During September I worked on a project with my Mum in which we collaborated on a single square to be sent off as part of a bigger project called 'The Nationwide Skirt of Welcome'. The giant skirt is being made from many patchwork squares to welcome Little Amal (who is anything but little) to the UK and raise awareness for refugees - especially displaced children. If you want to know more, or to donate, please use the above links - at the very least you should check out the amazing puppeteering; I can tell you from first hand knowledge that working with these giants is not easy!
It was my Mum's idea to take part in the project but given my history with giant puppets I was happy to help! The theme of the skirt is British Flowers, so we decided to make a bluebell and dandelion applique and embroidered piece. I sketched out the design and we both worked on the actual making of the square. Here it is in its finished glory:
It ended up being a good representation of both of our styles; my big mid-century inspired shapes and my Mum's delicate handiwork and choice of colours. The background piece is actually a remnant from the
Threads of Narrative project that I took on a few years ago with Lisa Earley - Mum wasn't sure about such a dark colour but it really makes the lighter flower colours pop out so I think she came around in the end! It reminds me of our classic unpredictable British weather 😂
As you can see, it came out pretty close to my original sketch:
And here's a few close up details of the embroidery:
My favourite parts are the puffy 3D Dandelion clock and the bee! We even made it to the photo on
John Scott's Sewing World page:
It was fun to work on something with another person again, even though we worked separately for most of the creation we collaborated on the ideas, colours and finished look and I really like the finished square. It's sad that we don't get to keep it but it's really nice to be able to contribute in a small way to a very worthy cause. I can't wait to see Amal's skirt when it is all put together and on the puppet herself - the other squares look fantastic too!
Stay turned for more news soon! Sarah x
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