fashioning a Christian ethic of clothing
Blessed are the timid hearts that evil hate that quail in its shadow, and yet shut the gate; that seek no parley, and in guarded room, though small and bate, upon a clumsy loom weave tissues gilded by the far-off day hoped and believed in under Shadow's sway. Blessed are the men of Noah's race… Continue reading Texts & Textiles: JRR Tolkien
She who reconciles the ill-matched threads of her life, and weaves them gratefully into a single cloth— it's she who drives the loudmouths from the hall and clears it for a different celebration where the one guest is you. In the softness of evening it's You she receives. You are the partner of her loneliness,… Continue reading Texts & Textiles: Rainer Maria Rilke
Make me, O Lord, thy Spining Wheele compleate. Thy Holy Worde my Distaff make for mee. Make mine Affections thy Swift Flyers neate And make my Soule thy holy Spoole to bee. My Conversation make to be thy Reele And reele the yarn thereon spun of thy Wheele. Make me thy Loome then, knit therein… Continue reading Texts & Textiles: Edward Taylor
The merchants that came from all lands, bringing their wares at the bidding of the Queen, found the people eager and willing to buy. […] ‘But why,’ asked the Queen, 'should we buy foreign wares? Why not weave these softer fairer stuffs ourselves?’ 'The people know not the art of weaving such stuffs,’ replied her… Continue reading Texts & Textiles: Saint Margaret, Queen of Scotland
"...every youth in the State--from the King's son downward--should learn to do something finely and thorougly with his hand, so as to let him know what touch meant; and what stout craftsmanship meant; and to inform him of many things besides, which no man can learn by by some severely accurate discipline in doing" from… Continue reading Texts & Textiles: John Ruskin
I've seen weavers tackle all kinds of interesting materials. Beyond the traditional linen, wool, silk, or cotton, you can find weavers creating fabrics from paper, wood, metal, and more. But what in the world does it mean when someone claims to "weave truth"? The injunction to "weave truth with trust," however, stands as the motto… Continue reading Weave Truth with Trust
For anyone deeply interested in questions of marriage, statecraft, literary theory, and of course, weaving, this book rewards careful attention and long aquintance.
Wonder. Curiosity. Courage. All these are signs that a craft has overcome my fear, and is leading me into something larger than myself. Learning tablet weaving has reminded me that without hope and without risk, we cheat ourselves from disciple of virtue, from gifts essential to human flourishing.
In Mary's prophetic song, so many threads --of God's story for and with his people, of human work and craft, and of the justice Christ will bring--come together with radical simplicity and integrity. They form a whole cloth, soon to swaddle a baby boy.
