Chat, connect and share.  This was the objective of this project using needle, thread and paper as the catalysts.

The history of a society or an individual can be told through textiles, and these narratives may not be present in other historical records. The only trace of a life lived may be found on an embroidered piece of cloth.  Embroidery has enormous cultural significance being valued as an expressive medium in many cultures and becoming a storehouse of art and the emotions and history that can be associated with it.

This Guelph community project asked people to participate in a series of 6 free workshops that introduced embroidery stitches to those who had never stitched before and connect to learning from those who, if willing could share their stitching experiences. 

The substrate that was used was paper which is delicate and fragile, easily torn, pierced and mended.

Each workshop lasted 3 hours and started off with demonstrations and practice.  When participants were ready to venture into their own stitched designs, I will provide them with a piece of a print from my collection and encouraged them to stitch on it.  Then I worked at bringing all the pieces of the print back together and created a collaborative restoration of a work of art on paper.

In partnership with the Guelph Civic Museum who graciously donated the space and time for the workshops an exhibition was mounted to display the collaborative restored prints, crediting the workshop participants.