In the depths of last winter we sent our long-time collaborator, the weaver Emily Mackey, to the famous gardens at Great Dixter on the Kent Sussex border, to gather inspiration for a new collection of hand-woven textiles. The results are beautiful, comforting and fascinating in equal measure.

Above: the15th century home and garden of the late gardener and writer Christopher Lloyd.

It can be difficult to convey the amount of time, research and craftsmanship that goes into create an object of such simple beauty as Emily Mackey’s new handwoven cushion collection. And in fact, like anything poetic, the effort shouldn’t be visible, just the beauty of the finished object. However, the story behind these hand-woven textiles makes us fall in love them twice over and it's a story worth telling.

It all began on a cold January day when Emily visited Great Dixter, the wonderful 15th century home of the late gardener and writer Christopher Lloyd.

She roamed the gardens in the crisp, cold winter sun, exploring the site, collecting ideas and organic matter for plant dyes. Compost heaps, log piles, clapboard sheds, the timber-frame of the house itself, tall grasses and bean poles all fed into her designs.

Once back in her studio (a purpose built timber and glass structure in her garden in Hastings - which houses her treasured hand loom), she began work on the first samples.

Sketching ideas for the patterns and bubbling up vats of plant dyes for the colour palette, the collection began to take shape.

Fragments of Cedar wood bark stew in a dying vat.

It was also at this time that Emily visited the Tate Modern to see the first major exhibition charting the work of Bauhaus artist Anni Albers. The exhibition was a long overdue recognition of Alber’s pivotal contribution to modern art and design, and reminds us of the importance of textile design - in particular weaving. It was interesting to be working with Emily on this collection whilst there was so much renewed interest in weaving as an art form.

(above) Anni Albers, woven textile @ Tate Modern

Back in the warmth of the studio where Emily took the organic material she had collected and made colour samples. Cedar chips, lichen, Phormium leaves and bracket fungus were plunged into pans to draw out the colour and strips of cotton where dyed to record the different shades.

The palette was selected from these test strips and sent to Emily’s yarn makers who created bespoke dyes to match the test strips. Bales of soft native British wool were spun and dyed in Emily’s Great Dixter colour-ways.

The precious yarns were then handwoven by Emily and finished with sections of intricate 'over-stitching' done by hand, to create blocks of colour or random lines. The Modernist compositions represent forms Emily recorded at Great Dixter; pea sticks, tall grasses and strata layers seen in a cross-section of the compost heap are all represented in the designs.

There's nothing as soothing as being in contact with nature, and this collection brings the outdoors indoors through the use of colour, material and craftsmanship. These are special objects that bring a sense of calm.

The Great Dixter Cookbook -  a perfect partner for the hand woven textiles

It's an absolute joy just to read, even if you don't cook! Inside the old kitchen at Great Dixter, Aaron Bertelsen creates dishes for the gardeners and house staff. Recipes included range from English classics such as chicken and leek pie, apple crumble, and beetroot chutney, to contemporary recipes like crispy kale with sea salt and shakshuka.

Dixter was home to the revered and highly influential gardener and writer, Christopher Lloyd, and a number of this book's recipes have been taken from the Lloyd family's personal kitchen notebooks. With growing guides to more than twenty varieties of vegetables and fruit to accompany the recipes, this practical, accessible book enriches the kitchens and lives of home cooks and gardeners worldwide.