The group started almost 25 years ago by 6 friends who wanted to be together. To laugh. To share ideas. To help others.
The patchwork, the textile art and the knitting came later. The needle arts were something to do together. Someone enjoyed those skills and wanted to share them with others. The group is not a guild.
It is a fabulous network of women who support each other and are open-minded when it comes to new initiatives. We do community work. Our efforts have supported women in many countries- Kenya, Lesotho, Georgia, India, Italy. We are 80 members this year. Enrolment in past years reached 120.
With International Women's Day that just passed (March 8), I was reminded that many women still experience violence against them. Women are denied education. Women can not be independent. Women are not respected.
I look at my life and the choices I and my daughters are able to make. I am grateful to live in Canada and to have raised my children here.
(Images taken from the Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto. Sujuni hanging entitled "Peaceful Collaboration After the World Without Men" (1990-2000), embroidered by 2 co-operatives in India. The work is inspired by group discussions about their makers' lived experiences and the conditions they hope to change.)
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| Approximate size 60" x 80" |
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