Suzani
Suzani needlework is hand embroidery applied to woven fabrics. Often the pieces are made in strips, enabling different artists to work on their sections, and then the strips are sewn together The artists are from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and other Central Asian countries. From the time little girls can apply their skills, they begin assembling their dowry, their trousseau, embroidering their suzanis. Symbolically, the needle connects every aspect of life, from political, economic, and cultural including the societal linking of generations.
How can we relate our care journey to the Central Asian needlework called Suzani? “Nothing in the world is permanent, and we’re foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we’re still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it.” - W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965). Our journey is not perfection or permanent, it won’t last forever, but taking delight in what we have now is breathtakingly wonderful.
Like a quilting bee, the Uzbek women gather in groups called a “chashar.”
Life Lesson: Suzani embroidery is truly "living art." Live your life in artful segments, making each moment count. When assembled, wonderful memories are created. Have a few good tools in your caring toolbox, and maybe most importantly, have a “chashar” of friends to share the journey.
“We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business.
We are each other’s magnitude and bond.”
—Gwendolyn Brooks