Patch 100

PATCH MAKER: Natalie
LOCATION: Lewes
MESSAGE:
It was inspired by a plant I saw by the river Ouse in Lewes (a leaf of which I copied and is on my patch in the photo). I don’t know the plant’s name... I just know that nature has helped me make peace with and find myself... it has aided a long-standing inner migration from a place where life were very hard to one where it is much easier.
I used the darning needle of my long-departed and dearly loved Nan to sew this patch; darning and mending is the work of each generation and she did plenty. I included a little wool I inherited from her, I think she made me a cardigan with it when I was very small. The stem of the leaf is made with weaving wool I bought in my time in Chiapas Mexico and I often think how those rural communities are coping with climate change, how powerless they are and how powerful we are. I include my hopes for them here alongside my hopes for my children and all humanity as we face our greatest crisis. Finally I included some embroidery thread that I used for making friendship bracelets in the 90s back when they were fashionable. Friendship and fellowship have sustained me at times when all else has felt lost. We all need each other to sustain ourselves and to make change in the world - our safety and hope lie in each other.
This is my story and my patch and I am grateful for the chance to make it and to stitch it together with others’ patches and stories.