Fabric of the Church
Woven shawls with an artistic flair
Lenore's introduction to weaving was in the summer of 2003 at a church annual retreat at Hanover College in southern Indiana. She registered for the triangular weaving class in which prayer shawls were woven. Actually it was an answer to her prayers, as she found the medium in which she could express her dormant design abilities. She was enthralled!
One of the most meaningful projects represents the unity of believers. Each member of the congregation was asked to contribute a strand the length to match their height.
Some of the strands were stronger.
Some of the strands were weaker.
Some of the strands were heaver.
Some of the strands were lighter.
Just like the people.
Lenore knotted the strands together signifying the joining together of the membership. A single strong white strand, to represent Christ, was woven with the membership strand. The Christ Strand added strength and held the "Fabric of the Church" together. The Christ Strand compensated for the differences in the membership strand.
Weaving/Faith Analogies
Triangular loom
- Trinity
Loom Size
-
Determined by the size of the congregation
- the length of the pieces tied together
Open loom
- Open life - waiting to be filled by God's design for self & the church
Continuous strand -
We are all tied together
Each piece of yarn -
Our God given individuality
Color - Personality
Fiber - Characteristics
Weight - Strength
Length - Maturity
Remnant of a special project -
Life Story
Christ strand
- The same throughout
- With everyone, as needed
-
holds (Holy Spirit) all the individual pieces together
- gives strength to any weaker strands
Each weave holds the fabric together
-
creates a Cross, the basis of the church
Warp/Weft is the same strand
-
Woven together to fill in the space
-
of equal importance to keep an even tension
No grouping
-
each strand is woven through many other strands
-
a blending of colors, fibers to make a work of beauty
- God's perfect plan
Woven fabric can not be unraveled easily
- it has be taken apart
The top warp strand(s)
-
The formers, founders, leaders of the church
-
all the other weft is woven through them
- need to be strong, flexible
Hardest part - getting started - the nails are close together and there are no other warps holding the weave together.
Weave from the top, down and the outside to center.
The first weaves are quick, as there are fewer warp strands, as the fabric grows,
it takes longer to weave through the more warp strands.
The last weft takes the longest and is the tightest, as it has to be woven through the entire warp.
What does this tell us about the growth of the church?
About your individual faith journey?
Symmetrical - like a mirror image - our lives - words, actions, etc.- affect others.
Characteristics:
- Mistakes appear on both sides of the loom
- both places have to be corrected
- making wrongs - right, benefits both parties.
- God forgives & gives us "do overs" - - sometimes.
- The weft has to be cut & rewoven. Takes time and some risk is involved.
Each shawl is unique fibers, colors, design, etc - *Each church is unique - determined by the size, depends upon the personalities & talents of the congregation.
When people watch me weave, I often hear, "You must have patience." - God is patient with us.
Fringe: Strands of blue represent the water of baptism
No two colors are bad together - All colors go together - beautiful blending
Anticipate the next/new color and see how it works in
Depending on where the color begins:
it could be mostly weft,
2 strands on one side,
or 1 strand on each side with warp in between
The further into the center, each color piece makes more weft & some warp
Bulky yarn - fill in more space, so those on either side are closer to it - if very bulky, then it might even push the strands over on either side
Some wefts just seemed to "fall in place" - strands stayed straight, right tension, etc.
Working around the knots -- had to separate the shed more. -
-
some more troublesome then others
-
some "lifted" the white strand away from the color
-
some just fell in place
-
some had to be pulled into place to not disrupt the tension and appearance of the surrounding weaves
-
some went into the warp above or below
-
ALL are necessary for the ONE continuous strand
Most time consuming & requiring constant observation - keeping the two strands (white & color) straight
Two PowerPoints
The Fabric of the Church
The Finished Shawl
Your church membership can also benefit
Lenore would be glad to weave a "Fabric of the Church" for your congregation.
Contact us for information.
Lenore Snyder
lenore @ lenorej.com
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