•Mending Our Souls • •Workshop •

• Mending Our Souls Workshop •

A few days ago, I led a workshop that focused on the way textiles are related to death, loss, and grief.

I asked participants to bring a piece of fabric that was sentimental to them. A piece of fabric the evoked a memory. Especially one that they associated with a loss they had experienced.

With additions from my personal fabric collection, everyone created miniature quilts or patches. The creation of these works acted as a way of ‘mending our souls’. I have talked to countless people that have stories about textiles that connect them to someone or something they’ve lost. I love hearing what people have made in response to a hardship. Our textiles hold stories. Our art holds stories.

During this workshop we created and shared together. One of the things I hope that participants took away with them was the knowing and assurance that creative and collective work is healing and that openness and sharing about loss can be more welcome than society often leads us to believe. In all the work I do, this is what I hope spreads like fire, with loving flames! 

Here mother and daughter worked together, alongside co-workers, masons, musicians, sons and fathers, burial basket weavers and coffin makers, brides, historical reenactors, basketball lovers, sewing novices and expert quilters. This list is inspired by observations and some of the sharing we did together. It reminds me, we are so many things! All of us.

Textiles are vessels for which to share, showcase, and celebrate all those parts!