Connecting people with a XL stitching tour in Landkreis Leer
Stitching brings people together
Our stitching tour in Landkreis Leer demonstrates that XL cross stitch brings people together in small and big communities and in different cultural settings. Stitching together connects.
During the stitching tour we visited 12 communities in Landkreis Leer
To ensure everyone in the region could contribute to the XL art work, the project encompassed a “stitching tour”, visiting 13 locations in 12 communities in Landkreis Leer, a water-rich region in northwest Germany.
Amongst other, we were in the Lebenshilfe studio, community centers, museums, town halls, a shooting club, the foyer of a savings bank and a clinic for addicts.
At every location we were welcomed with home baked cakes and a group of volunteers that already spread the news with the local communities.
283 people participated, including 3 mayors
With 283 participants from all walks of life, young and old, newcomers or people born and raised in the area, we created a XL cross stitch panorama capturing Landkreis Leer.
We even had 3 mayors joining:
- Christoph Busboom in Jümme
- Heinz Trauernicht in Uplengen
- Uwe Themann in Hesel
It was heart-warming to see that we could reproduce the big success of the XL stitching project in Amsterdam in a totally different setting.
Everybody embroiders along. The XL project demonstrates how making art together encourages people to step out of their bubble and connect.
No stitching experience is needed, making it possible for everyone to join.
Together we made the biggest cross stitch project of Germany
The panorama is made with 13 panels totaling to a 12 meter long work of art.
Initially we only had 12 screens planned, but they were getting stitched quicker than anticipated :-D. So, we added Schloss Evenburg to enable even more people to join.
The story of the panorama
Artist Gerda Leeffers visited the Landkreis Leer region to research the story she wanted to celebrate with the art work. During her time there, she was struck by the warmth of the people, the rich and varied water landscapes, and the charming tea culture. Fun fact: Ostfriesland has the highest tea consumption per person in the world! She also noticed the strong community spirit—new neighbors are often welcomed with cake, drinks, and even a festive arch in the garden.
Moved by these moments of connection and tradition, Gerda began to dream in stitches.
At the heart of the artwork, a teapot gently pours out streams of warmth and hospitality flowing across a landscape woven with shared memories. Twelve embroidered panels followed, each capturing an iconic scene: the steadfast lighthouse of Borkum, a boat gliding by, the bridge in Rhauderfehn, the historic Rathaus of Leer, and the windmill of Moormerland—each one a thread in the region’s living tapestry.
The color palette, too, tells a story. Thirteen shades were chosen with care—one for each municipality, and one to represent the welcome visitor. Together, they reflect the warm spirit of a region that embraces all who pass through.
To bring the vision to life, her test team cross-stitched a scaled version of the design to take along on the stitching tour.
We work in pairs, one is the boss, the other needs to listen.
We work in pairs. One person is the boss, sitting at the front to keep the 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.
Many people followed the stitching process
Our stitching tour was highlighted in the local papers “Ostfriesenzeitung”, “Rheiderland Zeitung” and “Borkum aktuell” and we were interviewed on radio “FFN”.
On Instagram already 100.000 accounts watched one or more videos from our stitching tour. It is so nice to see that we can spread a bit of happiness with the world.
The panorama is now on display in Schloss Evenburg in Leer.
From the 20th of March 2025 until the 30th of June 2026 you can see the full panorama in the biggest room of the slot.
You can find more information about the slot at their website.
Afterwards the work will be divided accross the Landkreis. One frame for each of the 12 municipalities.
A big thanks!
We had so much joy creating together. I couldn’t have achieved that by myself. Making joy is what we do together. And we had lots of joy. Thanks!
- Thanks to all the 283 people that helped stitching. Every single one of you helped us to create this beautiful piece of art.
- Thanks to the countless number of people cheering for us on the street and for people online.
- Thanks to Birgit and the team from Schloss Evenburg, for inviting us to come to Landkreis Leer, for the enthusiastic support and the professional organization of the tour. Thanks Birgit, for being such a wonderful person to work with.
- Thanks to Conrad for all the logistics behind the scenes. Ensuring we had a bed to sleep in and food arranged.
- Thanks to Fenna, Reinhild and Jasmin for your help during countless days with small and big tasks.
- Thanks to Joachim, Jasper, Christian and Eric for driving us around Landkreis Leer and carefully moving our work in progress screens.
- Thanks to the local hosts in the 13 locations visited, you welcomed us with warmth, people and many home baked cakes. Marianne, Fenna, Vanessa, Maria, Else, Lea and Gezina. We’re so thankful for all of your help.
- Thanks to Marion from the Volkshochschule who pointed out Birgit to our XL Stitching project in Amsterdam.
- Thanks to VHS Leer for helping us with the sign-up forms.
- Thanks to the team of Frisia for creating the display frames.
- Thanks to Dieneke for joining me on this crazy stitching tour.
- Thanks to Saskia, Nobel and Ellen for all of your help behind the scenes in Amsterdam.
- Thanks to Loret Karman for helping me select the friendly color palette.
- Thanks for my family for cheering all the way. An even bigger thanks to my sweet husband and son. I could not be here without your support.
A big big thanks for the wonderful experience! Crossing fingers we’ll have the chance to organize another tour.
Gerda
Interested in a XL cross stitch project at your location?
We would love to bring our XL embroidery community concept to your location to connect even more people. Whether you’re looking for a community project in a town or as a team building activity in a company or organisation. We love it.
We’re flexible to think about design, size, project management etc. together with you It can be a huge community project like you’re looking at here, or a smaller project that fits in your space.