Make & Mend
The Coat is currently made up of about 630 patches, created by groups or individuals along its journey route and beyond. People’s griefs and remembrances connected to their local landscapes and stories of migration, along with their prayers and hopes for the future, have been stitched, appliqued, felted and painted onto pieces of blanket. These were lovingly sewn onto the Coat along its journey to Glasgow in 2021 for COP26, the international climate change conference.
Continuing Contributions,
Upkeep & Care
It does not feel right to stop the Coat from receiving further contributions to its fabric as it travels on. Indeed, mending and upkeep of the Coat and its existing patches will be essential.
The vision for the adding of new “patches” is that people who walk with the Coat or meet it on its way who would like to add to it will have the option to:
Sew directly into some part of the Coat which is currently blank, including embellishing, gaps or joins between existing patches.
Make a tiny round or square patch about the size of a 50p piece, which can be sewn onto the Coat in a blank spot with respect to existing patches of course.
Choose to do some visible mending or repair to an existing patch.
In this way, the beauty and detail of the Coat will deepen over time.
It's important to remember that every contribution (however mundane or practical) matters and time spent with the Coat always adds to its story and its power.
Please get in touch to register your interest -
Patch Making Kit
Here you can find all the written content from
the original Patch Making Kit: