This wonderful hand-stitched tapestry created by Martha Nyamata, Threads of Blessing artist, measures 8 x 11 inches. Pattern and color abound in this work and are visible throughout the canvas. A woman poses on a path with a large striped basket of fruit effortlessly balanced on her head. Her dress is a bright patchwork of aqua and pink, with additional embellishment stitched across her bodice neckline and waist. She walks along a path lined with Acacia trees and pineapples, a common fruit grown in Uganda. Alternating colors of blue and yellow form long curved lines and create movement and perspective on the path that vanishes into the distant mountains.
Martha lives in southern Uganda, in the diocese of Rwenzori, close to the Rwandan border – a particularly beautiful area known as the “Switzerland” of Uganda. Her life revolves around caring for her family and her crops.
She will use the funds she receives from her needlework artistry to provide education for her children; medical support for herself and her family; seeds or fertilizer for her crops; maintenance and repairs to her home; and provide for any orphans for whom she cares as a result of HIV-AIDS or other illnesses.
Martha meets weekly with her fellow needleworkers. The community they have developed through Threads of Blessing encourages each of them and has significantly raised their self-confidence.
