Ironing Board

My grandmother died at 100 years old. For the last three months of her life she was incapacitated through cancer. She was pivotal in my upbringing and therefore was a hugely important person in my life, having more of the role of mother than grandmother. During her incapacitated days she was in hospital and eventually for a week or two in a hospice. During that time I wrote down all the stories and memories that came to her mind when I visited. Having a bad memory myself I began writing them down as she told them fearing I would forget entirely if I didn’t. Before she became so unwell she had planned to give me her old ironing board, which she’d had for over 70 years. I had planned to use it as an ironing board but after her death the two came together. It became a way of mourning, of coming to terms with her death. I sewed almost every day and almost a full year after her death it was complete. It strengthened a connection to her and gave me something more tangible to hold on to. It creates a resonance of her and keeps her voice alive. I hope that the work speaks to people, perhaps helping to connect with relationships, memories and stories of their own families to prompt those feelings of strong bonds, gratitude and love.