An exhibition of seven quilts made by Morley quilt-making student Richard Kenyon is on display in the heart of the legal system – inside the Great Hall of the Royal Courts of Justice.
During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Richard, a city employment lawyer, had an idea to help combat isolation: quilting. What started as an initiative to bring his colleagues together during lockdown evolved into a large-scale creative project includes around 150 contributors from across the UK and abroad. Among these collaborators was none other than his neighbour, iconic British fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes, known for her designs for Diana, Princess of Wales, and Freddie Mercury. What began as a lockdown project stretched beyond the pandemic, with the final quilts completed just recently. The result is a remarkable series of seven quilts, each made up of A4-sized blocks sent by participants through the post.
“A quilt is like a sandwich,” Richard explains. “The top sheet is just the start. Then you’ve got the wadding in the middle and the back sheet, all stitched and edged together. It’s a lot of work, but the tutors at Morley were incredible and helped finish several of the quilts.” Each quilt is around 1.5m wide and 2.5m tall (5ft by 8ft).
Thanks to Richard’s work within the legal world, these quilts have found a prestigious temporary home in the Royal Courts of Justice. “The new Lady Chief Justice wanted to make better use of the Great Hall, inviting exhibitions that resonate with the legal community. Our quilts were a perfect fit,” Richard says.
A passion for quilting
For Richard, quilting is more than just a craft, it’s a deeply personal form of creative expression. He first discovered his love of quilting in 2014 after a major health scare that resulted in a quadruple heart bypass. “I wanted to do something creative,” he explains, “but I’ve never been able to draw or paint. My mum taught me to sew as a child, mainly to fix buttons or sew on Cub Scout badges so it felt like a natural place to start.”
After attending a quilting group at his local village hall, Richard’s interest quickly became a passion. “I remember watching Match of the Day while obsessively stitching hexagons together. It became this meditative process, and I wanted to take it further. That’s when I found Morley College.”
Contemporary quilt-making at Morley
Richard joined Morley College London’s contemporary quilt-making course, which he describes as a turning point. “I hadn’t done anything artistic since I was 11, so I was very self-conscious at first. But Morley gave me the technical skills and, more importantly, the confidence to just let go and be creative. Walking into a room full of women was intimidating at first, but they were incredibly welcoming. The camaraderie has been one of the best parts of the experience.”
“It’s a creative outlet. It is all about trying to balance that stress that you have from a job like mine with something which is very, mindful. When I sew at home I can really switch off when I’m doing this, especially hand sewing. I just sit there, put a podcast on and just quietly, sew away. It’s really good for the soul.”
The course taught him a variety of techniques, from machine sewing to screen printing and fabric dyeing. “You start with a plain white sheet and, by the end, you have something unique and full of personality. It’s addictive,” he says.
Visit the exhibition
The quilts exhibition is on display in the Great Hall of The Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL. It is free to visit, Monday to Friday from 9am until 4:30pm, until Thursday 31 July.
