Creating the biggest cross stitch work of art in Amsterdam connected more people than expected
More than 277 people stitched this embroidered work of art between April and June 2024. This created surprising connections between people who normally never meet.
“Borduren met de Buren”
From engineer to postman, from homeless person to canal house owner, from actress to ecologist, and from nurse to long Covid patient.
Everyone embroiders along. Making something beautiful turns out to be a fantastic way to help people step out of their bubble. A video of an embroidering baby on Studio Koekoek’s Instagram page shows that no experience is necessary.
Mayor Femke Halsema also came to participate
On the 1st of June 2024 Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema stepped from her bike to help the project. That was such a beautiful recognition of the work we did.
“The project connects so many more people than I could imagine. My head is still full of stories shared by the people who joined. So many different backgrounds and dreams, but united when stitching together.”- Gerda Leeffers.
The project already inspired 1 million people worldwide
The videos of the making process went viral on Instagram. The project has already been viewed by a million people.
1 million different accounts viewed the videos. Incredible!
It’s truly heartwarming to see how much people enjoy watching others connect. At the core, we are all human, and we all crave meaningful connection.
It’s kind of amazing to realize that the total watch time on Instagram far exceeds the number of hours it took to create the project. It really shows how much time we all spend on our phones these days!
Our hope is that this project sparks creativity across the globe and inspires others to start their own community-driven projects—in real life, not just on screens.
XL cross stitch is a wonderful and creative way to bring neighbors and colleagues together. If you’re interested in launching a project at your location, we’d love to help you. Reach out to us anytime!
We work in pairs, one is the boss, the other needs to listen
We work in pairs. One person is the boss. He or she is located at the front and keeps an overview. The person on the other side of the mesh must follow the instructions. So it’s an exercise in communication. It leads to great conversations, sometimes some bickering, but above all a lot of fun.
Unexpected things happen when you stitch in public
When you work outdoors in a busy street, you have to be ready for surprises.
One of the most beautiful examples was the day that we got a surprise visit from a street musician. We danced and had lots of fun.
For the math lovers
The youngest participant was 6 months old. The oldest participant was 91 years old.
Really. Everybody was able to join.
Together we made 23,338 cross stitches with 277 people. That’s an average of 168 stitches per duo.
But hey – that’s an average. Some people only made a few stitches, others fell in love with the process and came back daily.
It took approx 1100 hours of work to stitch this artwork.
This number is not so accurate as we did not set a timer everyday we worked. After all, we were focused on enjoying the human connections that were created while stitching rather than the amount of hours worked. But it’s our best estimate.
And then it took an incalculable amount of extra work to check all the knots on the backside of the work. 🙂
Why?
Gerda Leeffers – the initiator of this project – is running her creative business right on top of this art work.
In mid-2023, during a difficult time in her life, Gerda felt the need to bring more color, joy, and connection into her world. Each day, she passed a dull, graffiti-covered wall on her way to the studio, and it weighed on her mood. She dreamed of turning it into something beautiful—filled with flowers, greenery, and bright colors.
Craving connection, she began sketching designs and shared the idea with neighbors and the building’s owner. Their enthusiasm gave her the push to turn her vision into a community project full of joy and creativity.
A big thanks!
To all the 277 people that helped stitching. Every single stitched helped us to create this beautiful piece of art.
To the countless number of people cheering for us on the street or online.
For Lieven de Key – the owner of this building – for supporting the project from the very start.
For Peter, Dieneke, Saskia, Carola, Andrea and Ellen that helped countless days with countless small and big tasks.
To the Gemeente Amsterdam and Fonds voor Centrum for subsiding part of the cost. For the Knowledge Mile project team to support and share the project with the network.
To AT5 to create a beautiful item on TV. For all the other press that helped us to get so many people to join.
For Adri to help think about the construction. For Hans and the team of Intercell for installing the art work.
Really. A big big big thanks!
I could have never imagined it would be so much fun.
Gerda
Like to set up a XL cross stitch project at your location?
We would absolutely love to set up a community art project at to your location!
We’re flexible and happy to collaborate with you on the design, size, project management and more. Whether you’re dreaming of something big and bold like this project or envisioning a smaller version that fits perfectly in your space, we’re excited to make it happen together.
