Jenni Cresswell

Delving into creativity

[jennicresswell]

Creative Response: 'Picking up the Thread: The Past, Present and Future of Tapestry', Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh, January 2026

On a dreary weekend spanning the end of January and the beginning of February 2026, I honoured my friend's generous invitation to visit them in their new hometown of Dunbar, Scotland. I'd been sent the train fare by cheque some months ago after my mum's funeral, and I'd booked the tickets and waited since then.

Amidst the stormy, moody, and wildly beautiful countryside of East Lothian, we caught up on news, wandered the town and coastline, ate and drank and marvelled at beautiful art work in local galleries.

We also took a day trip to Edinburgh, unashamedly tourist-like, with the main aim of visiting a much recommended exhibition at Dovecot Studios. My friend knew me well, chosing a textile based show: Picking up the Thread: The Past, Present & Future of Tapestry and which did not disappoint. There was a wide and varied response to the open call for artists and I found something to like in most pieces.

I had a go at sketching some of the pieces I liked the most; painting is not my strong suit, but I was proud to have taken the time to use the paints and sketchbook I'd packed and lugged 6 hours on the train, and to be reminded that it is through observation and slowing down that one can hear oneself the best.

A dreary day was transformed by colour and light and the beauty of woven strucutres of crafted delight.

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Creative Project: Chalk Stream Guardian Dress - Update July 2025

The River dress Guardian has taken on a life of her own.

As I continue to labour stitch by stitch on the main dress, sewing the endlessly repeated and archaically complex latin names of flora and fauna, the collaborative element of the project is alive with people’s thoughts, feelings and messages about their local chalk stream: the River Dour.

I have been the plus one to the dress at a couple of events in recent months – a River Dour workshop as part of the Dover Youth Festival, and more recently as part of the Dover at Night event, joining other groups and river-themed activities at the Charlton Centre, alongside Dover Big Local.

The original aim was to help people stitch their words or comments onto the cut out keystone species of Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) and European Eel (Anguilla anguilla), but the first workshop showed how difficult that was, even if people had good sewing skills. By March, my main aim was to get people to share their thoughts about the river in response to the dress and her message as easily as possible. So I provided pre-cut fish and eel shapes for people to simply write down their message, and for me to later permanently attach the cut outs to the panel.

I was more than a little surprised; not just with the numbers of people taking part but of the breadth and depth of their messages about their River Dour. These include comments about the beauty and relaxing nature of the river, the pleasure of seeing wildlife, and concerns about littering and human impact on the habitat. One says: “Good river”; I love the image this conjures for me: that of a faithful living organism doing what it does and being thanked for it. Next to this a one word message which stands for all the comments: “Home”.

The dress has lots of invitations coming up over the summer months, including those below. And check back here @jennicresswell for more dates or on Instagram.

Saturday 19 July 12-6pm: Little Artlings Big Ideas Family Art Festival at Biggin Hall, Dover

Thursday 18 September 6pm: Heritage Open Day talk by Barry O’Brien

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Creative Project: The Chalk Stream Guardian Dress - update early October 2024

I've started the painstaking process of embroidering key words across the fabric of the dress. As for my Ladywell Guardian Dress I'm going for subtle thread colours which hide the text in plain sight - various whites and cream on the off-white background.

Starting at what will become the hem of the garment, I'm stitch up through geological time and strata to river substrate, structure and character before carefully adding as many plant and animal species indicative of a chalk-fed river. These latter will be listed using their latin and common names to help show how complex a seemingly simple system can be.

I am also extremely relieved to have been inspired as to how to incorporate the human element into the dress. A soggy sojourn to Knepp Rewilding project for a weekend with friends presented an unexpected meeting with an Aberystwyth based artist who had used interviews as the basis for his mesmeric river project: Afon

This has opened up so much potential to include people who relate to the river in multiple diverse ways: mill workers, historians, environmentalists, riparian dwellers, farmers, volunteers, storytellers, artists, and local people simply living, studying and working alongside. Early days on how that happens and what the outcome is, but it could include words embroidered into the dress, audio/ visual accompanyment, an interactive installation, and who knows what else. Early enquiries have proved fruitful - it seems I'm far from the only person who is intrigued with our little river.

