More Stitches

I recently heard about another stitching project. 25 million stitches. ONE STITCH FOR EACH OF 25 MILLION REFUGEES

Jennifer Kim Sohn asked What do 25.9 million people look like? and then set out to answer as she grappled with the enormity of the world’s refugee crisis. 25 million people across the globe have been forced to flee their homelands as a consequence of genocide, war, poverty, natural disasters, targeted violence, and other grave threats.

Sohn began asking volunteers to hand stitch on fabric panels. thousands of embroidered panels, each representing 100 refugees. The final result will be displayed in a 2020 exhibit that will coincide with World Refugee Day on June 20. 

The two objectives of the project are:

1. To engage as many people as possible to raise awareness of the global refugee crisis and

2. To amass 25 million stitches to visually represent the sheer volume of this astronomical figure of refugees.

So, as this is also something that is heavy on my heart, I decided to join in on the project. Something that can keep my hands occupied, as well as helping to raise awareness.

Shoeboxes

A couple photos of our shoeboxes which will be going to Samaritan’s Purse for Operation Christmas Child.

We have collected over 30 boxes...some still to come.

24,000 - 21 -27 October

India-
Day 300- 24,000 people noted.
Each bead stands for 1 person.
The 24,000 is complete!

 The next 65 days (as this is my daily project) I will be using beads to spell out words like India, Faith, Christians, etc.

I didn’t crop this photo because I wanted to give you a sense of scale. 

I tried to get a bit more of the sparkle in these photos. 

This work acknowledges 24,000 individuals - Indian Christians who were physically attacked in one year because of their faith.
I have stitched 80 beads each day for 300 days - 10 beads in each small square eight times.

Something on Saturday

Treasure 33

And the ‘car’ I made the following year. An accessory to the sewing machine made to hold bobbins.

This week’s project

Our church is collecting in shoe boxes, soon, for the Operation Christmas Child appeal. So I have been making some warm scarves for our boxes.

I had fleece left from workshops I did at the Birch Hill library, rediscovered in recent sorting.

These are for the girls

Layer two scarf size pieces and stitch ribbon and trims down the centre. Then cut from edge to the centre about 1in/2cm intervals to make the frilly edge. Be sure not to catch the ribbons in the centre.

And these are for the boys.

I didn’t think they would appreciate frilly scarves, though it is a bit of fun. So I remembered I had a scalloped edge rotary cutter blade. It was too hard to get the layers of fleece cut with a straight edge blade as it somehow ended up raggedy. But I wanted something to finish it nicely. And the scallops work well without being girly.

See Change - I see you

Recently our small church took part in an advocacy project organised by Open Doors which raises awareness of gender based violence and sexual violence in conflict. It takes the place of a large banner petition made up of squares of white fabric with the words ‘I See You’ and a signature.
@opendoorsuk #iseeyou #seechange.

Many of the squares of fabric will be sewn together into a series of two-metre banners that will hang in Westminster Abbey’s Chapter House from 17-24 November 2019
 The Handmade Petition: I See You coincides with the conference of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI), part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The petition will be submitted to the government at that time.
Perhaps you could visit the installation at Westminster Abbey!

At the last counting, over 13,000 squares have been received! Here are some quick photos of our pieces. It was near the deadline, so I didn’t get proper photos. They are stacked, so there is some show through.

;

Finally, the lace dress!

Last week I finished the log awaited light blue lace dress. I have worked out that I started this about 2 years ago! There were several aspects that I had to get my head around because I was lining it. Anyway, now it is done and I wore it yesterday...never mind it really is not an autumn dress!

It has eyelet circles, so after some cogitation, I cut the circles off for the hem in such a way to make it go wavy.
Forgive the creases, I had been sitting most of the morning in church and for an AGM.

24,000 - 13-19 October

India-
Day 292- 23,360 people noted.
Each bead stands for 1 person.

