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Threads Project

The Threads Project began with a thought back in 2014 of how my life has been touched and created not as a solo journey, but through each and every person that has woven in and out of my life. From those childhood friends I've lost touch with, to the family members I rely on, and the chance encounters with strangers that had profound impacts on my life. This is true for each of us.

When I think on these ideas as an artist, it is impossible to not imagine that we enter this world a spindle of thread. The thread begins to loop and meander in this world with other threads creating a vibrant giant web of color and beauty and diversity. We share moments and inevitably, though perhaps not directly, we all each end up being part of this enormous cloth across the planet.

I linked this idea to traveling and exploring across the country while creating art and sending mail. The letters are a tangible representation of connecting and "throwing" out a thread to someone else.  The miles become lines across a map. And the art is like our threads of different colors mingling on a surface.

By the second summer I had an individual in each state of the US to send thoughts and little snippets of art to. I sent a different sentence from my travel journal to each person and requested in return, if they felt led, to send back a small scrap of fabric to put into this idea that was still waiting to be clearly defined.

I think of the different focus the project has taken each year, from simply reaching out and connecting, to thinking on kindness towards self. Now I want the focus to turn to kindness towards others. Not about our opinions or differences, or the issues that divide us, but the kindness and humanity that inevitably connects us. Being kindness. . . . this idea will expand but this is the simple beginning for the Threads Project for 2020.

If you would like to become a Thread in this project, please reach out below. If you include your address I will send mail to you this winter (addresses are never shared or used for other purposes). And if you would like to contribute small fabric pieces (less than a yard) to be included in the piece you may send them to

Kat Ryalls

PO Box 34 Jonas Ridge, NC 28641