Heartlands - John 10
BY THE HEARTLANDS STITCHERS
Annemieke of the Heartlands StitchersImage provided by The Heartlands Stitchers
John 10 Journey StoneImage provided by The Heartlands Stitchers
TELLING THE STORY OF THE HEARTLANDS PANEL
Annemieke is retired. She has long had an interest in design, art and other creative projects. About her journey stone, she says:
I grew up in the in a small rural village in the Netherlands surrounded by dykes and farms. We had a local shepherd who would go out in the morning to the sheep barn and call his sheep out to graze the dykes. At night he would come back and put the sheep in the barn. Still to this day I remember as a child the weather-beaten face of the shepherd as well as the noise of the bleating animals passing through the village.
Many years later when I moved to the far north of Scotland where we raised our children, sheep well out numbered the local population. In Pitlochry were I now live, again we are surrounded by hills dotted with sheep. Therefore, for the journey stone I had a picture of the sheep, the hills and a gate in my mind, and then the 10th chapter of the Gospel of John inspired me and motivated me to take part in stitching a journey stone for the panel themed ‘Faith’.
Many thanks to the Heartland Stitchers for sharing with us this incredible story behind their panel, created as part of the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands.
READ MORE STORIES FROM THE TAPESTRY OF THE HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS
Prior to the beginning of the stitching of each tapestry panel, each stitcher of the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands was tasked with telling their interpretation of the 'Spirit of the Highlands and Islands' within a blank outline of a stone. The possibilities were truly endless - is it represented in the land? The people? A historical site? A favourite memory?
In any case, each journey stone represents the connection between each individual stitcher, their story, and their own sense, or 'spirit', of place. Discover more of the stories behind the journey stones of the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands here.