This Saturday, 29 April, a new textile artwork will be unveiled to the public at Hollytrees Museum in Castle Park.
The Hollytrees Cushion Project was completed in March 2023, after volunteers tirelessly worked through lockdown and the months following the pandemic to make bespoke cushions to replace tired soft furnishings for the museum’s window seats.
Staff members from Visit Colchester, Colchester & Ipswich Museums, and volunteers from Stitch and Bitch Colchester, worked together clocking up an impressive 800 hours of work to design and make six new cushions in needlework tapestry, in a style similar to church kneelers.
The designs feature local Colchester scenes, including visitors enjoying Castle Park, iconic Colchester landmarks such as Colchester Castle, Jumbo, and Hollytrees Museum itself. There is also a cushion inspired by the city’s links to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the Taylor sisters, with a starry night scene.
A private launch event to celebrate the end of the project and say thank you to the volunteers will be taking place on the morning of Saturday, 29th April, and the cushions will be on public display from 1pm on the same day.
Councillor Pam Cox, Portfolio Holder for Culture and Heritage, said: “This is a fantastic example of a project that began in lockdown and is seeing its fruition now.
“We are extremely grateful to all the volunteers who have given up valuable time to be part of something to help celebrate the city and I’m thrilled we can launch it during our Year of Celebration.”
Page last reviewed: 24 April 2023