These beautiful hand embroidered heart cushions are made by the Forward Bear Project, a women's upliftment group in South Africa. The name for the project, "The Forward Bear," is translated from the Xhosa language meaning "moving forward."The cushions are made with the finest French thread and high-quality black cotton and African print fabrics. Each cushion is completely unique and may not be eactly as it appears in the photographs.
Founded over five years ago, in an effort to empower local craftswomen while contributing to the city's creative pulse, the Forward Bear Project started as a core group of local Cape Town women. Several years later, it has evolved to include over 30 members, from South Africa, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Central to the process is a celebration of the individual. The creative process is left entirely to the embroiderers, who develop their own particular design language. The result is a beautiful collection of of cushions embroidered with animals, people, houses, flowers and other whimsical imagery. The thread connecting all the efforts is the conviction that a skilled community can produce desirable products of enduring value.
