Wednesday, 11 February 2026, (morning talk; Event Number 2602)

In 2023 (25 years after her death), ‘Embroidery Magazine’ published a 2-page spread entitled “The Patchwork of the Century” inspired by the most publicly visible piece of Lilian Dring’s work, which is on permanent display in the Royal Festival Hall.  The writer concluded “Some names are well known in textile history. Dring is one whom we need to know more”.

Graduating from the Royal College of Art as a poster designer in 1929, Lilian Dring produced some provocative posters but, emerging into the Depression, she turned her design to domestic embroidery items, such as cushions and hangings, and later to ecclesiastical vestments and embroidered portraits of houses.  Using slides and pieces from her own collection, this talk will illustrate the wide range of her work, much of which reflects the events of her time, and carries still relevant social and environmental messages.

Our speaker, Matthew Dring, is Lilian Dring’s son and an expert on his mother’s work and its influence. Using slides and pieces from her own collection, his talk will illustrate the wide range of her work, much of which reflects the events of her time, and carries still relevant social and environmental messages.

• In aid of: Art Friends Cambridgeshire Grant Fund
• Transport: own. Instructions with tickets
• Start time and meeting point: 10.30am, Coton Village Hall, near Cambridge, CB23 7PL
• Tickets: Members £22, non-members £27, includes tea/coffee and biscuits
• Ticket allocation date: Monday, 5 January 2026 at 12 noon. (Payment instructions will be sent on confirmation of your ticket.

To apply for a place or to contact the Organiser, please click here.