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Barbara Ery will teach a class on how to make spirit warrior dolls from different materials.

Spirit Warrior Dolls sewing session to teach mindfulness through slow stitching movements

Life may be constantly on-the-go, but the spirit warrior doll sewing session gives attendees a chance to slow down and enjoy the journey of sewing a needle through thread.

Barbara Ery, the instructor, wants to show attendees new ways of seeing and creating with things around them that they might not otherwise have noticed.

“I love sharing my world and the things I’ve learned from other people,” Ery said. “I’m all about collaborating and creating. I give of myself and I give love and I am love.”

Throughout the session, participants will learn different stitches, stain fabric with tea and incorporate a wish inside the doll either by adding words or a charm in the form of a shape that can be easily cut out. The dolls will all be different from one another depending on how the participant wants to make it. Ery will also introduce Kantha, a type of embroidery typical in eastern South Asia.

Ery said she wants attendees to be thinking soulfully, as well as keep in mind that they are stitching to heal.

“This is something you’re creating from the stuff you notice around you,” she said. “All about slowing down and stitching what you want to go into your life, and what you want to pay attention to is slowing down the process and focusing on that.”

The charms participants can stitch, say or sew in the doll can be a dream they may have or a direction they might want to focus on in their lives. The charms can even be something one gets from a fortune cookie, Ery said. 

“They’re just quotes that we stumble across in our lives,” Ery said. “If your mind is love, I think that can help you focus on where you are currently. You don’t even have to tell anyone because it’s your private message.”

Ery’s main goal is to show what other women have created and taught her that she is grateful to pass on to others. 

“I would like to encourage and lift other women up, because other women aren’t out there helping other women,” Ery said. “What we should be doing is helping other women and bringing people forward, so that’s really my focus.”

Trinna Dowler sews dolls herself and was considering taking the class because she thought it sounded like something right up her alley.

“I think this seems like an introduction to doll making, so I'm sure it will be fun and interesting,” Dowler said.

Lydia Wendel, a sophomore studying pre-law political science, believes the peculiar class could appeal to some.

“I think it sounds like an interesting class to teach,” Wendel said. “It’s like voodoo dolls but they’re a positive thing. I guess whatever helps empower other women is worth trying out.”

@BayleeDeMuth

bd575016@ohio.edu

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