A Christmas Tree Story

Most years, I decorate a huge Christmas tree with hundreds of ornaments and sparkles, but this year our tree is so different .... it is a small jade tree in a pot, decorated in soft colours .

The little tree is from a second generation cutting from my grandmother's jade tree, brought from Hong Kong, or so the family story claims. The baubles are frosted glass with our grandchildren's names on them, made by my daughter-in-law. I added a few little dolls also in pastels and I hung some felted balls . These little balls were made in Nepal, a couple of years ago at Seven Women, a centre which empowers marginalised Nepalese women through education and employment. There is a single wooden star resting on the top branch of the tree.

Somehow all this seemed appropriate with the unsettled and disturbing situation of the fast spreading Omicron variant of Covid -19 here in Newcastle ( NSW) - these colours are calm, reassuring and subdued . The tree decorations reflect the feeling of wanting to protect our own family and also remind us how lucky we are compared to those in other countries where the health services are not as accessible for so many.

On Christmas morning, I placed a single star on the front door - a beautiful gift from my sister. It is made from handmade paper with an Aboriginal design - it fits this year's theme and intentions perfectly.

I rather like the "pared back" look of Christmas in our home this year - perhaps it's a sign of future Christmases ?

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#SeptTextileLove26 Day11

#SeptTextileLove #STL26Day11 ‘Language’ …when symbols in stitch say more than words … my wonderful Wednesday Makers group has undertaken a community peace project ‘Petals for Peace’ - stitched prayer flags depicting flowers , symbolic of peace. . We have stitched many ourselves and other stitchers from all over Australia have also been contributing as an impactful counter to the hate speech which seems to have pervaded our world currently - the powerful language of stitch.

#SeptTextileLove Day 12

#SeptTextileLove #STL26Day12 ‘Friendship’ … This is a story of friendship based on the love of textiles and fibre art . Gallerist and artist, Anne Kempton and I have been friends for 15 years , meeting when we had both retired from ‘ top’ jobs in a government department and a high school respectively. Neither of us were the retiring types - Anne was establishing the first commercial textile art gallery in Australia and I was looking for a creative direction. We discovered we were both driven by a sense of social justice and community and shared similar artistic aspirations . Since then, we have co- curated exhibitions, collaborated on many projects. supported community art and women’s causes, and grown in our individual artistic expression - Anne includes more stitching in her work and she has had a more painterly influence on mine . Moreover, this friendship is multifaceted, deep and personal and one I value and treasure . Thank you, Anne.

#SeptTextileLove Day 10

#SeptTextileLove #STL26Day10 ‘Low Impact ?’ … today I am highlighting an admirable decision by Newcastle ( NSW Australia) textile art gallery , Timeless Textiles . When you purchase from the gallery shop, the protective wrapping is made from recycled fabric - donated abandoned textiles, repurposed clothing and household linens, and sewing project scraps. Not only is this packaging practice low impact on the environment , it doesn’t cost much and making these bags requires minimal effort and only basic skills. However it has high impact as a thoughtful, aesthetic and sustainable retail practice. What other practices have you noticed retailers are using for a lower impact on the environment?

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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