My mom was a maker (and long time rug hooker) and making things was her love language. A recent health crisis has brought up fresh grief for my mom. I have found myself wishing we had just one more conversation. I have created From Her Hands to Mine, the first in an Adornment series. It is a collection of wearable art. The intention of this piece is a healing piece for me, as if her love is helping to heal my heart.
I had a mild heart attack in early December 2024 and my recovery has not been smooth. I am creating this Adornment series of artwork as a way of adorning and thanking my body for healing. My intention is to create a warm, comforting layer of fabric in each of these pieces. It will be like creating a nourishing boundary from the base of my throat, over my heart and into my solar plexus.
From Her Hands to Mine is created completely with materials left over from my mother’s 40+ years of rug hooking. It is a necklace with large loops of cording cascading across the chest with an insert that contains fabric strips interwoven through triple crochet posts. On the fabric is this letter of thanks written to my mom.
Dear Mom,
Since my heart attack I’ve been missing you. Wishing we had time for one more conversation. Thank you for being a maker and for instilling in me a love of making things. I realize now that making was your love language.
I’m so happy to be using your wool strips to make a healing piece of art. It’s as if you are helping to heal my heart. That you are with me.
Now I am a maker. And making art is helping me to move forward and to heal. I’m so grateful for your gifts.
It has been such a pleasure to create this healing piece from my mom’s leftover wool rug hooking strips.
Look at my Gallery for other artwork. Stay tuned for more pieces in the Adornment series of wearable art.
