Our new Meet The Team feature is an opportunity to introduce you to the many faces that make up Fine Cell Work, including our staff, volunteers and trustees.

For our first instalment, we caught up with Lola Pedersen, Fine Cell Work's Production Coordinator, to learn more about her role at the charity, as well as her personal creative pursuits (of which there are many!) 

What is your job title and how long have you worked at Fine Cell Work?

I work as Production Coordinator and have been with Fine Cell Work just over a year.

Describe a typical day (if there is such a thing)? What are the main responsibilities of your role?

My role is focused on in-cell production, but I'm involved in most aspects of the complex production process. 

I quality assess all the work that comes back from stitchers, give feedback and ensure that they have been paid. It’s really enjoyable to see all of the beautiful work that passes through the Battersea hub, and it’s amazing to see how many hours stitchers have spent on each piece.  I also oversee the personalization, tapestry finishing and cushion making-up services.

I work closely with our incredible hard-working volunteers that are going into prison all across the country. I haven’t met them all in person yet, but I would love to! As well as the work they do in prisons, I really like hearing about all of the volunteers’ personal stitching experiences. There’s a real sense of collaboration between the volunteers, stitchers and Fine Cell Work staff, because we’re all passionate about the same thing and we are part of something we all really care about.

I also work with the volunteers at the Battersea hub, who come in and support the Production team with making up kits to send out to prisons. Our ‘Tuesday Team’ are great - they know how to make a good kit!

I enjoy working with our Open The Gate apprentices in the workshop. They’re so enthusiastic and dedicated, and I've learnt so much from them.

I’ve designed a few Fine Cell Work products – the recently-launched Rainbow Lavender Bag, the Bargello Bags and Prison Calendar Bags, and some exciting new upcoming products! Watch this space!

Lola quality assessing stitchers' work - Studio Ashby's Californian Poppies Cushion

 What do you find most rewarding about your job?

I really enjoy going into cell groups and meeting the stitchers. I always have such good conversations with them, and they always teach me something – they’re so talented and knowledgeable. I find it so inspiring to witness how important and meaningful this creative work is for them.

Do you stitch?

I stitch a lot! I’ve learned lots of different crafts throughout my life, from wool felting, digital knitting and copper work, to basket weaving, green wood turning and ceramics – I love them all, but stitching is the one that I have stuck with the most – I’ve always got a stitching project in my bag! 

Are you involved in any creative projects outside of work?

Yes - I am particularly obsessed with cross-stitch, and for the past five years, I have been working on a project using a microscope to take photos, which I then translate into cross-stitch charts. One of my pieces was recently shown at a Contemporary Textiles exhibition at the JGM Gallery in Battersea (see the photo at the top of this post). I have also commissioned Fine Cell Work stitchers on this project, and hope to put together an exhibition of the work at some point in the future, which is exciting!

I also have been stitching backgammon sets on pleather, which is fun, as it does not have a weave – it’s like butter and stitches really nicely! I enjoy sewing with unusual materials too – I love sewing with plastic! 

Teaching is an important part of my practice, and I have been running workshops for many years. Most recently, Charlotte (Fine Cell Work’s Design & Commission Specialist) and I collected scrap materials that were going to rag from charity shops, and taught people how to make a stitched applique protest banner in a free workshop. I loved it – it was so inspiring teaching people to sew for the first time!  

Lola's microscopic digital embroidery, a backgammon set and handcrafted bag made from plastic

What would you like anyone reading this to know about Fine Cell Work?

Fine Cell Work is about stitching, but it’s about much more than that. Being part of a stitching group creates a sense of belonging, purpose and reward, and encourages confidence. You learn to get frustrated and make mistakes, but also how to get over hurdles and try again.  

I love being part of such a huge network – there are around 600 people involved in Fine Cell Work at any given time. If you include prison staff, it will be much more than that. Over the past 27 years, Fine Cell Work have worked with thousands of people, which is amazing!

To see more of Lola's stitching, follow her on Instagram here, and explore her ceramics work here. 

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There are many ways to get involved with Fine Cell Work. Our diverse community is made up of stitchers, post-release apprentices, volunteers, trustees and staff.

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