Gather Community Threads

Gather Community Threads is a nine month creative workshop series led by textile artist and facilitator
Jess Kavanagh, exploring the intersections of nature, heritage craft, and community wellbeing.

Rooted in Cavan, the project invites participants to slow down, notice the world around them,
and translate those experiences into a collective textile artefact.
The journey begins in the forest, where participants are introduced to sustainable foraging and
plant identification. Together they gather native species suitable for natural dyeing, while also
sketching and mark making in response to the landscape. This initial stage is about observation
as much as collection: looking closely at colours, textures, and shapes, and recording
inspiration in sketchbooks and photographs. 

Workshops then shift to dyeing where the group learns how to transform their
gathered plants into natural colour. The focus then shifts to embroidery and collaborative making.
Using the dyed fabrics and threads, the group experiments with stitches, textures, and design,
slowly bringing the artefact to life. These sessions combine skill building with collective decision
making, as participants plan layouts, colour transitions, and patterns that reflect both individual
creativity and group identity. The act of embroidery becomes a space for conversation,
reflection, and connection, a slow, mindful practice that strengthens both craft skills and
community bonds.

The  final workshop will be a communal dining event, where participants gather to
celebrate and use the completed artefact. The shared meal symbolises the culmination of the
project, a space where creativity, nature, and community intersect in a tangible, lived
experience.

Through Community Threads, Jess fosters an environment where creativity is accessible to all,
regardless of experience. The series is not only about making artwork but about nurturing
confidence, preserving heritage crafts, and creating opportunities for people to connect
meaningfully with each other and their environment.

This project is funded by Creative Ireland and Cavan County Council through Creative Cavan Open Call Grants 2025.2026.