Guest Blog: Enclosed I Will Be Safe - Getting to Know Walter

Walter Scott gets under your skin. I’ve discovered that over the past 16 months, as artist-in-residence at Abbotsford.

Great writers are often placed on a pedestal, but Scott feels intensely…human.

From the very beginning, what drew me to him most was his on-and-off struggles with mental health, which he sometimes called the “mulligrubs.” His Journal shows a clear awareness that time spent outdoors, walking, planting trees, and working with the land he loved helped steady him. That understanding became the foundation of this body of work.

My work explores both the man and the place he loved. I have eco-dyed and eco-printed cloth using plants and trees that were present on the estate in Scott’s lifetime, including some old enough that they may even have been planted by his own hand. The exhibition takes its title from Scott’s motto: Clausus Tutus Ero—“Enclosed I Will Be Safe.” It speaks to the refuge Abbotsford provided him, particularly after his financial collapse in 1826. Within its gardens and woodlands, and behind the closed portcullis gate, he found a sense of safety from the pressures of the world.

As someone rooted in patchwork quilt and embroidery traditions, I’m also drawn to the way textiles can offer comfort, warmth, and protection, especially when made by a loved one.

Each artwork responds to a quote from Scott. One piece, The Stitch Journal of Sir Walter Scott and The Artist, connects our lives across time. Scott began his journal in November 1825, just before discovering he was financially ruined, a crisis shaped by both a Britain-wide financial crash and his own spending as he expanded Abbotsford, often relying on advances for books he had yet to write.

Over December and January 2026 (the same two months, exactly 200 years later!), I kept a daily journal of my own while reading his. From this, I created two stitched fabric rolls: one for Scott and one for myself. Each day is represented by a small textile entry, some reflecting specific words or images, others expressing mood or feeling more abstractly. The two rolls will be displayed intertwined, echoing how his life and mine have become unexpectedly connected during this residency.

The exhibition was held within the walled gardens at Abbotsford from Wednesday 13 to Sunday 17 May. 

Keep up to date with the artist

Sheena Stone (@auburnstitches), April 2026.