The Material Heart

Currently on display in the small gallery of the London Museum of Fashion and Textiles  (until 13th September 2026) are two private collections of 'Pin Stuck Cushions' made by soldiers for loved ones waiting at home. Known as ‘sweetheart pin cushions,’ the cushions were mostly made for mothers, often as Christmas gifts, by soldiers serving on the front line during their leisure time.

The heart forms were available as kits and decorated with pins, along with military insignia, images of the monarchy, tiny objects, photographs and embroidered designs, some with deeply personal and symbolic meanings. Some Victorian cushions, made in various shapes, were crafted from red uniform cloth. Many would become treasured memorial objects.

The ones exhibited were passionately collected by Simon Costin, the Director of the Museum of British Folklore and the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic and subject specialist Alessandra Curtis a British-Italian folklorist.  

Susan Aldworth

Susan Aldworth's exhibition 'Belongings' is on at Edinburgh Printmakers Workshop until June 28th and it is simply perfect for our times and perfectly beautiful. 

The installation features 35 individual embroidered and printed antique clothes. Suspended in mid-air, they highlight the transitory and emotional nature of an uprooted life, as Susan brings her personal family history of being uprooted and migrant.

'In 1924, my grandmother – Luigia Berni – left the small town of Bardi, in Northern Italy, for a new life in London. She was 23 years old, newly married and carrying a small baby. She was travelling alone. In her small suitcase, alongside basics for her and the baby, was her grandmother’s linen nightdress which got passed down to each generation.

Belongings takes you on an immersive journey through the imagined contents of Luigia’s suitcase to re-create her experience of migration. Thirty-five items of antique clothes are hand-embroidered with family photographs, stories and recipes. Suspended in mid-air, they highlight the transitory and emotional nature of an uprooted life.

Today, global migration and forced displacement are at a record high. In the UK, despite a rich history of positive migration impacts, hostile policies and increasing experiences of racism and discrimination have made it difficult for many of the people who migrate or seek sanctuary to feel that they belong. Despite these challenges, migrants and sanctuary seekers contribute to and are immensely enriching to our communities – culturally, educationally, economically, and through their work experiences and skills.

What might Luigia’s story a century ago have in common with those newly arriving today? How does it feel to leave your home forever in 2026? What does it mean to belong in the current moment, for people seeking sanctuary in the UK?' Susan Aldworth 

 

Danbol Masks

Fabulous masks constructed from cardboard by Danbol Mask, Osaka Japan.

Louise Richardson

 

Louise Richardson is a mixed media artist often using old garments and working with the patina of their age and decay. This piece is called 'Secure'. 

Alix Eelan

 

Looking forward to seeing more of Alix Eelan costume designs in Edinburgh. 

Andy Barrt

“Very early on I began drawing black-and-white ornaments charged with the palpable fear of owls I often saw at dawn, trapped beneath the entrance canopies. Within these rhythms I inscribed the silhouettes of reindeer herders, framing them with the sharp line of the tundra’s endless horizon. The sun was always the principal conductor—the center of my compositions—because in winter it makes the snow burn crimson, and in summer it refuses to leave the horizon, circling day after day above my head… This turned me into a particular kind of person, capable of being whiter than snow and thinking like snow.” Andy Barrt

Performance 'The snow flower of the north' at CYFEST 17 Venecia, with performers Andy Barrt & Antón Ershov.

Lou Flux

I adore smocking and Lou Flux's creations are simply stunning. She was featured by the wonderful Selvage Magazine this spring doing online courses for people to learn this traditional textile manipulation.