Tag: Jesus

Copying Springtime Colors

Karen

Does fear of making a mistake keep you from experimenting with color? To be on the safe side, repeat something that you have done before. Or at least copy someone else. Isn’t that why we love Pinterest? You don’t have to think something up; just do what somebody else has done.

Color combination for a cotton scarf.
8/2 cotton, with the self-imposed challenge of using seven different colors of weft on the light green warp.

I have woven some wild color combinations. Including some that I regret. You know, the what-was-I-thinking kind of experiments. Those pieces get hidden away; or, I keep them only for personal use, but never for show. But here I go again, trying to make a handful of colors work together. We won’t see the overall results until the scarf is off the loom, when it is too late to undo it.

Cotton puckered scarf on the loom. Springtime colors!
Final scarf on this cotton warp. Three different shades of green are separated by narrow stripes of springtime colors, with slightly longer floats in the narrow stripes. Will it work? We will see…

All of us have done things we regret. There’s no chance for a do-over, so we just hide it. We have to be careful not to be shaped by our regrets. Fear of making a mistake can keep us frozen in indecision. Yet, when I come to Jesus, he is able to keep me from stumbling, from repeating my missteps. Yes, I learn from my mistakes; but even better than that, the Master Weaver gives me an example to “copy.” His example is tried and true.

May your regrets be few.

Always learning,
Karen

Practice Weaving Like a Musician

Karen

As a classically trained musician, I tend to approach my time at the loom as practice. This means being mentally alert–for every little gesture, the synchronization of movements, and the quality being produced. Little by little, with this mindfulness, I see improvement in releasing and catching the shuttle, treading my feet on the treadles, and efficiency of movement overall. I still struggle with getting an even beat and with keeping my place in the treadling pattern. My pace of weaving is increasing, though.

Hemstitching at the beginning of another cotton scarf.
Hemstitching begins another cotton lace scarf. The ease of weaving with only one shuttle allows ample opportunity to focus on improvement of weaving technique.

Will I ever reach perfection in these skills? I don’t think so. I have come a long way, but have you noticed that learning never ends? My practice won’t make me perfect, but it does provide a way for me to grow as a weaver.

Faith is more than a belief, it is a practice. Faith in Jesus is always the entrance door into the Kingdom of heaven. And don’t think of heaven simply as a destination. Think of heaven as a Kingdom where everything is right. The day will come when that Kingdom is no longer a mystery. In the meantime, let’s practice weaving worthwhile cloth.

May you practice what you believe.

With you,
Karen

Beautiful to the Last Inch

Karen

This blanket won’t be as long as I wanted it to be. My sample at the beginning used more warp than I had expected. But the sample was necessary. I will squeeze out the last possible inch, throwing (or pushing) the shuttle as far as I can. The warp will come over the back beam before I know it, and the end will be the end. (Quiet Friday: Blanket Sample Thanksgiving)

Double-width blanket no.2 on the loom.
Changing the weft color every 18 centimeters / 7 inches produces blocks of color across the warp for the first half of the blanket.

This blanket on the second half of the warp will be more colorful than the first. For the weft, I decided to use the bits of remaining wool warp yarn, combining pairs of colors, to weave blocks of color across the blanket. It is satisfying to use up the yarn, even though it feels like a risk to step away from the usual in order to be original. The remaining fragments of wool will be used at some other time, like memories that are held, and then woven into new things.

Wool warp leftovers.
All that is left of eleven colors (22 skeins) of wool warp yarn, after using it up for the blanket weft.

Make the most of life now. That means using up your best efforts. Be original. Make every day count by giving of yourself. Look carefully at the life that has been given to you, and be who God created you to be.

In loving memory of Linda Kemper, dear friend and fellow handweaver, who made the most of life here. We will miss her. Home with Jesus.

May you fully live.

Assured,
Karen

Textured Textiles for Christmas

Karen

This is exactly what I had hoped for! Wet finishing made textured textiles out of flat fabric. One look at these pot holders and you know they have been through the washer and dryer. The rag weave table runner tells the same story. It’s true, wet finishing made positive permanent changes.

Rag weave table runner in M's and O's - on the loom.
Rag weave table runner on the loom. M’s and O’s, with Cottolin warp, and narrow cotton fabric strips for weft.
M's and O's pot holders and table runner cut from the loom.
Time to celebrate cutting the pot holders and table runner from the loom.
Rag weave table runner and string yarn pot holders in M's and O's. Karen Isenhower
Textured textiles, after wet finishing and hemming. Twisted cording was added to pot holders for hanging loops.
Detail of textured textiles. M's and O's with creative treadling.
Creative treadling for two pot holders produced design variations.

Christmas is a true story. Love came down. You have heard the story: Jesus came as a baby, grew up, and gave up his life to save us, all in the name of love. When this Jesus story is written on our hearts it changes everything. This love story is the wet finishing we need. It is the only thing that can truly complete us. Your life already tells a story. It is an open book that people read. When we let the Christmas story of God’s love shape us, the fabric of our life becomes characterized by the texture of love.

May your loved ones enjoy reading “your” book.

(Shoppes at Fleece ‘N Flax in Eureka Springs, Arkansas is carrying a few of my rugs. If you are near the area, drop by the shop and say Hi to Debbie!)

Happy Holy Day,
Karen

Rag Weaving with a Boat Shuttle

Karen

This is a simple way to make a rag weave table runner. The M’s and O’s weave structure provides a great framework. What I like about narrow fabric strips is that you can wind them on quills, just like yarn, and weave with a boat shuttle. It is fast weaving that breezes right along.

Rag weave table runner on the loom. Karen Isenhower
Boat shuttle holds quill with narrow fabric strips to weave table runner. In view below the table runner are pot holders that were woven using unbleached cotton multi-strand yarn.

I could use a small ski shuttle for this, as if I were weaving rag rugs. Or, I could even place the weft across by hand on this narrow-width warp. The most efficient way is the boat shuttle, and the main thing is to get the weft across so weaving can happen. In life and relationships, it is love that needs to get across.

Patience and kindness are universal expressions of love. Love never fails. It started with the patience and kindness of God. As we draw toward Christmas, consider the meaning of the holiday–that God so loved the world. His patience and kindness toward humanity meant sending His son to our world. And that baby, named Jesus, became God’s way of taking love across the gap between heaven and earth.

May you be known for patience and kindness.

Good Christmas to you,
Karen