This year I lead a small women's Lent study group in our village, and we were asked by our Vicar to create a reflective piece on one of the Stations of the Cross, which would be displayed over the Easter weekend. Other groups in the community also contributed. We were given the subject of Tears, thinking of when Jesus met the weeping women of Jerusalem.
I made some cream merino felt, decorated on both sides with vertical trails of silk, and some bamboo. You can see the picture I used as inspiration, which was from a booklet called "One Friday" illustrated by Jenny Hawke.
I cut out tear drop shaped from this felt.
Each member of the group took a tear, and embellished it very simply with something significant to them - maybe just a few running stitches. While doing this they thought about what has brought them to tears.
This tear has thorns stitched to it.
And this one has some nails.
The tears were suspended by fine silver threads from branches of curly hazel, representing a tree. They fell towards a "stream" of blue fabric and organza, with pebbles (some felted) and glass stones. In the stream was a text - see below for explanation. This was made with free motion machine stitching in black and silver thread on blue ribbon.
I sandwiched the ribbon between water soluble fabric while doing the stitching to hold it firmly.
I felt it was meaningful to involve each woman in our group by pesonalising the tears in their own way.
