It took me a long time to understand that embroidery could be whatever I wanted it to be. I do not have to follow patterns or booklets. I do not have to plan, and I do not even have to know what the finished piece will look like. It does not have to be neat or pretty. There do not have to be flowers in little squares or a beautiful border. Or any border at all. I do not have to use particular threads or “normal” colors, or fabric with clearly marked holes, or fabric made specifically for embroidery.

And the more I embroidered, the more I came to understand all this, a little more each time. Slowly, I began to look at things differently and ask myself, “How could this be embroidered? How could I give it form in the language of thread and fabric, in connecting layers, in living tissues?” That changed, and continues to change, the way I look at things, at images, at memories.

I think it was when I understood this about myself and what I do that I agreed to try teaching other women to embroider. Or, more precisely, to establish groups that allow for very personal and varied discovery through the language of embroidery, in a way that connects the language of art with the language of the inner self. Although these are not therapy groups, a certain harmony and parallel between the two continues to live in me and to find expression in those meetings. I am an artist who is also an art therapist, and it probably shapes the way I approach making art and accompanying other people’s creative processes.

I approached all this without a fixed plan, expectations, or a syllabus. I wanted to create an open space that offers tools, joins letters into words and stitches into shapes, and invites people to look at what is there, choose what interests them, translate it into the language of embroidery, and find new ways to work out an image, a texture, light, and form.

I am truly proud to be opening a second year of these groups. I hope that alongside continuing to meet with my dedicated, more advanced students, I will have the privilege of connecting embroidery with new people.

So there are many new things ahead: embroidery for teenage girls; a group with no embroidery at all, offering support to women looking for connection; and more of the wonderful “Come Home” groups at my home studio in Newton. Those groups will also be part of a new collaboration with the Center for Culture and Language in Brookline, for city women who like to stay close to home…

I have also been asked about Zoom embroidery sessions that suit Israel’s time zone. If you would like to join a regular weekly group, write to me and I would be happy to open one. Perhaps we could also meet in person for a one-time session during the last week of October. That would be wonderful.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

The photo: “Birthday Morning,” embroidery on canvas, 40 x 30 cm, inspired by a photo of Geva on the morning of his fourth birthday. Tomorrow he will turn exactly 13. I also worked on this piece over quite a few months, a little at a time, as usual…