The Woven Community

The Saga of the Woven Paraments Part 4:

Our goal became to create, through artful integration, a finished piece where dissimilar materials not only co-exist, but actually enhance each other. The blocks of solid provide a resting place for the eye; the prints add interest; the airy, open areas elevate the tenor. The dense supplies grounding for the sheer; the delicate softens the heavy. The light-colored fabric sets off the dark, so that each looks better than it did when standing alone. We began weaving from the bottom, working upward, and the design functions in the same way; the eye tends to look at the bottom of the piece first and is led upward. The lower area has more horizontal lines and is woven more tightly, giving a grounded effect. As the eye is drawn upward, some spaces open up, and some of the lines become more vertical. Also, the predominant colors become lighter as the design moves upward. By the time the viewer’s eye reaches the top, the materials have become slender and vertical, spiraling aloft. The suggestion is that of a tree, growing upward. The symbolism is that of ordinary time, when our growth should be spiritual, towards God.

Our congregation responded generously to our appeal for materials. We received fabrics and fibers with historical or sentimental value, items that have imbued our banners with meaning. We attempted to mingle all of these varied colors and fabrics, finding meaning and beauty together. We received such a wonderful outpouring - from sweaty t-shirts to wedding finery, from Boy Scout kerchiefs to Christmas Pageant costumes, from formal neckties to a dish towel of everyday family life, from the woolen plaid of a family tartan to the soft cotton of a baby’s onesie. Our hope is that these banners are a tangible depiction of the way our congregation is tightly woven together in community. Accordingly, we have entitled them “The Woven Community”. We decided that sounds more sophisticated than “Strata, Blobs, and Zig-Zags”!

Close-up of the Pulpit Cloth

The pulpit cloth was designed and woven by Molly.
The arrangement of lights and darks makes it appear as if a shaft of sunlight is coming in from above.


Close up view of the left banner.


Close up view of the right banner.

Strata, Blobs, and Zig-Zags

Sheryl exhibiting great patience.


Nancy and Molly going to great heights for their art.

Saga of the Woven Paraments Part 3: We began by weaving at the bottom of the loom with a simple under and over pattern, straight across. We quickly realized that this would produce a rather boring composition. After researching more advanced techniques, we experimented with inserting some rhomboid-shaped “lozenges” (as they are called in the weaving biz) to add contrast and interest. These inserts were intended to be tapered, diamond shapes, but we quickly discovered that with the thickness of our weft, the diamonds kept stubbornly winding up as, well, blobs. As we continued working, we learned to accept, and even to love, our blobs.

Next, we discovered that as we worked the weft in around these blobs, they acted as obstacles, forcing us to weave up and over and around them. One observer commented that it seemed to be a metaphor for life – just when you feel as if you’re sailing smoothly along, you encounter a problem that you have to work around. Romans 5 resonated with us: “ … we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Having to work around the obstacles in our weaving produced interesting, wavy horizontal lines, which gave character to the piece. And that produced hope that our banners might turn out all right, after all. And we began to feel the Spirit that had been at work through us.

More confident now, we thought further about the purpose of the banners and our design. These paraments are intended for Ordinary Time, the period on the liturgical calendar that falls between our church holidays and celebratory seasons. It is a time for spiritual renewal, growth, and the building up of the church; traditionally, the dominant color is green.

Aren't Y'all Done Yet?

The weaving begins in August ..... and continues .... day by day .....




August leads into September .... and we weave ...

And September turns into October .... and still we weave ....

October passes ..... and we're still weaving ...





And weaving .... and weaving ....





November arrives ... to find us weaving.

The Saga of the Woven Paraments Part 2: We stepped out in faith, attempting to trust in God despite our continued self-doubts.

We put out the call for the congregation to contribute the materials. The congregation responded. We designed and built our own looms. We plunged into the weaving, learning as we went along. It went slowly. Very slowly. A common refrain heard in our vicinity for several weeks was a well-deserved, friendly mocking “Aren’t y’all done yet?”

We continued with our “on the job training”. The initial weaving concepts that we encountered were “warp” and “weft”. The warp threads are the strings that run vertically, from the bottom to the very top of the piece. The weft is the “fill” fabric that is woven horizontally under and over the warp threads. The weft is how the weaver introduces color and design, hopefully using creativity to make the piece unique.

Filled With the Skill?

Peter, builder of the looms, prepares to deliver them to the church for L'Art to begin their weaving project.

The Saga of the Woven Paraments Part 1: When L’Art decided to fashion new banners using the craft of weaving, we were truly stepping out in faith. Weaving was a technique that we found interesting, but one in which we had very little experience. Trusting that the spirit would guide us, we commenced our project without much of a plan.

We had virtually no budget.

We did not have a loom.

We had no fabric with which to weave.

None of us considered ourselves adept at weaving.

We didn’t have a clear idea of what the resulting piece would look like.

What did we have?

We had a supportive congregation and inspiration from Exodus 35, verses 23 – 29:

“And everyone who possessed blue or purple or crimson yarn or fine linen or goats' hair or tanned rams' skins or fine leather, brought them ... all the women whose hearts moved them to use their skill spun the goats' hair ... All the Israelite men and women whose hearts made them willing to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done, brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.”