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Profiled on Dover District Council's Maison Dieu blog as part of the national Heritage Open Days in September 2024.

My Ladywell Guardian dress got another outing in the sublime St. Edmund's Chapel in Dover. This time with pink bunting.

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Creative Project: The Chalk Stream Guardian Dress

After a wonderful sojourn into the Ladywell Guardian project for Dover History at Night, I am returning daily now to my original idea about a river spirit - that protector of the local waterway where I grew up, and where, at mid-life, I have returned.

I have written already about my astonishment for the rarity of the little river which runs through my large village. I spent hours by the side of the waters growing up: feeding the ducks, paddling in wellies, watching the model boats, avoiding the swans. But I never once thought that this stream was special in a broader sense.  40 years later and I discovered that chalk streams were not only rare, but that those that exist do so mainly in the corner of the world where I grew up: River in Kent.

Given the name of my village, I had long appreciated that it’s existence was intimately connected with that of the river Dour which flows unceasingly through it.  A chalk aquifer fed water source keeps the water at a constant flow, temperature and acidity vital to the species relying on this habitat.  The river has supported all kinds of industry in the village, including a paper mill, an abbey and a restored and working corn mill.

Back to my project – to find a way to represent that precious habitat in a stitched dress – which in turn stands for the spririt, the essence of the river.  I still love the process of stiching words into the garment for the viewer to discover, and these will be made up of all the elements which create the uniqueniss of a chalk fed stream.  It starts with the geology, incorporates the profile of the river, it’s indicator species, and will end with the placement of humans alongside that habitat.  How we influence, threaten and ultimately, I hope, protect the chalk stream.

[jennicresswell]

The Killing Jar

Living a more rural lifestyle has brought with it things I hadn’t expected.

While I am enjoying the boon of darker skies, lower traffic noise, plentiful and vibrant birdlife, I had not anticipated the downsides:  endless dead flies and other insects piling up in the gap between window and blinds, a crushed beetle caught in the window shade, tricky negotiations with spiders when using the shower, and then this morning – horror of horrors - a pair of drowned mice in the watering can.  I’m usually fastidious (if that’s not an oxymoron) about providing a stick to aid wildlife in climbing out of such treacherous places.  But it being so wet and rainy, I had not anticipated animals using the watering can as a water source, with so many other natural options in plentiful supply. 

I’ve long since had my revelation about this sort of casual death by humans – the unintentional destruction of other living beings whilst going about some mundane human task.  I first came to this conclusion while making a regular monthly trip in my electric vehicle from my home in Sussex to visit my aging folks in Kent.  A bird, flying low and suddenly into the path of my vehicle; no time to avoid the collision – just an awful moment of realisation, a glimpse of feathers, and a subsequent frantic craning into the rear view mirror to see if the bird had escaped.  No bump, no body, but no reassuring retreating flying feathered thing either.

I pined for that bird all the way home and well into the following days; even now, I can feel that dreadful weight of killing a living creature simply by my act of driving through its habitat.  The bird had no option other than to fly across the country lane, and I had no choice (arguably) to drive down that lane. 

I see the remnants of other drivers’ encounters all too frequently littered along the side of roads – startlingly often big mammals such as badgers and foxes.  I ponder how the impact of those creatures could surely not be missed by drivers.  It’s one thing not to be sure of hitting a tiny, weightless bird, another not to have noticed the force from striking a badger.  They look big – medium dog size – I feel sure big enough to notice and stop.  I have a friend who tells me they drive slowly along country lanes at night just to be sure they can stop in time for any wildlife – badgers in particular.

