Thursday 24 September, 10:30-4 p.m.: Workshop, Make a Historically Inspired Hussif with Illuminated Arts

Museum Of The Home, 136 Kingsland Rd, London, E2 8EA

Illuminated Arts is a community interest company founded to unlock heritage, personal history and cultural expression through inclusive arts-based practice. Over the past decade, the organisation has developed a wide range of community programmes that bring together heritage craft, sensory engagement and gentle reminiscence, creating opportunities for people of all ages to connect through making. At the heart of its work is a commitment to amplifying voices that are often overlooked, using textile practice as a way of exploring memory, identity and shared experience.

The organisation is led by Melissa Jo Smith and Rebecca Cole-Coker, two experienced creative practitioners whose combined backgrounds bring depth to the studio’s work. Melissa is a visual artist, filmmaker, poet and textile historian whose practice often explores the social narratives held within cloth and domestic objects. Rebecca trained at the Chelsea School of Art and the Camberwell School of Art, and has built an international reputation for her richly detailed floral textiles, with work held in collections including Ralph Lauren, Sanderson and the National Trust. Together, they combine scholarship, craftsmanship and community engagement, using their workshops not only to share skills but also to support free creative programmes in schools, care homes, prisons and community settings.

Event Description
Melissa and Rebecca will lead a day-long workshop exploring the intimate history of the hussif — a small sewing kit once carried by soldiers as a practical object and a poignant token of care. Melissa will begin with a talk tracing the origins and social significance of these portable sewing cases, before participants are guided through the process of creating their own.

Using a carefully selected range of fabrics and threads, or incorporating personal textile fragments, guests will stitch a beautifully finished hussif that is both functional and deeply personal. The workshop will also introduce hand-stitched monogramming for those who wish to add an individual detail, transforming the finished piece into a keepsake or gift.

Open to all levels, the day offers a thoughtful balance of making, conversation and reflection, celebrating the quiet power of cloth to carry memory across generations.

Your day includes tea, coffee and a light vegetarian lunch, with an optional glass of wine, creating a relaxed atmosphere for conversation, connection and the quiet satisfaction of working with needle and thread.

This is a full-day workshop, with all materials provided, though participants are warmly invited to bring personal textiles or a favourite sewing kit to make their finished piece even more meaningful.

Event Cancellation Policy
All bookings are non-refundable. However, if you let us know that you are unable to attend an event you have booked at least two weeks before the event, we will open up your place. If we find another participant, you will be offered a credit note.

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