Craft Builds Community

Image courtesy Marta Kochanek

Someone once said to me that you can see a lot of the world from a bar stool.  I think that you can see and learn a lot about the world if you can use a needle and thread.  Learn to stitch and you will be able to travel the world, people will always need things fixed.  Learn to stitch and you can travel the world using stitching as a language.  Learn to stitch and you can sit quietly anywhere in the world with a little piece of home.

A needle is true global citizen, recognised everywhere.  But how did I start my journey as a stitch innovator?

After bidding on a box of embroidery transfers I opened it to find that it contained a whole woman's life in knitting and stitching patterns, from her going away outfit to baby bootees and school uniforms through to home improvements and then back to more modern patterns for baby matinee jackets for her grandchildren. This unknown woman had spent her whole life using her skills to create love, a true artist. I decided to look further into "home crafts" and found a whole load of women artists who did not see themselves as such because "it is just something I do". Keen to banish the word "just" from every woman's vocabulary I focussed in on tapestry needlepoint as a way to do it! Learning from unfinished second-hand tapestry's and taking advice from Wendy at One Off Needlepoint I created my first kit.  What I loved and still do about kits is that the design will always be mine but the art belongs to the stitcher.

I love a good story! I enjoy listening to peoples lives, when you meet someone new you only see what they are now.  We all have lots of tales to tell, things that have shaped us.  Using stitch I have worked with many different communities learning their stories, creating large scale tapestry pieces where everyone is valued and every contribution recorded.  Sharing a skill is important to me but so is having the time to sit and listen. 

I have used my needle in care homes, with community groups, for bereavement and for holding spaces.  My latest work looks at how stitch can be used in creative health on a one to one basis using my stitch tool Connect More.

Here's my why!

A needle can bridge gaps in language and care

What about my what?

I use a needle as a meeting place for conversation and care

How do I do it?

By creating bespoke art projects that tell stories and listen quietly