Stitching Stories

5 days have gone by and we have stitched and talked and sang songs and discovered each other in wondrous ways, because we worked with our hearts and our hands.

I am convinced that stitching brings out the best in us as people and that is coming together in the collaborative quilt.

We got everyone together and with Eva’s visual of the collaborative banyan tree in mind, we chose our squares and have begun to embroider.

Niju got us started with his symbol of a bridge. When we share our narrative stories, I hope we hear why, but for now it has brought perspective and colour together well. Bridges take us out of our comfort zone and bring us back. Perhaps stitching is that for him or the month of May has been.

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Tarini has stitched a bird. Distinct and pretty. Tarini is a bird, she is gentle, quiet, unique and clear about what she wants and likes. It has been a special journey stitching with her and discovering her as chose colours, threads and stitches. Birds are symbols of new opportunity and I look at the gift of having Tarini at the workshop as one such opportunity.

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Ashini, a flower. Unique in form and colour. I am so struck by Ashini’s specialness. She is singular in her choice of colour and composition, moves with grace and reminds me that the world is a beautiful space. Flowers have always symbolised beauty and love, Ashini brings that with her.

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Svetlana embroidered a butterfly , neat, delicate and pretty. Svetlana is a careful worker, but able to laugh, have fun and share openly. I see the butterfly and am struck by the quiet moments when her wings are shut and the open moments when she is talking and sharing. Svetlana like the butterfly is in the process of transformation and that is a precious time.

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Aditi is leaving us with a symbol of the Deathly Hallows from the J K Rowling books and I will have to await an interpretation of that one. But what I do know is that Aditi is very clear about what she wants to share, tell and represent and her clarity at this  age is empowering. Aditi might be telling us one of two things, that she wants to conquer all, as she unites the Hallows with her stitching or like Harry Potter she makes the choice to step away . Only Aditi knows.

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Krystal is stitching up a snail. Bright, beautiful colours going around in whirls. Stitching is not on Krystal’s list of 100 things to do, but she is doing it with a song on her lips and some joy and amazement in her heart and the snail will come along, I know that. Snails symbolise awareness and beginnings, so Krystal might well be stitching her way into many projects and soon!

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Megha is constructing a chameleon with many colours of his own. She might be discovering her own many colours as she meticulously cuts and crafts different swatches of fabric into a vibrant patch of chameleon. The chameleon knows for its adaptability and flexibility will probably be a powerful symbol for Megha as she begins her tenure with Bookworm.

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Neha laboured over her sketch. A happy dog emerging out of a home. I made suggestions for a quick applique / satin stitch brick wall and Neha said thank you. but no thank you!. How wonderful that is to hear, as it reminds me that although she is new to stitching, Neha has jumped into the project with both feet firmly on the ground and will stitch her way into the tree and us, quite purposefully, doing it her way. The dog as a symbol is for loyalty and faithfulness and I see that in Neha where her work and relationships are concerned.

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Francesca is stitching a beautiful sea horse. Her choice of colours on this patch, will be outstanding on the tree, a position that Francesca is finding she might want to claim in life. The seahorse from Norse and Greek mythology is a symbol of power and strength and those seem to be the positions Francesca takes at Bookworm during her internship.

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Shruti began with a symbol of peace and peace comes to us in many forms and so her needle is guiding her to turn it into a flower. The tree will be a bloom with so many flowers and in some way when Shruti looks at me and her eyes light up, my soul also comes into bloom. I am reminded to be peaceful.

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Krutika has only begun to do a book on her patch. I am yet to see more of that piece and await. Krutika is the newest intern to Bookworm and carefully we are learning about her as she is finding her voice and direction within the many patches that is Bookworm. Books have always represented a way of ‘knowing’ and I desire that Krutika spends her time with us, getting to know.

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Eva is working on a Mother snake, a universal theme of protection and also unpredictability. I think Mother because that is the nature of mothering. You want to protect, so the ‘seeds’ in the patch are a symbol of that and the use of a snake is there to remind us that this can get venomous. At this time, I am learning most from Eva’s patch and I must learn that protecting should not come at the cost of hurting anyone else, including oneself.

I, Sujata have chosen to do 3 leaves. They are symbolic of growth, a position I have actively chosen for myself, but I will stitch them in 3 colours recognising that I am a branch that is now seasoned and  yet continue to grow and have potential. My leaves will be both young, just right and ageing and I know that each leaf is an opportunity to become better and if that happens whilst I am stitching, the blessings of it all become multifold.

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We are stitching ourselves together on this banyan tree and that is a celebration of our stories.

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