Mother's Day Project
I'm still having problems uploading photos to Blogger so we'll have to go with large font words today. I found Anne Landre's site by listening to a podcast on Craft Sanity on my lunch hour yesterday.
This description of The Mother's Day Project's beginnings was written in early May, 2007. Since that time, more female Coalition members have been killed in Iraq and their names have been added to the work taken on by more than 160 individual stitchers.
This description of The Mother's Day Project's beginnings was written in early May, 2007. Since that time, more female Coalition members have been killed in Iraq and their names have been added to the work taken on by more than 160 individual stitchers.
We will continue this project, this endeavor to awaken our sensibilities to the reality of war and the lives lost in Iraq - the soldiers, the women, the men, the Iraqis, the children and all its victims - until this war has ended.
She has enlisted volunteer stitchers to stitch the names of female soldiers who have lost their lives in the war in Iraq. She's assembling these names stitched on muslin into a tote bag, now two bags actually with future projects to come, unfortunately.
Why a tote? Because I want something utilitarian. Something that will go out into the world every day as a reminder of this horrible loss, made more horrible as people recognize that these names represent only a very small portion of the human toll this war has taken. And, for every volunteer who contributes a stitched name, I will send the tote to you. Put it to use. Take it to the market, keep it in your mini-van as you drive your kids to school. Stuff it with your knitting. A week. Two. Whatever seems right to you.
You can learn more about the project by clicking on the words above or the button to the right.
After listening to her interview yesterday, I emailed her to volunteer. She wrote back a few hours later asking if I could be a relief stitcher - meaning filling in for someone who was unable to meet their original obligation - and stitch a name right away. Only then did I realize that realistically, with 6 craft shows in October & November, I wouldn't be able to devote my attention to this as it deserves. So I told her, after thinking it through, that I would be more than happy to do whatever she needs me to do, after November 19.
I noticed she has two donation opportunities on her website but for other organizations. I asked if I could make a donation to her, to help with postage. She declined, saying she'd prefer people donate to one of the organizations listed on her site. So I did.
Anne said she'd keep me on her list for later and I'm putting it on my calendar to contact her after November 19 to see if there's still stitching to be done. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this war is going to end any time soon so I think we'll be stitching for a good long time to come. Years probably.
I know I have a bunch of talented readers so I wanted to pass this site along. You don't have to be a top notch stitcher. She sends you a piece of muslin with the name transferred onto it, so all you have to do is trace the name with thread, pretty much.
Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood, who interviewed Anne for her CraftSanity podcast, found herself very caught up in the soldier's name she was stitching. This seems to be pretty typical, from what Anne said. People research their soldier, get to know them a little bit and think about them and the family they left behind, while stitching.
.
Why a tote? Because I want something utilitarian. Something that will go out into the world every day as a reminder of this horrible loss, made more horrible as people recognize that these names represent only a very small portion of the human toll this war has taken. And, for every volunteer who contributes a stitched name, I will send the tote to you. Put it to use. Take it to the market, keep it in your mini-van as you drive your kids to school. Stuff it with your knitting. A week. Two. Whatever seems right to you.
You can learn more about the project by clicking on the words above or the button to the right.
After listening to her interview yesterday, I emailed her to volunteer. She wrote back a few hours later asking if I could be a relief stitcher - meaning filling in for someone who was unable to meet their original obligation - and stitch a name right away. Only then did I realize that realistically, with 6 craft shows in October & November, I wouldn't be able to devote my attention to this as it deserves. So I told her, after thinking it through, that I would be more than happy to do whatever she needs me to do, after November 19.
I noticed she has two donation opportunities on her website but for other organizations. I asked if I could make a donation to her, to help with postage. She declined, saying she'd prefer people donate to one of the organizations listed on her site. So I did.
Anne said she'd keep me on her list for later and I'm putting it on my calendar to contact her after November 19 to see if there's still stitching to be done. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this war is going to end any time soon so I think we'll be stitching for a good long time to come. Years probably.
I know I have a bunch of talented readers so I wanted to pass this site along. You don't have to be a top notch stitcher. She sends you a piece of muslin with the name transferred onto it, so all you have to do is trace the name with thread, pretty much.
Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood, who interviewed Anne for her CraftSanity podcast, found herself very caught up in the soldier's name she was stitching. This seems to be pretty typical, from what Anne said. People research their soldier, get to know them a little bit and think about them and the family they left behind, while stitching.
.
Labels: Fun Stuff I Found Online
posted by Stefani at 6:34 AM
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