Coming SOON:
Stitching the Situation Story Network
We are dedicated to accessibility, and always seeking more ways to expand this project. We are building a network of artists and designers to partner with community members who have been deeply impacted by the pandemic. These individuals will share their stories, which will inspire designs—images that can be made into patterns for volunteers to stitch. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to follow our progress!
Stitching the Situation is a documentation of lives, not just data.
Collaborative creation provides a space for connection and healing.
This project is a creative response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. It offers something to touch amidst physical isolation, and a way to acknowledge the impact this virus has had on our world.
The piece has acted as a vigil, holding space for those suffering from the virus, caring for the ill, or working in essential jobs under great stress, as well as a real-time archive of individual experiences during the pandemic. It’s also a memorial to the thousands who have died.
There’s so much to grieve, so much we have lost.
Stitching and creating offers quiet, meditative time to grieve. Working textiles alongside others is an ancient tradition, one that can soothe grief and loss by repetitive physical movements handling soft materials. The patterns created record the past and present, making some sense and structure out of chaos and conflicting emotions, in order to communicate and preserve these narratives for the future. It is an act of hope.
Stitching the Situation invites people from all over the country to stitch as a collaborative way to heal our communities. When the crisis has passed, we will have much to reckon with.
See how this project came about, and hear some testimonials from participants: