i'm weaving again!

about 20 years ago i enrolled in a weaving class through the art department at the university of north texas. i was in love. i wanted to change my major to weaving, but changing my major a third time and further delaying my graduation was just not a good option. not to mention the limited career opportunities with such a degree. so i continued on the art education track which gave me a wonderful overview of many art processes, but limited me to beginning classes without developing a specialty. i taught art for several years at an elementary school and for one year at a high school. i am thankful for those experiences.

fast forward. i have been blessed with a lovely family and the gift of staying home as a wife, homemaker, mother, and teacher. i am thankful for the education classes which gave me strategies and confidence to teach my own kids at home. being at home full time now gives me the opportunity to pursue some of my personal interests and i am rekindling my love of weaving. my dear husband has indulged me with all of the equipment i need and a few evenings off for guild meetings. he even overlooks the clutter that my hobbies tend to create. (thank you, mark! love you!) i joined the local weaving and spinning guild, participating in a few workshops and classes. but this is my first project really on my own. it is a good feeling.

equipment list: *pattern from Weaver's Craft ; *handbook, Warping All By Yourself by cay garrett; *lee ann...expert weaver on call to answer my questions, because, in reality, i really don't want to warp all by myself! ; *10-2 cotton ordered from halcyon yarn, colors to coordinate with the brown, green, and blue eggs of our chickens (and you thought i was kidding when i wanted to decorate my kitchen in those delicious colors!); *warping frame; *loom; *sley hook; *shuttles...

i forgot to document the measuring of the warp on the warping frame, but here is the warp ready to put on the loom, the cross which keeps the warp ends in order.

the warp chain

the warp has been sleyed through the reed and is ready for the next step, threading the heddles.

my excitement over finally getting the loom warped was dampened when i discovered one misplaced thread. one.renegade.thread. enough to drive a weaver crazy! but a friend from the weaving guild with her husband came to fix the problem. they tied a string heddle so we could get that one thread in the right place. it is so nice to have a more experienced weaver to help me get back into groove of weaving

lee ann and wayne, the loom doctors.

finally. my loom warped and ready to go.

it is so fun to throw the shuttle back and forth, and watch the fabric materialize...teehee.

everyday gift: the clack of the shuttle as i work at my craft

the easter garden

God was the very first gardener.

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. Genesis 2:8-9a

in the beginning He gave us life in the garden. and when Jesus was raised from the dead to give us new life, eternal life, He did it in the garden again.

so we planted an easter garden. one that is green and lush and growing. with a path that leads to a tomb. this season we remember with a solemn heart that it was our sin that caused Jesus to die upon that cross. and rejoice that it was for sinners like us that he gave the extravagant and sacrificial gift of His life. and we worship the God who has had victory over death, once and for all, so that we can share in the resurrection and have eternal life.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I Peter 1:3

the kids had a great time putting together our little garden.
i loved their enthusiasm and their team work.

each plant, each stone carefully placed

our friend "little b" putting water in the miniature pond

3 gardeners

the inspiration for this beautiful easter project came from ann voskamp at aholyexperience. have you had the chance to visit her blog? you will most certainly be blessed every time that you stop by. her thoughts on the easter garden are very touching. she is a gifted writer who puts such insight, emotion, and beauty into each and every post. i am so thankful for her words and inspiration.

everyday gift: new birth and living hope because of Jesus!

wordless wednesday

(don't worry! i'm going to edit this picture when i get a minute and brighten it up a bit!)

everyday gift: hugs from grandparents

it was all a blur

B had her first sleep-over and it was all a blur! i tried to get some good pictures, but it was hard to focus on the moving targets.

B made these cute little cupcake pops for a treat. (thank you to heather p from the fiar boards who shared the idea!) they were a lot of fun to make (all 47 steps...jk.) and were very tasty! they were definately a hit.

if eight was great, nine is divine! happy birthday, B!

see what i mean about the blur?!


snuggled in sleeping bags, watching an AG movie

everyday gift: the giggles of girlfriends

a birthday cherry pie

a flashback picture of B picking cherries from grandpa's cherry tree

everyone at our house loves a cherry pie, but no matter how hard i tried, i could not make a fresh cherry pie that would not run all over the plate! it was always too juicy. until last summer, when i finally found the perfect recipe. not only does it make a pie filling that is thicker, but it is perfect for using up an abundant cherry harvest and freezing.

Cherry Pie Filling

*

8 cups tart cherries

2 1/2 cups sugar

5 T cornstarch

*

wash, drain, and pit cherries. combine sugar and cornstarch. stir into cherries and let stand about 30 minutes, until juices begin to flow. cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken. ladle the pie filling into 1 quart freezer containers leaving 1/2" head space. cool at room temperature, not to exceed 2 hours, and freeze.

yield: 4 quarts

everyday gift: cherry pie

weaving with the keepers

the saturday of our keeper meeting came with a flurry...and i do mean that in both senses of the word! my day was a whirlwind: getting ready for our weaving project, running to soccer games, baking a pie, and cleaning house...when i discovered S running a high fever. yikes. the keeper girls were supposed to meet at our house, but i couldn't expose them to a fever, not even knowing yet, what was the cause. but i didn't want to cancel! the solution brought such a blessing. patty, a friend of a keeper mom, so kindly agreed to open her church up for our meeting. it was the perfect place with a nice large table to set up our weaving and cute little cafe tables to work and visit. and not only that, she showed such hospitality as she made a pot of coffee and served us while we were busy with our project. thank you, patty! you really blessed us with your servant's heart and loving spirit!

our group has undergone a change since last year. several of our original members have become busy with other activities and others have joined! so we are excited to welcome our newest members. this was our first meeting with the new members and i have to say we are really blessed with such incredible girls! we could see the buds of new friendships springing up even as the blooms continue with the older friendships. not to mention the fellowship of the moms who are like-minded in their desire to raise up girls who love the Lord.

B and A (and a thank you to A who made cookies for our snack with her mom! yummy!)

we began a project for the weaving badge using a simple cardboard loom. the girls put the warp on and choose colorful yarns to weave a little bookmark. beautiful work, girls!

A working hard with a little help

attentive girls ready to learn

moms helping daughters

E shows the beginning of her weaving

O is for orange

the girls did such a nice job beginning their projects. they will finish them at home and bring them back to the next meeting to show off their handiwork.

everyday gift: new friends joining keepers

wordless wednesday

everyday gift: a wake-up call