about us
The original Cloth of Kindness was made by artist Sally-Anne Lomas for the exhibition Julian of Norwich: Creativity and Compassion at the Burning Bush Barn Contemplative Art Gallery in Rockland St Mary, Norfolk.
Inspired by Julian of Norwich's belief that we are 'enfolded in divine love' Sally-Anne sought to find a means of making this concept physical.
Artistic inspiration came from the embroidered textiles of Lorina Bulmer, a resident at the Great Yarmouth Workhouse in the late 19th Century.
Sally-Anne invited people to send her their thoughts and experiences of compassion and scraps of red material. She embroidered these words, together with her own meditations, and the words of Julian of Norwich, to make a Cloth of Kindness.
The Cloth was exhibited so that people could snuggle underneath it and be enfolded in loving messages of compassion. They were also invited to sew their own thoughts on compassion on patches of material.
And so the Cloth of Kindness project was born.
Sally-Anne joined with Gill Perks and together they have now run many workshops and made Cloths of Kindness for:
- Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Chapel
- Big C Centre, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital
- Theatre Royal, Norwich
- Big C Centre, Great Yarmouth
- Big C Centre, Kings Lynn
- Dragon Fly Teenage Mental Health Unit, Carlton Colville, Suffolk
- The Great Hospital, Norwich
- James Paget Hospital Chapel, Great Yarmouth
- Bowthorpe Arts Festival - Light Out of Dark Project
- Julian of Norwich 650 Anniversary
- Doorway Women’s Services, Norwich
- National Centre for Writing
These beautiful embroidered works have been sewn by many hands, staff, patients, visitors, and volunteers.
In the Big C Centres the cloths are used in the relaxation room for patients undergoing treatment. The NNUH Chapel Cloth has been used in services, including the Norwich Cathedral service to celebrate the work of the NHS. The Dragon Fly Unit Cloth of Kindness is used in the teenagers’ recovery room.
The Cloths are not just important to the people who contributed in their making they leave a legacy in their institutions, to bring comfort to the many vulnerable people needing help long after their initial making. This sense of passing on kindness to those who follow after has been very important to the participants who want to mark the generosity and kindness they’ve been shown by passing it on.
