Meet Mokosh ! A print and stitch project that celebrates womanhood

 A symbol of empowerment.  A protector of women.  A craftsperson.
Sounds like someone we all know or would want to know!
Two hands hold an embroidery hoop, the mokosh symbol is printed onto the canvas and delicate stitch work on red and green has been added.

 

Our first Meet Mokosh workshop happened on 1/11/2022 in Thimblemill Library, Smethwick.  We received a bursary from Let's Create Art a programme run by Engage.  As well as being our inaugural workshop it was also the first time that the programme had been run. 

We really enjoyed delivering it and talking about folklore, rituals and customs from our own cultures. 

There's always a bit of trepidation when you run a workshop for the first time.  Nerves are good!  We love to make the space inviting, Tereza bakes a traditional cake and we always have childcare.  Thanks to Naomi Juste from Juste4Kids for working with us again.  We were also joined by Trevor Pitt who along with being a stitch artist is also Creative Lives reporter for BBC West Midlands.  Through Trevor we were able to broadcast live! We are waiting for the official file but for the next few days you can hear us here at around 12:15 on the show.

One of the great things we learned about Mokosh was that women would come together at full moon and stitch together.  It really felt like we were re-enacting this tradition making it our own by stitching on a very wet Tuesday in Smethwick!

A mixture of women joined us and we were pleased to work again with Mothership CIC in Bearwood who sent some of their members along.

The craft activity is what holds the workshop together but it is the stories and memories that make this workshop so great.  Having something to do whilst talking, listening and sharing is what holds groups and creates a little bit of folklore magic.

A group of Mokosh stitching on embroidery hoops. The image is black whilst the stitches are orange, gold, green, blue

The results of the stitching were fantastic, it's great to use the same image and see where people go with it.  

A lovely session where we learned about each other, shared our stories and celebrated the women we love and miss.

Big thanks to Thimblemill Library for being absolutely brilliant!

What is Meet Mokosh?

Through a series of workshops using print and stitch, long term collaborators Tereza Buskova and Tina Francis will introduce the legend that is Mokosh.  They will listen and learn about the women in your family, those you have left behind, those that you want to meet again and those that have shaped you.  Let's celebrate women and build a community around craft and care.

"In our individual social practices we engage communities and empower them through making and sharing.  Tina is one half of Woolly Mammoth Stitch Works CIC, whilst Tereza is Artist in Residence at Chad Vale Primary School."

"We have worked with refugee and new to the country communities on previous projects.  We know that being able to share a skill creates confidence and a sense of belonging."

If you would like to know more about this project and where we are next please contact Tina, tina@tinafrancis.co.uk