Neneh Cherry: ‘Looking at my mother’s art breaks my heart’

• When I was a child, my mother Moki Cherry liked to work close to the floor. Her sewing machine perched on a low table, the legs sawn down. She’d sit there, fabric spilling everywhere, the machine working away as she made tapestries, our clothes, bags to pack for our travels around the world. The Singer’s rhythmic hum was like a lullaby, a calm nightlight over her late-night sewing sessions. The sound covered me like a security blanket and soothed me to sleep. I have a distinct memory of my mothe