Rafooghar Workshops
Embroidery is often dismissed as a trivial, domestic pursuit but at Rafooghar, it is used as a tool to delve deeper into the themes of identity, mobility, agency and demonstrate its power as a form of therapy and creative expression. In the context of mental health, the act of stitching serves as a therapeutic outlet for participants, allowing them to channel their emotions, reduce stress, mend and heal not just fabrics but also emotions, thoughts, and relationships.
Our modules have been designed in collaboration with artists, art therapists, educators and most importantly - the women from our community, their stories, everyday struggles, collective wisdom and lived experiences, ensuring that the process remains accessible, non-threatening, and deeply resonant for those who participate.
Our sesions are carefully planned usually commencing with icebreakers, then transitioning into theater and movement-based exercises, as well as art warm-ups, leading to stitching and embroidery sessions and finally closing with discussions and conversations around the pieces created during the session.
Our community women co-lead these workshops, carrying Rafooghar’s methodology to a broader and more diverse audience. The proceeds from these sessions go to the women and also help sustain our community space, reinforcing a model of shared ownership, economic agency, and collective growth.
We have facilitated workshops both nationally and internationally
New Delhi: India International Centre, Kiran Nadar Museum of Arts, Lodhi Gardens, Aarambh- Waldorf School, NIIT, Heritage School, Mool, YP Foundation's event- Many Mirrors, Many Masculinities, Cequin’s 16 days of Activism
Bengaluru: Sabha, Sandbox Collective, Museum of Art and Photograpgy, Zubaan Cafe
Jaipur: Agami Justicemakers Mela
Kashmir: Jammu and Kashmir Association of Social Workers
Malaysia: Alegria Creativity, Harmony Hall, Petaling Jaya; Humankind,KL; Participatory Design conference and Borneo Cultural festival, Sibu, Sarawak
Thailand: AWID Forum, Bangkok; Kalm VIllage and Koi Sakunee’s Studio in Chiang Mai
Germany: Alt Shift Festival, Freie Feldlage
UK: University of York (History of Arts Department); Pink Collar Gallery, Sunderland
Here are some of our offerings.
BOLTE CHEHRE/
EXPRESSIVE PORTRAITS
Understanding oneself with self portraits
This workshop explores ideas around identity and self-expression. Participants engage in various exercises to explore the multifaceted aspects of their identities and are encouraged to depict and reflect upon their personal narratives, likes, dislikes, dreams, beliefs, emotions, and experiences that contribute to their sense of self. Participants will get to experiment with different artistic techniques like collages, aplique and patchwork along with embroidery techniques to express the complexities and nuances of their identities visually.
BODY MEMORIES
A feminist stitching workshop inspired by Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth, Roxane Gay’s Hunger, and many other feminist writings.
Through body mapping, stitching, and collective reflection, this workshop invites participants to transform myths and beauty rules into stitched truths of their own -creating textile archives of body memory, resistance, and feminist solidarity.
Rather than aiming for perfection, we’ll embrace irregular threads, raw edges, and visible mends as part of the story. Together, we’ll explore what it means to tend to what we need, in fabric, and perhaps within or around us.
AZEEZ CHEEZ /
OBJECTS & MEMORIES
What do our objects tell us about ourselves?
Azeez Cheez Workshop is designed to take us down memory lane by bringing our attention to objects that hold immense value to us.
Through this workshop, we will relive precious memories, explore deep connections we have with our cherished items, share stories and stitch a tangible and artistic expression of our personal histories.
HAAL KHAYAL /
MOODS & MARK-MAKING
A workshop to honor our feelings, thoughts and emotions and find a non-verbal language to express them through the mediums of threads and textiles.
In this workshop, we will focus on our moods and feelings, using stitching- a rhythmic and meditative tool to process, reflect, and express our emotional landscapes. Through the act of making marks on fabric, participants will explore how simple, repetitive stitches can convey complex emotions, transforming inner feelings into tangible, creative expressions.
ZINDAGI KE NAKSHE/MAPS OF
OUR LIVES
A reflective module that builds upon our lived experiences, to shape the future we wish to create for ourselves. Through a deeply personal and creative process, participants engage in mapping their journeys by using fabric as a canvas and their own bodies as a guide. By retracing and stitching the contours of their bodies onto fabric, they create visual representations of their unique paths, marking significant moments, struggles, triumphs, and aspirations.
UMEED KA KARAVAAN/TRAVELING QUILT OF HOPE
Coming together to stitch a caravan of hope
Umeed ka Karavaan invites participants to share their hopes and dreams and stitch together a traveling quilt of hope that has been journeying from community to community, city to city, country to country since 2024.
This collaborative quilt aims to unite communities, build connections and solidarity.
RAFOO/Mending beyond fabric
In this hands-on workshop, we engage with fabric as a way to explore ideas of rupture, repair, and resilience. Through processes like cutting, stitching, and layering, participants are invited to work with cloth as a surface for personal expression and quiet transformation.
Rather than aiming for perfection, we embrace irregular threads, raw edges, and visible mends as part of the story. Together, we explore what it means to tend to what feels broken, in fabric, and perhaps within or around us.