Table Cloth L919
This embroidered family tablecloth grew out of a time of change, grief and rediscovery the client was preparing to move into her own space after the recent loss of her mother.
she was left with the difficult task of clearing the family home and deciding what could realistically be kept. Like many people in these moments, she could not hold onto everything, so the objects she chose carried particular emotional weight.
‘I am decluttering and letting go of my parents’ possessions as I ready the house for sale. Luckily, I had saved the tablecloth that covered the round wood table that the family had gathered around over decades and had been paid off by my working mother in the 1980’s. Taking elements from my father’s drawings, and from my mother’s various vases, porcelain vessels, furniture and memorabilia, Mei Ling has created unique and significant motifs and embroidered them on to the tablecloth using blue and yellow thread that matches the colours of the blue china that my mother so loved. Taking elements from my father’s drawings, and from my mother’s various vases, porcelain vessels, furniture and memorabilia, Mei Ling has created unique and significant motifs and embroidered them on to the tablecloth using blue and yellow thread that matches the colours of the blue china that my mother so loved.’
‘Her embroidery on the tablecloth is a beautiful, empathetic and loving tribute to my family. It reflects my parents’ history and experiences, their culture, stories and most of all, their love of over nearly a century. It also reflects the Chinese immigrant story in New Zealand. I am honoured and grateful to Mei Ling to have produced this archival memory for me. Once the actual objects are gone, the tablecloth and this process will hold its memories of my parents for me. It has helped me in my grieving process and allowed me to be thankful for the life and love that my parents gave my brother and me.’
L919
Table Cloth L919
Cotton thread on vintage cotton table cloth