Kathy works with the warp thread.

We felt that our hearts had moved us to create a work of art that would be a freewill offering to the Lord. However, reading ahead to verse 35:

“He has filled them with skill to do every kind of work done by an artisan or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and in fine linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of artisan or skilled designer.”

Molly and Nancy warp the looms.

Starting out, we privately thought to ourselves, and quietly spoke amongst ourselves:

“What do we think we’re doing?! We’re not artisan weavers! We haven’t been filled with the skill!”

What is a Reredos?

Reredos is a term derived from a Middle Ages term; it's also known as a ReTable. At APC, it's the table behind the Table, where we can place a cross and candles when the Table is filled with trays and cups and the elements on Communion Sundays.



For special services and services held in the evening, it's especially effective to use a longer table and load it up with lots of glowing candles.

Communing With the World

For World Communion Sunday, L'Art arranged a display of a variety of breads from different cultures and locations around the world.



Michael preparing the Table.

Bookmark it

The front view.




To "advertise" our team, L'Art created bookmarks to pass out to the New Members/Inquirers class.





The back view.

Taking a Curtain Call

Our next undertaking was not art per se, but was an opportunity for L'Art to serve the church by providing our time and talents on a needed sewing project.

Some curtains for the windows on the west side of our sanctuary would greatly help alleviate the distraction of the sun glaring in during services or concerts held in the late afternoon.

Molly working with a whole lotta cloth


Kathy concentrating



Nancy, Joel, and Molly discuss the logistics of hanging the curtains

Hoist that sail!


Three curtains in three days

Daily Prayer

For our sixth and final week in the Series, the theme was Daily Prayer. L'Art displayed a wonderful drawing, done by one of our youths, Sarah C.
















Also, L'Art assembled refrigerator magnets that were handed out to the congregation as a Reverse Offering.

The magnets were comprised of "the prayer that never fails":
Thy Will Be Done.

Tithing

The theme for our fourth week in the series was Tithing, but our pastor was more interested in discussing giving with gladness than in talking about money, so we approached this week as a First Fruits topic. First Fruits is an ancient Jewish feast. No harvest is to be taken until the first fruits are dedicated, with thanksgiving, to God. It demonstrates that giving is done with a glad heart and it sets a pattern of giving back to God the first and the best.

Our visual enhancement consisted of an arrangement at the base of the Table showing the grains, fruits, and oil that are traditionally considered part of a First Fruits ritual.

Pilgrimage

A Pilgrim's Resting Place

A pilgrimage is a journey - towards a place of religious significance, towards salvation, or it can be a search for spiritual enlightenment.



Our visual enhancements for this week's theme involved placing paper footprints in paths on the floor. As you entered the church from the outside, the footprints led into the sanctuary, down the aisles to the Font, the Table, and to the Pulpit.

On the chancel, a tableau was staged with a log, walking stick, sandals, and colorful cloak, to suggest a place where a pilgrim might sit and rest for a while.

Fasting

The theme for the third week of our Series presented a challenge for L'Art: how to visually depict the absence of something? An empty plate conveys scarcity, not the fulfillment and enlightenment achieved through faithful fasting. We decided to expand our thoughts on fasting. Traditionally, we think of fasting as going without food, but isn't the point of fasting to give something up in order to focus more on God and what God would set as your priorities?

Our immediate community and congregation is blessed to be relatively well-off, and we are a community that is very busy - busy with work, home, family, friends. No one seems to have enough time, and to give up "free" time would be a greater sacrifice for many of us than giving up a meal.
So, for many in our demographic group, to volunteer one's time serves as a sort of a fast. L'Art decided to display photographs of some of our members performing various mission and service works.


As we hear in Isaiah 58:
Is not this the fast that I choose?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless into your house;
when you see the naked to cover them?

Fasting, whether it involves giving up food or your time in service to others, is a spiritual practice of self discipline that helps you to remember and to prioritize God. It can be an act of purification, repentance, rejoicing, and communing. It is an ancient tradition that can still be a meaningful practice today.

The Sacred Meal

For our second week in the Summer Sermon Series, "The Sacred Meal" was the theme. Nancy and Molly used pottery chalices and pitcher, set up a ReTable with dozens of candles, and baked hearty whole-grain bread for use in Communion. Communion was served by way of intinction. These enhancements and practices were used in hopes of invoking a feeling of the early church and connecting with ancient practices.

Additionally, bread machines were set up in the lobby and timed to be baking bread as we entered the building for worship, so that as many senses as possible were engaged.




Also, a table was set up in the narthex, representing a modern family meal. One of the thoughts suggested by this series is that we can find direction for our lives by looking to the ancient ways. Any meal can be an opportunity to connect with the sacred.

Remember the Sabbath

For our first week of the Summer Sermon Series on Ancient Practices, the theme was "Sabbath". Sally and Marian turned our narthex into a garden. Lush plants, flowers, a softly splashing fountain, and a garden bench all contributed to an atmosphere of Creation and respite.