Collective knitted curtain, 2024 – ongoing

Time Stitches grows out of my previous project, Tracing Wounds, which focused on the invisible struggles we carry, particularly mental scars. That work was shaped by my ongoing search for healing, often marked by frustration and disappointment. Through it all, I’ve come to realise how much “making” allows me to sit with difficult thoughts, to reflect, and to process. But in working on this new piece, I noticed that the ways I used to cope no longer felt quite right.

That’s when I became drawn to patchworking—this idea of building something whole from fragments. I started thinking not only about fabric, but about people: how we come together, how our contributions can form something bigger than ourselves. Quilting, for me, became a way to reclaim personal stories and push back against social norms. When I look at the copper piece I’ve knitted, each knot feels like it’s holding the others connected, interdependent.

Inspired by quilting communities, I’m opening up this project. I’m inviting anyone who feels called to join me in knitting with copper thread—either with me or on your own. Your piece will become part of a growing curtain made of copper patches: a shared tapestry of care and connection.

Photos and video by Anne Lakeman