#fine cell work

[hanguangbunny]

Fine Cell Work

Fine Cell Work is a charity which makes beautiful handmade products in British prisons. Explore our prison work and browse our unique hand-s

for anyone interested in supporting small-scale artists, fine cell work is a really cool organisation that helps people create and sell textile arts in prison! it also supports prison leavers to continue in the arts.

they ship internationally!! 🪡🧵

[gjenkstextiles-blog]

Fine Cell Work

Fine Cell Work is a charity that trains over 400 prisoners in 29 prisons across Britain in needlework. They create cushions, bags, patchwork quilts and pictures which are then sold so they receive an income whilst completing their prison sentence. 

This idea belonged to a women named Lady Ann Tree (1927), who became a prison visitor at the age of 22 and also an inspector of prisons. She noticed the benefits of inmates learning a creative skill to pass their time and reduce boredom which she deemed ‘corrosive’ (and we can all agree with that). Lady Ann Tree was a keen embroiderer and began her aim that she would teach reforms needlework, who would then create beautiful work that would be sold and an income would be generated. 

This naturally had many obstacles, one being there was a law against inmates receiving an income whilst serving a prison sentence however, through friends and perseverance this was repealed and her mission began. 

Lady Ann Tree and many others noticed and took advantage of the naturally calming action of embroidery and applied it into a situation that was not/ is not a particularly pleasant situation. She also claimed that through craftwork, reformers could do just that, reform- they could learn about themselves and begin to feel part of the world they were barred away from. 

http://www.finecellwork.co.uk/

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Some quick snaps from our office sale on now in London Victoria.

Fine Cell Work is a social enterprise that teaches needlework to prison inmates and sells their products. The prisoners do the work when they are locked in their cells, and the earnings give them hope, skills and independence.

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Some snap shots of the hanging of our Glazier’s Guild commission on Monday. The hanging was on display in the beautiful River Room by the rover Thames in Glazier’s Hall and features iconic images of London.

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One of FCW's longest-serving stitchers tells us about his journey

Andy is not only one of our most experienced stitchers, having been with us for over eight years, but he is also one of the most productive stitchers we have ever known. He has worked on any number of commissions over the years and is very much a core member of the Fine Cell Work family. He told us about his FCW journey.

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They said but why do you do it and you think “I don’t know, I want to make a difference.” And they were really humbled.

Fine Cell Work volunteer on the moment her prison students discovered she was a volunteer

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A close up of a Fine Cell Work prison stitcher working on one of our needlepoint Love Eagle cushions. Designed by Karen Nicol.

The prisoners do the work when they are locked in their cells, and the earnings give them hope, skills and independence.

[finecellwork]

“Without the volunteers, the classes wouldn’t survive. We’d be lost without them.”

Fine Cell Work Prison Stitcher