Patchworking Motherhood – Some reflections at the half way point.
‘Patchworking Motherhood has made Monday mornings something to look forward to!’
(comment from a group member)
The Patchworking Motherhood group is made up of six participants all with babies under 8 months old, alongside myself and Fiona, and two additional staff members to support the mothers and babies.
The project had a slow start initially, as some of the participants were unable to join the first session. This gave those of us who did attend a chance to get to know each other and for Fiona and myself to trial the format of the group in preparation for when it gets busier. We have been able to sit the group around one large table and hope to keep this layout throughout the project. One of our support staff members has commented on how she really enjoys the sense of community that the group provides. I think sitting together is a big part of this, along with the home-made cake that has become a weekly staple.
During the initial sessions I have been introducing the term matrescence to the group by reading a short piece from the book Matrescence by Lucy Jones. Matrescence is the term used to describe the transition to motherhood and the physical, psychological, and emotional changes that a mother goes through after the birth of a child. I want to draw a connection between the piecing together of textiles pieces through patchworking with the metaphorical re-piecing together of oneself in the process of becoming a mother.
I want participants to reconnect with their own preferences and connect with what they like, as personal taste is associated with our own identity which can feel lost when we become mothers. We talked about colours and patterns that reminded us of moments in our lives. With a pile of fabric offcuts in the middle of the table, I invited the group to select fabrics that they connected with, and this sparked some very personal choices and interesting conversations.
I must give special thanks to all those who donated fabrics for the project. We have a wonderful selection including Liberty’s offcuts, printed cottons and beautiful silks, which provide plenty of colour and pattern for participants to choose from.
The group had varying degrees of hand sewing experience prior to the project. As each participant found their way in both selecting fabrics and piecing them together by hand, their confidence and pace slowly increased. It was magical to experience the group, all chatting and noise one minute, fall into a silence as everyone, including the babies, appeared busy and full of concentration.
The babies have been fantastic. It’s a joy to have them in the room with all the energy they bring. They seem to enjoy laying on the playmat or being held by one of us. One mother appreciates having the extra hands on board saying
‘It means we can have some much-needed calm, quiet and focused time on what, for me, has become a new hobby’.
I look forward to reporting back again after the project has finished.
Emma McGinn
