This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see what one of Watford’s best-kept secrets looks like and appreciate the work of a talented online textile arts collective.
Cheslyn House on Nascot Wood Road is hosting an exhibition by local sewing collective Zooming Sew & Sews.
Henry Colbeck, an architect, gave the home and grounds to the city of Watford in his will. He and his wife, Daisy, were avid gardeners, and they filled the grounds with plants they had collected on their trips.
Hertfordshire Community Foundation supports Zooming Sew & Sews, an online sewing group hosted by local mixed media community artist Sian Fenwick every other Tuesday night.
There are also periodic in-person get-togethers known as “away days” for the crew.
Pieces created for various projects over the years are on display alongside a tribute to Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and stitched postcards inspired by Cheslyn Gardens.
An isolation blanket featuring the thoughts of forty participants on what isolation meant to them and a collection of embroidery hoops depicting the artists’ thoughts on “emerging” from the epidemic are also on show. Through ASCEND Charity UK, Sian and Ekky Archibong facilitated these initiatives.
Watford’s mayor, Peter Taylor, attended the preview and was glad to have helped Sian and the Zooming Sew & Sews put up the exhibition at Cheslyn.
Together with the Watford Area Arts Forum and Sian, we introduce local art to the community and provide residents with opportunities to share their artistic talents.
The exhibit is open to the public and located in the primary rooms on the home’s ground floor.
