'Fairy of Mile-End' sewing dreams into colourful wedding train

They call her the "Fairy of Mile-End" because she comes up with art projects that involve the community. 

This summer, Patsy Van Roost is stitching people's dreams together into a long, colourful fabric train. 

With her sewing machine set up on a table and two chairs right on St-Hubert Street near St-Zotique Street, Van Roost is embroidering the dreams of strangers who have become friends.

"I'm there to listen to people's dreams, but a dream is just an excuse to start talking," she said. "Once they sit on that chair and watch my hands work, It opens their heart."

People sit and talk and share while Van Roost sews their dreams into part of a 55-metre flow of colourful fabric that grows daily. 

"What I embroider is just a tiny little flicker of a relationship that happened between the person," said Van Roost. "There's something of a confession."

So far, the fabric has 203 dreams and counting, with each telling a story in itself. 

Van Roost says weaving the dreams together brings them closer to reality. 

"I assemble it with other dreams, so there's more and more chance that it will happen, or that you will do everything you need to do to make it happen," she said.

She's more than halfway to her goal of a 100-metre long wedding train that will symbolize what unites the people in this colourful community.

On Aug. 18, it will serve as a table runner for 100 people picnicking together on Plaza St-Hubert.