I received an email today thanking me for my input to post-covid research. It made me consider the long term influences Covid had on my life.
One of the long term effects has been my renewed interest in stitching and my new found journey into journaling.
I’ve often said: “Alone is not lonely”. However, during the isolation of Covid that was not always an easy mantra. Fortunately, I had neighbours on either side of me, also confined be age restrictions, and we met “across the barricades”, sitting in our own gardens but chatting across the walls.
Luckily, I discovered some on-line groups who were looking for projects that would bring people together ‘virtually’ to share common interests.
Katherine’s Cloth Tales, Daniela’s Stitch a Year and Kim’s World Wide Stitching were my favourite groups and I’ve stuck with them since.
Katherine (K3n) organised a quilt/stitch journal. I had never quilted before and loved the challenge of piecing fabric together in a block. This year, K3n, undertook to guide us through a weekly Self Care mixed media Journal and a monthly Coverlet of Comfort. Having just gone through th trauma of a break-up and a house move, she introduced the group to her new home with a Friday discussion, Park Life, on her own work. The Mixed Media idea was so new to me that I was less than enthusiastic at the start, but was won over and now just love the literary themed weekly paint/collage work.
Here is an April piece, based on Resilience which combined my first attempts at transferring images and fabric collage.
Wednesday’s coverlet work is a stitching project based on a variety of stitch techniques and themes of family, friends and important aspects of life.
I did not want a coverlet as I had just started to use a knitted coverlet, made some years ago from knitting magazine and based on monthly symbolisms.
I decided to take K3n’s themes and use them for a journal. Here is March’s theme – places that give me joy. Here is my representation through weave of the Wicklow mountains, streams, heather and gorse (and a little sheep motif in the corner).
Rather than have a third project, I used some of the ideas from Park Life, again using stitching, for the reverse of each of the journal pages. Here is a patchwork piece – K3n’s love of patchwork is always evident. I’ve added a red circle of friendship
Daniela gives her group a WORD prompt a month, the word inspiring a stitched journal page. STAMPS was this month’s prompt and I chose to use the Send a Hug stamp to illustrate the theme, fitting as it also evolved from a Covid need for virtual contact.
Lastly Kim’s Stitch Camp: this group evolved from a free class offered by Joe and Sam’s Stitch Club during Covid. We painted fabric and then cut it up for a collage. Kim suggested a bird theme for our pictures which we then exchanged with a partner. This SWAP idea grew and there are now hundreds of textile artists connecting with each other across the globe two to three times a year. I am now one of the facilitators helping with the swapping activities of a small group. Here are examples of our most recent swap “GO FOR GOLD”- my golden hare and Jeni’s 3D golden flower.
We have completed 13 swaps and I keep these wonderful pieces of textile art produced by the loveliest and most talented people in an ART JOURNAL.
