May 2024

I have donated three bundles to be bought or auctioned off with funds going towards a GFM for a family who have escaped Gaza to Egypt but now have urgent and expensive medical bills to cover. If they aren’t claimed (which you can do via commenting on this instagram post) they will be auctioned off from the 3rd of June by Auction4GazanFamily. I hope that we can raise some money to go towards this families medical bills, no one should have to worry about money on top of all the other trauma they have been through. 

The first bundle includes a School of Heart Embroidery Colouring Book with 11 designs printed on A4 calico plus instructions. Plus screen printed tote bag, patch x 2, sticker sheet, assorted stickers x 5, black thread, needle, embroidery hoop, pencil, screen printed pouch, 2 designs printed on A5 calico, postcards x 4 and pocket mirrors x2. 

The second bundle, of which there are two, include a screen printed tote bag, patch x 2, sticker sheet, assorted stickers x 5, black thread, needle, embroidery hoop, pencil, screen printed pouch, 5 designs printed on A5 calico, postcards x 4 and pocket mirrors x2.

Nakba is the Arabic word for Catastrophe and it is used to encompass the ethnic cleansing, displacement and genocide forced on the people of Palestine in order for the creation of Israel. Nakba Day is recognised on the 15th May and started on that day in 1948. Ever since, Palestinians have been violently displaced from their homes across the land. What is happening today and since October 7th (and long before) is the continuation of the Nakba. The Nakba is not a historic event, it is an ongoing, current process. I am sharing these infographics which show side by side the historical and the current Nakba in the hopes of education and holding space for Palestinians who have had so much of their lives and histories erased, stolen and denied. 

As I have shared, since March I have been making Tatreez (Palestinian embroidery) cards for my loved ones. May is the month of Adem’s birthday. Facebook memories reminded me of his birthday 11 years ago where we did a bouncy castle in his garden, it rained soooo much but we had a great time. I feel blessed to call A my friend and wanted to make him a card with a bird on it, to remind him of Pond Life and all the times we chilled in conway looking at the pond (represented by the blue thread) and the birds cruising by and nature doings its thing. His favourite colour is lilac so I used that as the majority of the thread, including the colour variation ones I love using. This design is called Shakla Al Tayr (Bird) and is from Ramallah, Palestine. 

We had planned to go to Fenton House, Hampstead for ages, so it was nice to finally go. The National Trust volunteer said that the house was relatively small compared to all the massive stately homes, with not one single notable family who owned it. It was built in the 1600s and given to the National Trust in 1952 by Lady Binning, who was a collector and came from a family of collectors. A previous owner had a large collection of keyboards and harpsichords, some of which were really beautifully decorated with paintings.  Some of the porcelain and ceramics I personally wasnt even really a fan of but seeing things in organised cabinets and displays is super satisfying and pleasing to my soul. At one point the house was even used as a Doctors Practice, so many different kinds of people lived there over the years. I enjoyed that there were lots of embroideries from around the 1600s displayed on the walls, mostly stunning floral arrangements but also others with humans, buildings and animals. The property is set on one acre of land, with the gardens comprised of an orchard, a kitchen garden, a sunken garden and mown lawn which used to  be a tennis court with beautiful flower beds all around the edges. Walking through the orchard, with a wildflower meadow below, with the sun shining down was spectacular and made me grateful for life. We decided to go get some sandwiches to  take back to the gardens, which we enjoyed on a bench in the shade. I felt so happy to share this day with my parents, and grateful that we enjoy many of the same hobbies.

