Golden Threads
GOLDEN THREADS REAWAKENED
Weaving a Legacy
A group of amateur tapestry weavers in Edinburgh have together created this tapestry
Background The tapestry uses golden threads collected by Hedwig Philip which had not seen the light of day for 70 years. Hedwig was a German Jew. She and her husband narrowly avoided the Holocaust. They left Berlin in 1941 and travelled to join family in Pennsylvania.
A skilled needlewoman, she collected golden threads and embroidered a Torah Mantle for the local synagogue. In 1951 she travelled with all her belongings to Britain to join her daughter in Newcastle. Hedwig died not long afterwards. Her box of golden threads remained unopened, passed down to her daughter and then to her granddaughter, Cathie Wright.
Weaving the tapestry This group tapestry pays homage to Hedwig’s story, but the quantity and beauty of the threads, the heritage and the journey travelled, called for something more. The result is a modern, secular tapestry incorporating these historic golden threads. There are 16 panels, each one designed by the weaver, drawing on the themes of Jewish heritage, refugee travel and survival, conflict avoidance, building bridges and seeking a better world with hope for a brighter future.
As Cathie has said, ‘This is a community enterprise that takes the threads from one spiritual tradition to universal themes that celebrate life and survival’.
The tapestries are woven with contemporary materials (wools and cottons) supplementing the old golden threads. They are joined with an overlay of golden braid which also came from Hedwig’s box. The overall size of the composite tapestry is 30 inches square.
For more information please contact Project Leader Jackie Grant jackieclairegrant@gmail.com
Photo © Geoff Gardner Photography
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Supplementary information
A photo of Hedwig and the contents of her box not opened for 70 years
The Weavers and the Names of their Tapestries
| Anita Nolan
Reconciliation |
Sandra Carter
Into the Light |
Joan Mclellan
Spiral |
Sarah Clark
Hedwig |
| Lindi McWilliam
Breaking through Barriers |
Judith Barton
From the Ruins |
Elspeth Hosie
Journey’s End |
Francesca McGrath
From the Darkness |
| Hilary Watkinson
Glimmer of Hope |
Barbara Clarke
Ode to Joy and Peace |
Jackie Grant
Tree of Life |
Kirsteen Shaw
Return to the Light |
| Irene McCombe
Trunk of New Beginnings |
Serena Naismith
Linking Communities |
Joan Houston
New Life Sycamore |
Ann Smuga
Dove of Peace |
Stitching and assembly of the composite tapestry by Sylvia Davidson
Grateful thanks to Cathie Wright for giving us the threads and encouraging the project, and to professional tapestry artists Joanne Soroka and Jo McDonald for their invaluable advice and support.