But it seems we are doomed as humans – at least in the time and place I live - to continue crashing indiscriminately through the habitats and lives of other living beings whether we notice or not.  I look back to early naturalists who collected specimens and pinned them to boards or stuffed and displayed them – or worse – hunters collecting every last individual, bringing extinction to countless species.  And I think – ah! Not me!  I am nature’s friend!  Then I receive another reminder: I relish feeding the birds at Wrens Nest – I’ve put up a feeding station by my bedroom patio doors and spend my morning time watching a small smattering of bird varieties visiting.  Mostly tits, blue and great, occasionally long tailed, also greenfinches, chaffinches and goldfinches, plus the resident robin.  I was feeling so good about providing this facility, until I started to hear the soft, dull thumps as birds flew off the feeder and straight into my patio windows.  Close enough that they aren’t harmed, but sickening, nonetheless.  I swiftly put tape on the windows at the internet’s suggestion to help the birds discern the tricky surface and spare their collisions.  No good deed goes unpunished I thought; here I am imagining I’m being helpful when I’ve created another way to impact nature.  In my spare time I do my best to redress the balance: volunteering to restore orchid habitat here, working with communities to plant orchards there.  But in all of this lies the sneaking suspicion that this too is simply another way of unintentionally impacting nature.  If only there was a way to live – if not at one with nature - more harmoniously and less clumsily…. I’m not giving up.

[jennicresswell]

Creative Project: Dover's History at Night

And it's done! I can't quite believe it all went ahead as planned and turned out much as I'd imagined and hoped for. The whole event seems to have been well turned out and the organisers seem rightfully thrilled and relieved.

The final days of prep were a bit of a scramble in the end. Despite taking time off the most invasive aspect of my work for the 2 weeks prior, and despite promises to myself to spend whole days stitching, ultimately other things rushed in to fill the space. I found I had much less time put aside for stitching in the end, but completed almost all that I had planned to.

It was a good lesson in prioritising what was most critical, so I abandoned further stitching of geological names and focused on the Anthropocene stitch around the yoke of the dress. I was completing that on the day of the event, along with other finishing touches, such as sorting a belt for the dress, completing the mini-dress, digging out sample pieces for people to handle, and gathering tech and materials to set up the venue.

The dress looked so at home in the space, the lights around her feet serving as a barrier and a hint of the borders of a well. A hastily compiled soundscape provided atmospheric water dripping sounds so authentic that visitors assumed there was running water in a well. We have over 170 visitors and I spent the entire time in conversation with people as they engaged with the installation.

There were a couple of things which could be done differently - lighting the information panels, and perhaps better illumination of the dress. The words on the dress both printed and sewn were so subtle as to be illegible. But that was part of the beauty of the piece. Perhaps another test piece showing that in more detail, or a printed list of the words contained in the dress.

[jennicresswell]

Creative Project: Dover's History at Night

Not much to add this week, except, it takes a LONG time to do the stitching.

I've calculated that if I continue using thread across the whole garment as planned, I will use around 500m of thread. That's half a kilometer!

I have had some false starts - I had settled on pearlised cotton for the System/ Period and Machine Thread for the Epoch/ Series. The former is perfect, but the latter proved to be too fine and sort of crappy looking. So I switched to Embroidery Thread in 2 strands - it's harder to work with, but pleasing on the eye.

I have also found out that:

Epoch are chronological (in order of time) and Series are stratigraphic (in order of deposition of rocks - like a slice through the earth if it were a globe shaped cake) and each have their own names. in some cases they are very different and in some confusingly similar.

For example within the Triassic Period, there are 3 Epochs, including Early Triassic. Rocks from that Epoch are known as the Lower Triassic Series. Early Triassic is further sub-divided in ages and subages.

Going back up the other way, the Early Triassic Period sits within the Mesozoic Era which itself fits within the Phanerozoic Eon.

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Creative Project: Dover's History at Night

Well, I thought I'd never get to this point!

The long dreaded and much put-off task of printing only took about 1.5 hours in the end. What a storm in a tea cup. Good to challenge my resistance to getting that done and to take a quick look at what that's about. But before I get to that, an insight into the logic behind my choices.

