I have always been an animal lover, ever since childhood when my Bedlington terrier called Coco (he looked like a baby lamb) was one of my best friends. Then it was Hennessey, the spotted Dalmatian. After him, it was Mr Fizz, the sausage dog, who is now one of our sought after patchwork fabric keyrings.

As I say, ‘Every Room Tells a Story’ and it’s true. Each room I design contains objects with stories and memories that bring the space alive. It can be an arresting piece of artwork, or a treasured antique piece of furniture, or it can be a diminutive ceramic on a coffee table.

I was so touched to receive a gift from Fine Cell Work last week that has just that quality. It is a beautiful needlepoint cushion of my dogs. We have three generations of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Fine Cell Work has already finished a cushion with the three older dogs and now I have their son and daughter to complete the pair. Just look at the detail achieved in classic needlepoint.

We chose hot pink linen from Clothshop for the piping and neutral backing linen from Chelsea Textiles. These cushions are made up of a particularly fine canvas, which has 18 holes (18cc canvas) per inch,
enabling a very detailed image to be achieved. A quick calculation and that means there are just under 92,000 stitches in each of the needlepoint cushions. A labour of love!

I love how the stitcher’s name is attached on the swing tag and I always write them a letter to thank the skilled individual. Particularly at the moment, letters are invaluable to the stitchers, many of whom are locked up for 23 hours a day. They are a huge boost to their sense of self-worth and really add purpose to the work that they are carrying out in their cells. For many, it is the only contact that they have with the outside world.

We attempted to get the pack to model under the treasured cushions!

Thank you Fine Cell Work!