Art
A Stitch in Time:
The Art of Cross-Stitch Simran
by CONNIE G. BARWICK
I tend to avoid several topics in particular on my site on cross-stitching and needle-art - politics and religion among them.
Though these subjects can be divisive and invite controversy, I know that many people enjoy creating needle-arts projects that are reflective of their beliefs.
So, I create and link to patterns with a religious theme for this reason.
I was a religion major in college, but one religion I knew little about until this year is Sikhism. Here are some stats -
"Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world. It is also one of the newest and has only been in existence for about 500 hundred years. There are about 25 million Sikhs living around the world. Sikhs live in almost every major country. About half a million Sikhs live in the United States." - Sukhmandir Kaur Khalsa
Working with Sukhmandir Kaur, About.com Guide to Sikhism, to ensure proper presentation, I recently added free patterns to About.com Cross Stitch that incorporate Sikh symbols and beliefs.
Sukhmandir refers to the free Sikh charts on her site and I was intrigued by the way she described Cross Stitch. She writes:
"Cross stitch is a precise and therefore meditative form of stitchery used for creating samplers or decorative emblems."
She goes on to describe ways to involve meditation in stitching. She is speaking specifically about Sikh meditation, but the principles would work for other belief systems as well.
I often pray as I stitch, especially if I am making a gift for a specific person. I will put positive thoughts and wishes in for the person with each stitch. I don't knit or crochet well, but it is the same concept that is behind the prayer shawls some people create.
Stitching can be so relaxing and such a stress relief, but have you ever considered incorporating it into your meditation or religious experience in any way? Just some food for thought....
[Courtesy: Connie's Cross-Stitch Blog]
February 26, 2009
Conversation about this article
1: Panjab Singh (Yuba, U.S.A.), February 27, 2009, 8:08 PM.
Excellent woven cross-stitch idea! Sikh women are known to weave everlasting dreams like "Phulkari" but why not depicting the Sikh symbols or Moolmantar or Gurbani? Encourage and spred this wave - I am certain a lot of new creativity will sprout! Punjabi/Sikh culture does not still see a woman as a "Simran" figure except for a miniscule blessed ones!
2: Satvir Kaur (Boston, U.S.A.), March 03, 2009, 1:57 AM.
I'm a passionate cross stitcher. I love embroidery and would spend more time doing it if I had more time. Although I do create gifts with cross stitching, I've never created Sikh religious patterns with it. Thanks for the idea! I'll definitely try it after my current project.