I created the string printing boards with the Era names and then mixed etching ink in a deeper hue of the dyed fabric. The idea being to match the tones of the appliqued Eon cut out letters but to stand out without being too distracting visually. These were then overlayed onto the Eon applique in linked, scrolling text.

Once again I wanted to make a nod to the length of time each Era spanned within the Eon. I used the initial letter of each Era name to represent their relative ratio, with the body of the words being similar in size. All very rough and ready, but with deep intent and effort behind the choices.

Printing offered me a speedy choice of method with the deadline looming in less than one month's time. I had already eshewed print for the Eon names, chosing a technique which I was much happier with, but was vastly more time consuming: applique. I could have left the piece at that basic stage, but was itching to execute the stitch layer, and with the complex nature of the layering, needed the print to happen before I could do that. (Or, as I mentioned, had time allowed, another type of stitch - maybe couching of thicker threads/ yarn) .

Then - finally - on to the stitch! I had already given this some thought in terms of colour and weight of thread: thicker yarn to represent System / Period names in a colour to match the applique, with the smaller ages of Epoch/ Series in a fine machine thread matching the background colour; essentially, all of these names will be in a cream yarn. What I hadn't cracked was how to introduce the correct nod towards the length of time of each System/ Period within the Era, and then the Epoch/ Series within each System/ Period. If I wasn't careful, the overlayering effect would loose it's interest and become unclear. Then, I had it: instead of metering out the duration in depth like with Eons & Eras, I measured along the width of them. Therefore, each System/ Period and Epoch/ Series is repeated for the correct length representative of its duration as a ratio of the underlying layer. To add further clarity, I've only separated the 2 layers of stitch by placing them slightly above (System/ Period) or below (Epoch/ Series) the relevant Era.

Mind bending stuff. And if that's not complicated enough, it's worth noting that even the Epoch/ Series ages are subdivided again into Stages/ Ages. But I will have to intervene here with my creative interpretation otherwise it will become too muddly and confusing to portray visually. Even some of the Epoch/ Series names will be omitted, as many subdivision there are simply 'Upper, Middle, Lower' and are somewhat uninspiring.

I still hope to have enough time to include a printed offer for engagement at the event AND interpretive words and images available to help viewers decipher the piece:

Some test pieces showing close up stitch/ print/ threads used, plus print blocks

Small version of the dress on a small artists form showcasing the Peplos dress.

Images of saints in wells

Geological timeline with all subdivisions listing some of the key words used in the piece

It's shaping up to be a truely lovely piece and I'm looking forward to seeing how far I get with the stitch before I have to say 'done enough' and focus on how it will look in situ with lighting/ sound/ interpretation.

[jennicresswell]

Creative Project: Dover's History at Night

Work continues on the dress story for the event now only a month away.

I spent the day getting ready for the printing stage of the project - trying out some colours and methods while dying the final pieces of muslin for the applique. Just a few evenings of stitching away I think!

I also pored over my lists of geological time, checking online that I had the correct subdivisions and corresponding ratio for each Era, Period and Epoch so I can represent them accordingly with size and space within the appliqued Eons.

As I'd already tested most of the Era names and created print boards, rather than remake them with the text at the corresponding size to indicate how long each lasted, I have made the initial letter the correct height, with remaining letters being similar sized. This will also allow more space to stitch within the Period/ System and Epoch/ Series names.

The dress looks stunning on the dress form - even with just the Eon names picked out - but I'm excited to take it to the next level of layered story; and to get stitching!

[jennicresswell]

Creative Projects: Dover's History At Night

Work has now moved on to the final piece as the time ticks along and the deadline creeps closer.

I've been busy creating dyed grounds for the 4 Eon names which will form the first layer on top of the base fabric. So far I have sewed applique lettering for the the first Eon: Hadean, and part of the second Eon: Archean. The applique letters are cut from muslin died with tea for both of these eons.

