Patching Story, Illustrating Identity

In traditional Hong Kong culture, the Baak Gaa Bou (百家布)—or ‘Hundred-Family Blanket’—serves as a beautiful symbol of community protection and collective blessing. Historically, families would gather small scraps of fabric from friends and neighbours to sew a quilt for a newborn, stitching together a safety net of well-wishes. In this workshop, we are reimagining this heritage for our contemporary lives, inviting you to join us for a collaborative arts session that explores the personal intersections of home, identity, and memory.

This workshop is facilitated by Ivana Lam, @iggieillustrate, a Manchester based mixed media fashion illustrator and community workshop facilitator. Lam believes in the power of fashion and storytelling, how it can bring people together by retelling story and illustrating meaning into one’s fashion.

Co-creation and Collaboration provides a creative sanctuary where the focus remains firmly on visual expression rather than technical sewing skills. We encourage you to design your patches with total freedom; your contribution might be a delicate sketch of a childhood home, a bold pattern inspired by a favourite piece of clothing, or an abstract mark representing a fleeting personal memory.

While we honour the Hong Kong roots of the Baak Gaa Bou, your designs need not be “traditionally” cultural. We welcome every interpretation of what ‘home’ means to you, using the universal language of art to tell your unique story.

Throughout the session, we will lean into the world of fashion illustration and mark-making, using pens, paints, and mixed media to translate thoughts onto fabric. It is a space for experimentation where there are no “wrong” designs and no prior experience in drawing or needlework is required. As the workshop draws to a close, our individual patches will be gathered to form the foundation of a collective community quilt—a visual map of our shared time and a lasting testament to the new connections we are weaving together.

Event Details

* Date: 21st March 2026
* Time: 10:00-13:00 or 13:30-16:30
* Location: 2/F, Manchester Central Library
* Admission: Free / suggested £5 donation (All materials will be provided on the day. )
* Capacity: 18 persons per session

The finished quilt will be sewed together and exhibited in various spaces, stay tuned for the follow up if you would like to see your patches in its final form!