In 2001, Terry Helwig envisioned seven “World Cloths” woven from threads sent from individuals on every continent of our planet.  When her friend told her that it could take as many as 50,000 threads to complete such a project, she wondered if her vision could happen.
           
In 2006, with all seven cloths (measuring twelve feet by seven feet each) complete and touring the world, it did happen, through the power of one reaching one reaching one reaching one.  The invitation to send a thread was put out to friends who passed it on to friends who spread it around the world.  The “threads” that arrived were as diverse as their senders:  shoe strings, feathers, rope, pieces of clothing, ribbons, cassette tape, animal fur.  And they did, indeed, come from every continent.

They came with stories:

• Milly removed the ribbon from the neck of a stuffed animal in memory of her son who died.
• A box of 232 pink ribbons was sent by a group of women who were breast cancer survivors.
• “I'm sending a strip of fabric woven by lepers from one of Mother Teresa's leper colonies outside of Calcutta. If people who have no fingers or toes can learn to weave, any of us can learn whatever we must to make it through. So weave on.” – Rebecca
• “My thread is part of the collar of my dog: he is gone now, but he was very special to our family.” -- Jenny
• “I hope these are useable. They are handmade by political prisoners in Tibet. With admiration for your project.” – Losang

The 50,000 threads were woven into seven cloths, each containing seven panels.  They were woven on 49 looms on all but one of the continents (Antarctica): in Bhandarigaon, India; Sioux Lookout, Ontario; Afghanistan; El Salvador; Indiana; Kansas; Australia; Budapest; Ghana; in Lesotho by the women of Elelloang Basali (see the article “Weaving Support”); and in many, many other places by men, women, and children.

The World Cloths are a perfect way to “materialize” our oneness, the unity of our diverse world.   They are making their way around the world; they have been exhibited in the United Nations, and one served as a backdrop for the September 2005 Department of Peace Conference in Washington, DC.

The final phase of the project is “Finding Permanent Homes for the Cloths.”  Perhaps a perfect place for one of them would be the Peace Center in Assisi?

“Sometimes, the smallest of things can cause an uproar in the universe. Let this weaving create an uproar of peace.” –Nanette

To read more: http://www.threadproject.com/asp/default.asp

 

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