The 2 remaining Eons cover the periods when life burgeoned. So for this I have started dyeing fabric with contact dyeing techniques using leaves and other natural items. These will form the letters for the third Eon: Proterozoic and fourth Eon: Phanerozoic.

I will represent the ratio of the timespan for each of these Eons by how much space they take up on the dress. And I'm using an ancient dress style - 'peplos' - which requires almost zero sewing and no cutting to create the final dress. I may love sewing by hand and happily pass hours embroidering endless words but I have zero skill or patience for dressmaking or tailoring.

A word on the base fabric: it is a found piece - my favourite - in this case an old 100% Egyptian Cotton double sheet of my parents which was then used as a dust sheet for multiple painting and DIY work around the house I grew up in. It has since reclined for over 2 decades in the garage and is beautiful in its own way - the marks and spots and drips and rips themselves telling the story of all the years and happenings the sheet has seen.

[jennicresswell]

Creative Project: Dover's History at Night

Test Pieces (Left to Right from Top): Close up of printed Eons, over printed with string print Eras

Full view of whole test piece

Turmeric dyed ground over printed with string print Era names

Close up of first 2 pieces

Close up of hand stitched System names on contact dyed ground.

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Creative Projects: Dover's History at Night

Introduction: How the project started

Cutting a long story short, following a sudden relocation to Dover - my birthplace - I've been fortunate to find a wonderfully supportive and diverse creative community in the Dover Creative Network. Thanks to this group, I am now working on a project for an installation as part of the one night event on Friday 22 March 2024.

The project is linked to the massive restoration of Dover's Maison Dieu building and will feature an art trail across multiple venues focusing on the stories of Dover and Maison Dieu in particular.

I've been inspired by Ladywell - the street running alongside the building and named for the long standing well now covered over by subsequent ancient building where the current Maison Dieu stands. The well remains under the stone floor in the far North West corner of the building - and would once have been accessible from outside for people to take water - before it became contaminated and was shut to the public.

My installation is inspired by the idea of a water / well guardian. A female figure who has stood watch over the waters for eons: providing healing and balm to all humanity, but now watches those precious waters contaminated and built over as the population of humans rises and grows further away from the natural world and the spirit protectors. Like the Fisher King, the well guardian is powerless until the land is healed, and so few can now hear her pleas...

I wanted to find a way to describe the epic length of time the waters have flowed on the site of the Maison Dieu, and how short a time after humans came to reside here that the waters became polluted. I also wanted to comment on what the future for the ladywell may be. I'd already contemplated a project where a dress embodied the geological passing of time and highlighted the stunningly fleeting time humans have been present out of that vast timeline.

The geological ages are to be represented in dye, stich and applique across the fabric; their differing timescales also measured out through the area of the dress they cover. There are a dizzying array of names and subdivision of geological time - and as ever - humans cannot decide on what they should be named. Here I have used Eon, Era, System (Period) and Series (Epoch). Each of these will be given a textile representative.

This piece is ambitiously large, but provides such a brilliant canvas to tell this story. The dress is to be created from a single piece of fabric: no cutting or shaping is required, only one simple seam and a clever fastening to create a style of dress known as a 'peplos' and which was worn by women for many centuries across many cultures.

There is much more to do and much more thinking and decisions to be made. But I am enjoying hearing her words faintly as I tell her story.

[jennicresswell]

Mr B enjoying a relaxing afternoon listening to the rain, cosy indoors (at Brighton and Hove) https://www.instagram.com/p/CleJpZCjkqz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Yarrow: next in the wildflower series of embroideries based on sketches. This from a walk at cissbury ring in September…back before the RAIN came… (at Brighton and Hove) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkoUWZ0jnNF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Dog and I had a relaxing time at Ancient Cottage on our hols. Lots of long walks in the beautiful weather (at Mayfield, East Sussex, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjI5tU5jYRH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Latest wildflower embroidery offering. This time Plantain with its delicate white sepals. Loving choosing stitches and thread to represent. (at Brighton and Hove) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiyTE4ZDjF_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=