COME to the United Church of Christ in Greensboro on the Funky Fourth
Saturday July 2 from 10:30-12:30.
WHY? The very last in a collection of pieces sewn by Ukrainian seamstresses working from their homes in Ukraine a few years back will be there for you to see and purchase.
Each piece represents its own story.
To start the story: Many Ukrainian women learn to sew at a young age, making clothes for themselves and their families. When Eliza Burnham (a Greensboro summer resident) lived in Ukraine, she decided to start an informal cooperative as a way to teach Ukrainian women how to make patchwork quilts. This Cooperative also gave the women the chance to not only to work from home and to use their skills in new ways.
Patchwork was hardly known in Ukraine and it seemed like a perfect way to make good use their outstanding needle skills and to create beautiful and affordable quilts. The fabric came from many sources, including upholstery fabric samples and remnants and clothing is made from Ukrainian linen. And the attention to detail! The perfect finishing and care that went into these simple items speak to a love of work well done, regardless of the time involved in each creation - the mark of real craftsmanship.
In Eliza's words: "After quilts, we moved on to smaller items such as bags, breadbaskets and clothing. It was up-cycling before the name even existed!"
To continue the story a bit more, life was already unfathomably difficult for many Ukrainians even before the war. The women in the cooperative were all 'survivors'; resilient or courageous women who had overcome hardship, misfortune, horrendous experiences. They shared these horrific stories and at the same time expressed how much they loved making objects of beauty always striving for perfection even on the smallest of projects.
Valentina, Sasha, Albina, Oksana and Tanya would be very happy to know that you are buying something that they made with loving attention, back in a time when their lives were peaceful.
As we know, there is no end to this story....
PLEASE COME to the UCC on Saturday, July 2 from 10:30-12:30
BUY one of these special pieces.
Think of them; think of Ukraine.
Proceeds from the sale will go to Ukraine.