Stitches of Grief – Febe Verelst, Élise Ory
Sunday 21st September 2025
Location: Villa Buitenlust
When encountering somebody who is coping with grief, it's often hard to find words of sorrow. Everybody has their own way of showing their sympathy. What if we showed the people we care for a symbol that says: it's okay to cry?
In this workshop we created a safe space to talk about the grief we are coping with while learning techniques to embroider a handkerchief. Febe Verelst and Élise Ory shared their own embroidered pieces and stories, and guided us in interpreting our experiences into textiles.
Grief, in this sense, could refer to losing a relative, a friend, a loved one, or a pet that passed away. Or it could be grief about a piece of identity that you have become detached from, a place that you can’t return to, or another form of loss you are experiencing.
This workshop coincided with the drop-in repair event Repair with me.