In my head I always think of the Japanese when I see how they bow. I love the humble nature of it and it sits well with the way I see my place in the world. So, if I may borrow a Japanese bow, I am sharing my final moments as project lead in community stitching on the beautiful island I call home.
Last weekend saw the first of what, I suspect, will be many sharings of an 8 metre panel containing 108 Stitched Stories. This project began just as we came out of lockdown years and has been three years in the making. The aim was to create 100 panels sharing the stories within our beloved Whiting Bay village hall. That aim was realised thanks to the commitment and dedication of the folk that joined this project. Each panel was at least A5 in size with many being larger. The first thing worthy of a note is the amount of work that went into producing the enomous stitched story. However, let me take you back slightly….
In 2019 the island began a tiny project called 52 Stitched Stories where members stitched a postcard once a week for 52 weeks or as many as life would allow. As this project took shape, in a cafe on the island, we gobbled cake, drank tea and figured out what this might look like as an excellent way to get through the winters that are long and dark on the island. You don’t live on a Scottish island for the sunshine. We met once a month in the cafe to gobble more cake, drink more tea and share our stitched postcards. It is probably true to say that most members had some experience of stitching but soon the project took us all off in fabulous journeys into felting, weaving and even knitting. We all found our place. This was not an ambitious project.
Some way into the year the creative folk over the water in West Kilbride got wind of the project and joined in expanding the brief to any medium. As 2019 turned into 2020 Covid arrived in all our lives and the project went online. Over on Arran we had finished our project but I had been gently sharing this over on the 52 Stitched Stories facebook page. I could not have predicted what came next. The project went viral and global in a matter of a few short weeks as folk scrambled for things to do in an attempt to stay calm during very troubling times. Communication shifted online and before I knew it I was running a global stitching project and I needed help. Charlotte and Judy stepped up and the three us travelled through lockdown supporting members by offering online workshops, meet ups and even whole courses. It changed the direction of my creative life. We exhibited the project in the autumn of 2022 in the Barony Centre in West Kilbride.
Once lockdown began to ease it was the time to archive this project as it belonged to its own time. A couple of days after archiving the project in comes an email from Barbara who I had worked with before on the island. What did I think of 100 Stitched Stories? Once the mad panic diminished when I realised she meant ‘between us’, not ‘each’ I could see the merits in the project and jumped on board.
Picture this. On launch day we popped a few chairs around a few tables and made a pot of tea expecting maybe a dozen folk (at the most) to come through the door. Some minutes later we were dragging chairs in from the larger hall, making many more pots of tea as the islanders came out in force. Dozens of folk turned up and we were a wee bit in shock as Barbara and I scrambled to outline the project. It was the first island wide project to be launched since the dark days of lockdown and we quickly understood how important this was. Folk wanted out of their houses. They wanted to meet face to face, share a cuppa and get excited about something. 100 Stitched Stories had birthed.
During the three years that followed a core group of keen folk grabbed hold of the project and clung into it and I quickly realised how many folk were new to stitching. Quickly, we put together a textile art workshop porgramme so we could all upskill. As the exhibition was hung on the wall I realised that no one would be able to tell who was relatively new to stitching and who was experienced. I consider this one of the triumphs of the project.
I am not going to lie. Running a stitching project over three years felt like a bit of a marathon at times and I needed to lean into a dear friend, Coral, to get across the line. We sat at 97 panels longer than felt comfortable and it took me over 7 hours to scan all the panels in to create an exhibition zine. The zine took days and days to put together while Coral and a team spent days and days mounting all the panels. We were tired by the time the exhbition opened.
That tiredness ebbed away and was replaced by tears of joy when we took a small step back and looked at what the community of stitchers had achieved. I am not sure any words would do justice to what this small island community has achieved and witnessed. It is an exhibition that not only tells the important story of 100 years of a beloved village hall but it tells a story of humanity. It is humanity that I want to be part of. There are lots of references to the tea or coffee pot and the cakes that have been consumed while folk spent time together creating, watching, learning, dancing and laughing. As a single panel it shares the breadth of textile art that is rarely seen in a single exhibition. The story outlines a sense of belonging and a recognition that supporting each other is the best of all missions as we travel through our lives.
Living on a small Scottish island can be beautiful but it can also be challenging and this story traces all of that through the language of stitch. Technically, I might have been project lead but I am absolutely sure that when I take my final bow as a community artist on the island my fellow stitchers will be right there with me.
To finish I want to dwell on the moments spent stitching. Sewing by hand (in particular) has been proven to lower the heart beat and release tension from the body. Time exhales with every stitch and before you know it you are immersed. You can start with simple running stitch and create simple line patterns and take it from there. You can plug into Youtube and extend your stitching library and, before you know it, you will be taking on creative projects that speak to a growing sense of wellness. Start with one postcard and see where it takes you. Swap stitched postcards with a friend. Swerve commercial greeting cards and stitch a cover for your next one. Stitch a small needle case to house your growing supply of needles. Go on ebay and buy a second hand sewing basket and unused threads. Create a small corner of your home just for stitching. Settle into your latest project and take a gentle look behind you. I am right by yourside. Why would I want to be anywhere else?
I give you 100 Stitched Stories and take this opportunity to thank my island friends who have stitched with me over many years. You are true treasures in a complex and, often, challenging world. Keep stitching. Meanwhile, online members of my Stillness Studio can expect a creative tag drop soon sharing my latest stitching project in case you want to join in. xxx
I would like to dedicate this final project to Marette. A friend made and sadly lost in the duration of this project. Coral and I finished her panels for her and they are in the exhibition. Of course they are.
About the author
I am a mixed media artist living on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. Here on Substack I write free content weekly focusing on seasonal creativity. I also run a paid subscription and as I write this I am about to open a new doorway. Through the other side will be a quiet, gentle space that will focus on the relationship between creativity and the meditative mind. The Stillness Studio will bring together my two teaching areas into one place and we shall wander along together working on creative tasks that speak well to the meditative mind. This, in turn, speaks well to our sense of physical and mental wellness.
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