As i mentioned in last months newsletter, on the 30th of April, we went for our first swim together. My new years goal was to swim more this year so even though it took me four months to finally start Im proud of myself. We have gone every week since then, so I have swam five weeks in a row. My body and soul is so happy for it. Before I loved embroidery, I loved swimming, and I was really good at it. I swam competitively for my local borough (as you can see from the variety of medals pictured) until I was about 13. Im confident in my technique and abilities in the pool, so it was truly good for my mental and physical health to get back to it regularly. Because in the pool your body is supported by water it is much easier for me to move and feel good in my chronic pain riddled body. I like the satisfaction and fatigue I feel afterwards, its so much better than being fatigued from drying my hair or lifting up my duvet. Im going to keep pacing myself as I dont want to push my body too hard with swimming, stretching, chiropractor treatment and trying to walk more. I’ll probably repeat it but it is so hard to be motivated to move your body when your base level is pain. It is so hard to push yourself when you are in constant pain, but I guess if I dont try my mobility and flexibility will continue to get worse as I have felt decline over the past 5 years. It feels nice to reconnect to my body in the water. My body isnt my enemy, even if it does cause me constant pain. We are a team and I’ll try to do my best. My goal is to try to swim twice a week and maybe even join Mum in her aqua-aerobics classes she just started. 

We went to the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow because Dad heard there is a Japanese Folk Art exhibition on. Here is the text which introduced the exhibition:

“ART WITHOUT HEROES MINGEI

The Japanese word Mingei* is translated as 'folk craft. A shortening of minshüteki kögei (crafts for ordinary people), it was first used in 1925 by the art critic and philosopher Yanagi Setsu, alongside the potters Hamada Shoji and Kawai Kanjiro.** Drawing on a range of sources including Zen Buddhism and William Morris's Arts and Crafts movement, Mingei admirers found true beauty in everyday objects, crafted by hand, using natural materials, and by anonymous makers. Mingei refers both to these crafted objects, and the movement that grew up around their manufacture, appreciation and display.

Yanagi believed that the traditional objects of everyday life could counteract

Japan's rapid industrialisation and Westernisation. He argued that the maker's anonymity — in contrast to the signature of the artistic 'hero' - ensured the spiritual purity and beauty of these objects.

Mingei is based on the harmony between people, objects and their surroundings. This exhibition also raises questions about colonial histories, the nature of labour, and the place of individual creative practice within mass production. Through the lens of Yanagi's remarkable ideas, it considers the value of everyday making and the connection between the objects we use and the people who make them.

MINGEI'S ORIGINS

Handmade objects are at the heart of the Mingei movement. From the 1910s, Yanagi Setsu (1889- 1961) and his associates began collecting folk craft made by unrecorded artisans. Although most craft exists within economic networks of some kind, Yanagi believed that truly authentic Mingei objects were made and used by rural communities uncorrupted by commerce.

Mingei advocates found these crafts in the less economically developed regions of Japan, including the poor north-eastern Tohoku area, and in Korea, which had been colonised by the Japanese in 1910. The arts of these regions also provided inspiration for the educated, urban makers of the Mingei movement, who developed their own practice in the spirit of these historic crafts.”

I thought that the celebration of the anonymous maker as a sign of lacking some sort of ego was really interesting because in the West, and especially within the fields of craft and textiles, the anonymous maker is seen as a negative thing. A place where the maker (usually a woman and usually poor) was completely ignored and their labour taken advantage of (usually for the benefit of whatever rich person was commissioning the object). The buyer was more important than the maker. I have been to a historic embroidery exhibition which had a whole section dedicated to the idea of the anonymous maker and all their labour which goes uncredited to this day. I do get where the Mingei Movement is coming from though, they wanted the object to be appreciated as a beautiful, practical object, they didnt want to glamourise it with further information about the maker. I still fall on the side of wanting to praise the makers but thats just my opinion. 

My Grandma lived in Japan for a year in her childhood and her parents collected a lot of art and objects from that time. We are surrounded by much of it now in our house, beautiful prints, small wooden models of people, miniature ceramics and metalwork too. Grandma taught me about Wabi-Sabi which is about appreciating the beauty of imperfections in life and nature, which is connected to Kintsugi, the art of repairing broken pottery with gold or metalic mixture. We saw such examples in the first room in the exhibition. We got emotional while we walked around because if Grandma didnt have Alzheimers she probably would have been the person who told us this exhibition was on, she would have loved everything about it. I miss seeing art with her, discussing exhibitions and the world. 

