Month: May 2013

You Can Always Hope

Karen

Starting a new warp is like having a blank slate. I still find it fascinating that one can weave thread into cloth! Every new warp is a time of starting over. No matter what went wrong before, this new set of ends has fresh possibilities. Hope gives a blank slate like that. Anyone can begin again.

Warping the loom for cotton curtains
Over the back beam and around the warp beam, images of white Swedish lace curtains dance in my mind.

Hope can slip away gradually, and we don’t even notice until it is gone. Dreams are put on the shelf, and we tell ourselves if we don’t look, it won’t hurt. Whether we mess up, or others mess us up, we secretly decide to stop trying. One day we look up, and hope is missing. The loom sits empty.

Listen… Can you hear it? There’s a quiet voice speaking strength and courage to you. It’s the whisper of the creator’s love. It brings a strong picture of hope for the future at the very moment all present hope seems to be slipping away. There is always a new warp to wind, and resulting handwoven fabric is around the corner. A brighter day is coming. Don’t stop hoping.

May your dreams and hopes find fulfillment.

Hopefully Yours,
Karen

We All Start Somewhere

Karen

Can you see the curtains yet? I see them in my mind’s eye as I measure the length of the warp ends. Two ends at a time, from their tubes, through my fingers, and to the warping reel, which I spin ’round and ’round to measure eight yards. Planned in my mind and on paper, this is where the curtains start to become reality.

Egyptian cotton handwoven curtains
Two tubes 20/2 Egyptian cotton on the left, and two tubes 8/2 Egyptian cotton on the right. The heavier weight 8/2 cotton is being doubled, which will create a defined outline every couple inches in the woven fabric.

There comes a point in any endeavor when you have to get past the thinking and planning stage to move into action. Taking the first step feels uneasy, like a step of faith into the unknown future.

What is the starting point for faith? Consider this: From microscopic algae to planets in our solar system, everything is crafted with mind-boggling precision, much more so than my simple cloth. Certainly, there must be a mastermind behind it all. Just picture the outstretched arms and immense power that set everything into motion. Nothing is too difficult for such a mastermind! Grab hold of that thought to awaken faith in God. This starting point for faith is a step into a deep sense of wonder.

May your thinking and planning bring you to a satisfying starting point.

Step by step,
Karen

Perfectly Imperfect

Karen

Five new tubes of quality Egyptian cotton thread. They look perfect! And one very old boat shuttle (possibly from the 1800’s). Quite worn and used, it has noticeable flaws and imperfections. This shuttle is very simple, but it fits perfectly in my hands, and easily glides across the warp, carrying weft thread across. The shuttle’s worth is measured by what it becomes in my hands as a weaver.

antique boat shuttle
Antique boat shuttle found on eBay, with new fitted spindle added. Cotton thread will be woven to make curtains.

If I am noticed by people, that makes me important, right? And if I’m never noticed — what then? Does that mean I am less important? I hope we can base our personal value on something besides popularity and opinions; if not, we’re left trying to prove our worth.

It is marvelous that there is a grand weaver who knows us personally. The one who stretched out the skies like a piece of cloth and sprinkled it with stars as if they were glass beads, knows each of us by name. He knows all the flaws, yet he delights to pick up that worn, imperfect shuttle and use it to create something spectacular. My worth is defined in his hands.

May you hear your name pleasantly spoken.

Imperfect, but happy,
Karen

More than Meets the Eye

Karen

We are surrounded with ordinary things. If we focus entirely on the ordinary we can miss the extraordinary that’s right in front of us. Something amazing happens and we don’t even notice. I’m not just talking about everyday miracles — a baby takes his first breath, a rosebud opens, a butterfly escapes from its chrysalis. I’m talking about the hidden things that are only seen with a special lens.

handwoven band
Woven on a two-treadle band loom, this cotton/linen band will be used as trim, straps, and handles.
(Click to enlarge)

Anyone might appreciate a woven band like this, but a handweaver will see things about this woven piece that wouldn’t occur to the casual observer. It makes sense that a weaver would see threads and cloth with a different lens than someone without weaving experience. What kind of lens do we need in order to see beyond the surface of ordinary events in our lives?

Faith is the lens of spiritual eyes, and by wearing this lens we are able see the amazing things God is doing around us — things unnoticed by the naked eye. There will always be the everyday miracles that we don’t want to miss, but I want to be one of the few who see the back story of how the threads of life are intentionally being woven together.

May you capture the wonder of intricately woven threads in your life.

Constantly amazed,
Karen