Mending as a metaphor
I completed a miniature tapestry recently about metaphorically healing, using the fabric of the tapestry as a stand-in for fabric that can be repaired. The focus was on two traditional Japanese techniques – boro, clothing mended over and over again using sashiko running stitches and…
Boro/Kintsugi
A few years ago, I mended an existing ragged prayer rug using gold linen thread to address the topic of Islamophobia. (Blog article qv: https://joannesoroka.co.uk/how-to-make-a-tapestry-about-islamophobia/) The idea was to highlight the mending process, not to hide it, in the same way that those who…
Foraging for Tapestries
I have loved collecting wild food all my life, starting as a small child with wild strawberries and blueberries. When I discovered the books Stalking the Wild Asparagus and Food for Free in the 1970s, I broadened my searches to include plants such as wintercress…