I Hold What is Mine is an act of solidarity and connection with women before me, women who guided me to learn and love the art of needlework. I turned to sewing following the passing of my mum in 2018, and needlework has become my means to forge a connection between my past and present. Through collecting visual fragments of my mother’s time on earth and combining them with my embroidery, I aim to honour her memory and consolidate our relationship. Through delving into the history of needlework I have found that the hierarchy of art versus craft – the way in which needlework has been considered ‘womens work’ and embroidery as autobiography – has shaped my understanding of where my project lives within these discourses. I Hold What is Mine aims to trace the past with lines of the present through sewing with needle and thread.
