Our Home: Stitch-School

Our Home was a collaborative project developed with Stitch-School and supported by Blackburn-based artist Sana Maulvi, commissioned by the National Festival of Making in 2024.

Centred around a giant embroidery table, the project grew as it travelled between community groups in Blackburn and Darwen, and continued to evolve across two Festival weekends.

Influenced by conversations around the idea of home, hundreds of hands and many hours of conversation have contributed to the piece. First launched at Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery during National Refugee Week, the cloth went on to visit different community groups across the borough who support migrant, asylum and refugee communities.

Design inspiration came from conversations with Community Harmony Project, where participants shared what home means to them. We spoke about sunshine and rolling hills, poppy fields, and the herbs and spices in our teas and coffees. We heard about rituals and celebrations – sharing food and making people feel welcome. The conversations, insights and drawings were shared with Stitch-School, to inform the final design.

Throughout the project was a shared sense of welcome; every group invited us in with a warm greeting and cups of tea. Relationships were formed through return visits and ongoing conversations. The project received support from Hajra Sidat and Emily Jones of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s Integration and Community Engagement Team, whose commitment to arts and community was a vital addition to the project.

We’re grateful to the following groups who opened their doors and shared their stories, sewing skills and commitment to learn.

Project Contributors

Community Harmony Project

Supporting migrant and refugee communities through a weekly community café and English classes at the Quaker Meeting House, Blackburn.

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DARE (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise)

Hosting weekly sessions with food and English lessons at Central URC, Darwen.

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ARC (Asylum and Refugee Community)

A charity offering regular meetups and support at Wesley Hall, Blackburn.

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Kairos Housing

Providing housing and support for asylum seekers and refugees in the borough.

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Festival Visitors

Featuring in the National Festival of Making’s Make Space – a shop unit transformed during the Festival – hundreds of visitors joined to sit, stitch, and share. Stitches were also added by Creatives of Blackburn and Festival volunteers.

About Stitch-School

Stitch-School was co-founded in 2017 by Melanie Bowles with the aim to provide professional and inspirational guidance to reconnect to the benefits of embroidery through educational embroidery kits, workshops and community events around the large communal stitch table. Participants explore the wealth of embroidery stitches, learn together, share knowledge and create new narratives around the table.

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About Sana Maulvi

Sana Maulvi is a British Asian Muslim freelance artist based in Blackburn. Her practice revolves around creating mixed media artworks focusing on textures created from found objects, patterns influenced by heritage and manipulating the language of colours to invoke sentiments. Hosting workshops to share this multidisciplinary practice, Sana derives captivating stories, rich culture and woven traditions as a catalyst of inspiration exhibited in an abstracted form.

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I loved this cloth, it felt like narrative and voice was being explored and expressed throughout the process and beyond!

Melanie Bowles, Stitch-School

It’s been an amazing experience facilitating this project. It brought together different people who shared captivating stories and shared their cultures while stitching collectively on a beautifully composed tapestry.

Sana Maulvi

Photography by Emma Colbert-Mooring, Fiona Finchett and Robin Zahler.