Tag: melody

Weaving a Song

Karen

This three-treadle weave was not complicated to thread; and with only three treadles and one shuttle, it is simple to weave. The beads certainly give a festive look, but most of the fabric is woven without the added sparkle. This weave creates an interesting striped pattern, giving physical and visual texture to the fabric, even without beads. Singing adds that kind of interest and pleasant consistency to life, even during times that don’t *sparkle* with happiness.

16/1 linen three-treadle weave, with beads.
A zig-zag treadling pattern, using three treadles, results in fabric with a striped look. Woven-in beads embellish this linen fabric.

Singing is a sign of a joyful heart, and the only instrument you need is a voice. My dad was a great example of this. He couldn’t carry a tune in a basket, but that did not keep him from singing. The thread of joy was woven in him from the beginning to the end of his life–through good times and hard times.

An inner melody of joy gives strength and consistency to make it beyond the happy sparkle times in life. Singing is a natural response to the grand weaver’s personal attention. So, go ahead and sing! Don’t be embarrassed–your voice is the grand weaver’s delight!

May you sing through your day.

Joyfully,
Karen

Sing with Me

Karen

When you finish weaving a rug, you are not quite finished. It is exciting to cut it off the loom, but the new handwoven rug isn’t ready for use until you do something to secure the cut ends.

warp rep rug hem
Trimmed, folded, and pressed hems are stitched securely, and then pressed again, making a tidy, completely flat finished edge.

I stitched the hems on this rug with my trusty old Bernina, making this a rug that will last. Music is like that–it helps us stitch down important thoughts. Putting words to music makes the words last. A song preserves meaningful ideas the same way stitching secures this carefully prepared hem.

You probably have a melody in your own heart just waiting to be heard. Maybe you have an old childhood song or hymn from the past (pause right now and take a moment to remember…), or maybe it’s a song you just made up for the fun of it. Either way, let those stitched-down words come to life with singing! (Sometimes news of current events is hard to bear. It’s in times like these that we need the continuity of a true song more than ever.)

May your heart find its song today.