The #patchoflove project is a direct, personal response to
the third lockdown. I know that many
people are finding things really tough; the weather is bad; the novelty and
fear of the first lockdown has well and truly gone; new variants and initial doubts
of when any of us would get the jabs (and would they work?) seemed to build anxiety
and uncertainty. I am married to a front
line NHS worker who at least three times a week was up on the ITU at the QE
Hospital in Birmingham, the busiest ITU in the UK, dressed up like an astronaut,
and I can see in real terms the effect that a year of pressure can do to someone.
But I am an embroiderer. Yes I could do something for the local foodbank or support my elderly neighbour like another human being (and I do) but I wanted to find a way to use this specialist skill in a positive way. On the first lockdown I hung a quilt in my front window declaring ‘Stay Safe’. Now many of you will know that I am a recent convert to Northern Soul and before the pandemic had begun to collect the fabric patches associated with the genre; I had begun to make my own and signing off my quilts with a defiant fist holding a pair of scissors with the caption ‘Quilter ‘til I Die’ reminiscent of a Northern Soul patch.
I had begun to play around with a ‘Stay Safe, Stay Strong’
message on one of my patches before I was in the audience for the In
conversation between Craftspace’s Deirdre Figueiredo and the legendary Craftivist
Betsy Greer. I was familiar with Craftivism
and Betsy’s work but hadn’t really given it considered thought relating to my
practice before. And it was a light bulb
moment. I could make a patch telling people
to Stay safe and Stay strong and give them to people who might be struggling in
some way
And well that’s what I did.
I had some technical problems as I was embroidering in a way that I hadn’t
before but after a couple of trials, I think that’s been sorted.
And so I have begun to leave them in spaces where I think
that someone who might appreciate the equivalence of a pat on the back or a socially
distanced hug because they are low. Entrances to hospitals and bus stops seem like good starting points. I
know that it’s a small, tiny gesture and I am sure some will think that it’s a waste
of my time, but do you know what its makes me feel that I am doing something
and its my time to waste.
If you don’t think I am wasting my time please DM me through
Twitter or Instagram @karinaworld2
Thanks for reading. Keep the Faith
