Stitching Our Gifts Together
For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. – Psalm 139:13-14
By Jennifer Bennett , Sacred Stitches Member
Yarn arts started with God’s creation, as this beautiful Psalm reflects. We can engage in sacramental experiences – “outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace” (BCP p 857) – by creating yarn arts in community that are then shared with parishioners and others in need of our support and prayers. This tradition started at Christ Church with Knit One Pray Two, a committed group of women who produced prayer shawls and lap blankets for years. The ministry was set back by the pandemic and has recently re-organized as Sacred Stitches.
Our community of stitchers provides multiple benefits. First, the stitching process offers a meditative activity that can calm and center our minds and has been shown through research to improve brain activity and memory. Engaging in stitching in community has brought a diverse group of women, men and children together in our parish. We have learned of each other’s families, shared favorite vacation spots, supported health concerns, and, through this, witnessed the patience and ability to teach one another when that might not have been a gift we originally recognized.
Our community also has learned about and appreciated the impact of our arts as they are passed on. Some of our stitchers have themselves been recipients of an item; others have delivered an item and experienced the value of shared prayers. Connor Gwin joined one of our meetings and shared a voicemail from a parishioner he visited with the gift of a prayer shawl:
"You came to see me several days ago...in the healthcare unit. And you brought this, you told me it was a shawl, that has just been wonderful. It's gold - hand-knit by some of the [Sacred Stitches] members. It really is a blanket for me.
“When it gets cold at night, I pull it up. It is the exact length of me and the exact width. And it's just the warmth that I need. And so, I want to thank you again for seeing me and bringing that here.... It is wonderful, and I'll use it and use it as long as I'm in here. And then maybe I'll call you and tell you where I might take it next."
This response reminds us of Jesus’ words – “Truly, I tell you, just as you did it to one of . . . these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40. We have the gifts to learn, create and stitch together with the result of building community in which we expand our relationship with God and each other.
If you are interested in learning more about or joining Sacred Stitches, our community has been meeting weekly in the Parlor on Tuesdays from 1:30-3:30pm and Wednesdays during Lent from 5:15-7:15pm. At the conclusion of Lent, we are hoping to finalize and publish ongoing meeting times for Wednesday evenings.
Our group welcomes knitters and crocheters of all or no skill levels. We are making bookmarks, prayer squares, small blankets, beanies or shawls and have patterns for these options. We stitch side-by-side to share and learn about yarn artistry. As beginner projects, here are patterns for a knitted prayer square [JB1] and a crocheted prayer square[JB2] .
For more information, contact Elizabeth Angerson at angersone@christchurchcharlotte.org or 704-714-6971.