Intention

In 6th grade, a few months after my mom's first surgery and chemotherapy sessions started, I learned of the Japanese legend of senbazuru, or 千羽鶴. It promises that anyone who folds 1000 paper cranes will be granted a wish from the gods. Over that year, I completed the thousand on my own; and by some miracle, she went into remission for a year soon after.

This year, when she started having more difficulties with her treatment and physical therapy, I started round two of the senbazuru. From March to August, I folded 874 paper cranes. My biggest regret is not having completed the remaining 126 before she suddenly passed away.

Two weeks ago, my mother passed away suddenly. For this project, I decided to practice honoring her memory by embroidering a crane - a motif of her later life, a symbol of her strength, and my desire for her health and happiness - held up by red threads, which, in Chinese folklore, symbolize fate and connections. 

My motivation to start small with embroidery is to continue practicing my needlework skills to actualize the more abstract ideas and patterns in my head. My goal after completing this sampler is to make a larger piece - perhaps a tapestry - featuring 1,000 cranes, embroidered.