EILEEN ADLER

Trudie Strobel discovered the art of stitching informed her survival time,

choosing to draw with needle and thread. 

Art Tapestry History Healing Survivor Stitching | Trudie Strobel

 

Trudie with her “Papa Doll” given to her pregnant mother before her father,
Vasilliy Labuhn, was taken away by the Russians because he was Jewish.

She never saw her father but her doll was her only connection

… and then an SS officer seized her doll when she entered her first labor camp.

She was four years old.

Trudie Strobel is a renowned tapestry artist and Holocaust survivor who has used a needle and thread to produce dozens of intricate works that depict her childhood incarceration at Auschwitz—and serve as a stark reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust.

Sewing, Strobel maintains, has helped her process the traumas of her youth.

There were plenty.

Eventually, Strobel’s traumas caught up to her. In middle age, she began to struggle with the weight of her childhood experiences and slipped into deep depression. Her therapist suggested that she turn to art to express her complex emotions and she began to heal. If she had trouble speaking about her experiences during the Holocaust, then perhaps she should draw them instead.

 

“I had to do something to feel better,” Strobel said. “Stitching was the best form of therapy for me. I chose to draw with needle and thread, adding that a wonderful piece of art can be therapeutic. It can calm you down or just be so awe-inspiring that you recognize the majesty of the world. It’s truly a spiritual experience”– a great healing for Ms. Strobel.

Jody Savin, a writer, and filmmaker from Pasadena, proceeded to author “Stitched & Sewn: The Life-Saving Art of Holocaust Survivor Trudie Strobel,” a book that explored Strobel’s life, work, and legacy.

“This is a story of hope. And this is a story of the healing power of art.”

Life Lesson: We all have moments of despair, sometimes depression - caregiving is hard and holidays can be challenging, but we must find our way out of the sadness. Explore avenues to express your feelings – what a relief – be it art, dance, music, volunteering, cooking, yoga, sewing, stitching, and for me, knitting.