferns and bracken were always great favourites for their gentle, repeating, almost fractal, forms. Such a meditative shape to dwell on and doodle. This project reminded me of the earliest days of my design career when I was a biologist, illustrating informally my field notes. It emits a sweet-smelling scent in its marshes of sphagnum moss, under the shade of cedar, spruce and larch. ![]() (We took a lot of time to choose the greens for this project.) This fern is the Appalachian bog fern, Coryphopteris simulata, a rare, elegant fern found in the mountains of North America from my Carolina Tree of Life collection. These first cushions I designed for FCW feature a beautifully embroidered ‘bouquet’ of ferns, in a gradient of luscious greens. Like Louisa May Alcott, I think busy hands are key for keeping your heart sweet and your head sane. I personally find that hand work, like knitting or embroidery, is very positive for my state of mind. Through embroidery, they develop work skills, self-reliance, and they earn and save money so that when they leave prison, they are ready to set off on a good path. If you don’t know Fine Cell Work, they are a wonderful charity, founded 25 years ago, which works with prisoners and ex-prisoners. Fine Cell Work feels to me like the best of this industry – I love their ethos, how they form a community and change lives, and I was (and still am) star-struck about their fabulous designers. I had been an admirer of Fine Cell Work for many years, and it was the highlight of my first ever exhibition at Decorex, in 2016, when they approached me about designing some products for them. As a passionate lover of chocolate (and Williams Sonoma chocolate especially), I am delighted to be inviting people to wild and mindful chocolate feasting! I like them to be touched and felt and thought about. I love to think of my illustrations of wild species existing beyond the confines of frames on walls, or the pages in books. To learn more about the species in the design check out this companion blog post. It was heaven! Especially when Williams Sonoma sent me some of the products to put me in the right mood for creation. I spent so long researching and thinking about chocolate for this design. The design celebrates the Cocoa & Forests Initiative which is all about this approach: agroforestry, environmental stewardship and the prevention of deforestation. Wiliiams Sonoma chocolate is affiliated with this wonderful work. No species exists in isolation and the “food of the gods” is grown best in natural agroforestry systems, where diverse trees provide shade and fallen leaves create microhabitats, enabling a great multitude of species to thrive. My goal for this collaboration with Williams Sonoma was to depict the complex web of life surrounding the crop that gives us chocolate, Theobroma cacao. ![]() I grew up with their chocolate peppermint bark as the great treat of all treats. Just thinking about them makes my mouth water. It has been my great privilege to work with Williams Sonoma, truly one of the best-loved brands in the USA.
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