I am nearing 300 days, which is when the 24,000 will be completed. I finished the last point of the star, but had 12 days remaining. What to do to make it up to the number and still complement the design? I did quite a few number calculations and finally came up with a plan and pattern.

Using metallic and rocaille beads, I am surrounding the smaller points of the star.

It is working to bring a bit of sparkle which compares with the larger points. I have used a different method of stitching to make a little upright shape. Not a loop and not a stack.

Basically when going back down into the centre of the sequin, I catch one of the beads on the middle of the pattern and the one at the bottom. It makes a bit of a squiggle.

This work acknowledges 24,000 individuals - Indian Christians who were physically attacked in one year because of their faith.

I am stitching 80 beads each day for 300 days - 10 beads in each small square eight times.

Something on Saturday

Treasure 32

This was my ‘car’ one year for the club we helped with.

Current project

I finally finished a dress I started over a year ago. A couple things I had to think through , but also life things to go through.
I didn’t want to start something else til it was done.
Will show a photo soon. I need to take one!

This is what I am doing now.

Making a blouse from fabric I got at Knitting and Stitching last year. Diligent Hands was the vendor. I have a few options for what I want to do on the white section.
Don’t ask me what is going on in the back. Still working on redeeming that idea.
(I must have been listening to a tearful part of Anne of Green Gables!).

24,000 - 6-12 October

It was a very busy weekend, so I didn’t get this photo posted, though I did take it.

India-
Day 285- 22,800 people noted.
Each bead stands for 1 person.

Nearly done with the last point of the star shape.

This work acknowledges 24,000 individuals - Indian Christians who were physically attacked in one year because of their faith.

I am stitching 80 beads each day for 300 days - 10 beads in each small square eight times.

Something on Saturday

Treasure 31

Another small sewing machine.

This one we bought in Holland. I was interested that it was made in the USSR. This one works even less than the one from my grandmother. The parts inside are of aluminium and so bend very easily.

Road Repairs-finish!

The backing and binding have been put on. The statement written. And parcelling sorted.
Now it is on the way to its destination.

Road Repairs

Some years ago, I heard about young boys being used to repair roads. In one image a rather large car was in the distance. It made me think about the boy. If he was using the tool to farm, perhaps it would not be such a concern. But being employed for low pay to work on the potholes for a dirt road? This lad (and many other child labourers) stick in my mind. So, it is time to raise awareness of what happens ‘on the road’ in some places.

What bothered me was that he now is denied education. His work doesn’t benefit his family or himself, because except for the minimal wage he earns, the benefit is for the rich to be able drive their expensive cars without damage. Where are the men who run these crews? What effort do they put into the work? Who pays for any injuries? What about the future? He will most likely face back problems and breathing difficulty as a result of exposure to dust and hard manual work.

Something must change.

Materials: cotton, variegated threads and crochet cotton, felt, fabric pen

Techniques: Free hand stitch and embroidery, appliqué, drawing

Road Repairs-the lad

And so the boy has been built.
I sketched him out and then cut the sketch apart to use as a pattern.

And here he is.

Road Repairs

Some of my quiet here has been due to being busily stitching on my piece for the Contemporary Quilt Suitcase collection. As you may know, I have taken part for the last three collections.. The theme of this one is On the Road. I am using this theme to make a piece inspired by an image I saw showing a young lad of school age repairing pot holes in a dirt road.

So, now I have finished the background.

Next, to make the lad.

24,000 - 29 September- 5 October

India-
Day 278- 22,240 people noted.
Each bead stands for 1 person.

Working on the last point of the star shape.

This work acknowledges 24,000 individuals - Indian Christians who were physically attacked in one year because of their faith.

I am stitching 80 beads each day for 300 days - 10 beads in each small square eight times.

Something on Saturday

Now onto my little sewing collection over the next several weeks..

Treasure 31

This child’s sewing machine was given to me by my grandmother. I can’t get it to work properly, but I don’t mind just looking at it.