It was a great opportunity to see a wider range of Japanese objects including garments, shoes, room partitions, wall hangings, ceramics, prints, wooden carvings and photographs. I loved how the objects were displayed in custom made display cabinets and plinths made of concrete and some kind of straw. It gave a really raw feel to the displays which worked perfectly with the objects and theme of the whole exhibition. 

We also watched some of the supporting documentary videos which were showing alongside the exhibition, many were footage from the 1950s about ceramics going into detail about how to clay was produced, mechanics of the process in rural towns as well as painting and finessing the final ceramics. The exhibition is on until the 22nd of September so if you are in London definitely go check it out. 

While in Walthamstow I wanted to check out some mosaics projects, one of which I had seen years ago as I was walking by with my friend Kate. They were both created and facilitated by Maud Milton who works with communities on different projects for their local area. The first set we saw were located on Church Hill, outside Walthamstow School for Girls, in collaboration with students and local community members. TheRe were twelve mosaics inspired by William and May Morris, and their love of nature. These mosaics are so beautiful and detailed, with mirrors, printed tiles as well as normal mosaic tiles comprising these mesmerising nature scenes. After we looked at them we had a short walk around St Mary’s Church which had stunning flowers and sunlight dappling amongst the trees. 

On our way home we left Walthamstow via Blackhorse Road tube station which featured 16 TfL inspired mosaics. I love public art, public transport AND mosaics so I was so happy walking around and looking at all the details. You can see how much love and pride was put into these by the local community. Mum was really excited to show me these (Josh had a gig around the corner which is how Mum saw them first). Here is what the infographic said about this project: 

“At this station you will find a series of mosaic roundels - one large and 15 small - that each have a bespoke design. These roundels were assembled in 2020 and 2021 using individual ceramic tiles created by over 500 people from the local community, including station staff and their families. They reflect a wide spectrum of collective and individual creative expression on the themes of place, identity, home, travel, hope and love.

Each roundel contains multiple clay tiles with hidden messages that reflect local history, community, culture and creativity.

The mosaics are mounted in stainless steel frames made at Blackhorse Workshop. Every time you visit the station, you can find new things in these roundels.

The roundel project was created by Maud Milton and Artyface Community Art. It was commissioned with seed funding by William Morris Big Local and is a partnership with the London Borough of Waltham Forest, TfL and Taylor Wimpey.”

Roberta Cummings put a call out for contributors to a Community Quilt which will be auctioned off for Makers4Palestine.  This design originates in Palestine, and can be seen in many Tatreez patterns. Roberta translated the design into a quilt block pattern which 56 makers have made, and when put together with three others, create a Moon of Bethlehem design. All these blocks will be put together and turned into one quilt. It was really beautiful to be part of this project, as well as group chat where although I didnt contribute much, I appreciated the sense of love and community in there. People offered advice, encouragement, as well as scraps for others to use. There was a sense of tenderness and care for the purpose of creating this quilt, which is to raise money for various Palestinian Aid Organisations as well as individual GFM campaigns. 

I chose a liberty fabric which i recently bought, I was moved by the representations of houses and trees. Simple things which make life liveable, but things which have been completely destroyed in Gaza. All across Palestine, their land, farms and houses have been stolen and destroyed too, not just the rubble covered Gaza. Everyone deserves shelter, and nature is part of life, its inseparable. So I chose that fabric as the base and then picked out greens, turquoise, blues and pinks from it, deciding on both tie dye and paisley bandanas which I mixed with my classic calico. We were asked to embroider our initials into the corner. I’m sure I will share the final result when I see it alongside more information about the auction when possible. For the time being you can see pictured how, when four blocks are put together they create a Moon of Bethlehem design, and when 4 of those blocks are put together you can see the Star of Bethlehem design! This stunning example was made by Roberta and will also be auctioned off, her stitching is so beautiful. Roberta recently shared a genius tip for quilting which is to purchase a 1/4 inch seam foot! She also told me to measure the actual size of my seams, I hadnt thought to do that as I usually freestyle my work with no measurements. This doesn’t work when you are contributing to a community quilt as they need to be to specific sizes To all go together in the end!