Exhibition. Textiles: The Art of Mankind

fashion + textile museum 28 March – 7 September 2025

Connecting Threads is a showcase of my key works and links to my new book of the same name. It opens at the fashion + textile museum, Bermondsey St, London SE1 3XF 28 March – 7 September. The Art of Mankind is the overarching ethnographic textile curated by renowned art historian Mary Scheoser MA FRSA.

About

I am a UK-based textile artist. I create tactile social history documents with local and global communities, raising awareness of social issues and the overlooked. In the 1990s, I gained recognition for my hand-sewn embroideries and kantha quilts. My work is held in major museum and private collections and I have undertaken numerous commissions. My PhD from UCA draws on E.P. Thompson's "history from below." It is focused on the sewn signature as a method and approach, old and new. 
Dr Lynn Setterington.

Connecting Threads

Tactile social history

My new book describes my life in stitch and details how an artist-embroiderer works, how projects are managed and some of the hurdles encountered in socially engaged practice.

Order your copy

Take a look at my work

My textile work has developed and evolved over many years. It comprises several distinct yet overlapping themes including Kantha, Signature Cloths, Mental Health, Construction and Sustainability.

1989, Teatime kantha quilt.
2016, Kotha & Kantha Workshop Manchester Central Library.
2017, Sew Near – Sew Far installation.
2021, Safety Net with Tunny Scaffolding Ltd.
2016, Threads of Identity with Burnage Academy for Boys.
2021, composing Safety Net with Ellie Samson.

“Embroidery today is celebrated, practised and appreciated by people from all different backgrounds and walks of life, and its value as a connecting thread and vital accessible global communication tool is finally being recognised.”

Lynn Setterington – Textile Artist