Visitors and contributors to the Garden’s Calico Dress Cymru have been inspired by the designs created on the dress. Some of the stories behind the designs contributed to the dress at the Garden have such special meanings to the contributors.
A yellow duck depicts the contributor’s SN daughter’s love of the Garden, where she had her first volunteering placement and where she loves watching and feeding the ducks.
A retired GP and a Biology teacher created an acknowledgement of the Garden’s Apothecary and its connection to the ‘Physicians of Myddfai’. A medicine bottle, an Evening Primrose and a Foxglove represent the medicinal properties of flowers and plants, the red stitching represents the ‘Red Book of Hergest’, that contains a collection of herbal remedies attributed to Rhiwallon Feddyg, the first recorded physician that lived in Myddfai.
Another contains the colours of the Welsh youth movement, within a heart and a row of musical notes, representing the contributor’s recent heart surgery and the opportunities she’s had to enjoy her love of music.
Another depicts a famous cartoon character, by Palestinian artist Naji Al-Ali, dating back to 1969 – Handala, a 10 year old boy who is homeless and who wants to return home. He is a symbol of hope and freedom against abuse and oppression for all children and adults looking to lead the life they hoped for. The contributor, originally from Palestine, feels that people from Wales are so welcoming that people from all over the World that settle here get a feeling of ‘Croeso’.
Globes with a journey stitched around them represents the adventures that a mother, caring for her adult son, who has a Traumatic Head Injury, that they have both enjoyed to numerous places including London, Belgium and New York.
Each stitch means something special to each contributor and the contributors have felt privileged to be able to take part in this lovely community project and to be able to contribute to the dress on its journey around Wales.
