Wall hanging to bring hope to cancer patients

For mixed-media artist and knitter Juliane "Jules" Ketcher of Lakeside, the fight against breast cancer is personal. Ketcher has witnessed several friends be diagnosed with the disease, including her best friend, and she is determined to give hope and inspiration to all breast cancer patients through an artistic fundraising project called Project Pink.

"I needed to do something for all my sisters," she said. "I will do this for the sake of all women."

Project Pink will culminate in the creation of a large-scale wall hanging titled "On Wings of Hope." The wall hanging will be in the shape of a cape formed from hundreds of individual free-form "scrumbles" in pink.

Ketcher envisions the project as the work of an entire community, not just herself.

She hopes that besides donating materials, people will work scrumbles in the medium of their choice for the project. Any person with any skill level in any craft is invited participate.

The scrumbles can be worked in any medium: knit, crocheted, embroidered, sewn, felted — whatever your craft is, Ketcher can fit it into the piece. The scrumbles are small, any shape and size between a 2- by 2-inch square and a 5- by 5-inch square, and can be made in stitches of your choice.

Even a plain garter square, or one with mistakes is fine with Ketcher.

"There are no mistakes in this type of piece," she said. "It is all part of the whole."

Ketcher will assemble the scrumbles onto a sturdy background, and the hand-made collage will hang from the walls of breast cancer centers, giving patients hope and encouragement to continue their fight. She hopes it will become a traveling art installation.

"It will be irregular and soft. Full of imperfections, yet beautiful just the same," Ketcher said of the symbolism behind her concept.

"A cape gives you refuge and comfort in hard times. It keeps you safe. The wings of the cape remind me of butterflies. They represent flight and freedom. The core, where you get your strength, will be darker-colored, and the light will spread out from it."

Project Pink is just getting started, and Ketcher is looking for donations of pink yarn, materials, ribbons — anything pink that could be incorporated into the final project. Donations may be dropped off at Camas Creek Yarn, 338 Main St., Kalispell.

Ketcher will be giving a presentation at Camas Creek Yarn’s knitting therapy session at 1 p.m. Sept. 4 at Camas Creek Yarn. She will demonstrate the free-form knitting techniques that she uses for the scrumbles. Those interested in working on Project Pink or learning more about the project are invited to attend.

Those with experience in fundraising or who have suggestions of places that might appreciate showing the completed Project Pink wall hanging, should contact Ketcher at 844-3117. Ketcher said she would love to use this project to raise money for cancer research in some way, and would appreciate working with someone with expertise in this type of fundraising.