Anne Brooke
At the start of 2020 I have decided I want to do some stitching every week just for the love of stitching and a break from everyday life. I set myself the challenge of a long piece of fabric attached to a bobbin and I planned on giving myself a theme each month. I also wanted to video my progress and share with other via YouTube. Little did i know what was going to happen last year and how many people would also join in the project.
Anne Brooke
I have quite a large 'stash' of fabrics so decided to try and use what I had, rather than buying new items. In the majority of my work I try to up-cycle as much as I can. It was good to challenge myself and use things I had.There was a colour theme to the hanging as well.
There were a variety of themes and tasks. The piece is all hand stitched using a range of stitches, appliques, suffolk puffs, paper piecing, embellishing with different things and adding text.
To start with this was all about my own mindfulness and having a breather in the week, but over the year it grew into a world wide project with people from all over the world taking part. It made me feel part of a huge community and I loved the idea that even though we were in lockdown there were others stitching and sharing their work.
The hanging was meant to take the whole year but I completed it by June. People asked me to carry on with the #sew4thesoul project so I began a fabric book too. This followed the same idea of me given themes for each of the double pages. Again this was to take to the end of the year and then we went into lockdown 3. So #the 12 pages of Christmas' began with a mini book in a tin to finish the year off.
I loved the online community, and from the messages I have received from people to thank me for the project and how it has seen them through a very difficult and trying year. So 2021 has another challenge called #52tagshannemade. This is a mini piece of work each week following my prompts, presented on a tag. On the back of the tag you are encouraged to write something that has happened that week, a quote so it becomes a record of a year that hopefully is going to end in a more positive way.
The project has gone worldwide with people working on their own, online with friends and sharing with others. This idea of a stitching community working all over the world has been the highlight of my year and I always look forward, each week, to seeing the amazing work that is being done by others.
You can see all the videos on my YouTube channel - Anne Brooke textile artists
Follow #sew4thesoul #sew4thesoulhannemade #12pagesofchristmas #52tagshannemade to see the work done by others on instagram
