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jeanweaves

~ Jean Williams, Handweaver

jeanweaves

Tag Archives: Holidays

Happy Thanksgiving!

20 Tuesday Nov 2018

Posted by jeanweaves in Nostalgia

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

family, handwork, Holidays, Nostalgia, Textiles, Weaving

DSCF1027Here we are at our annual day of giving thanks. As soon as November hits, the stores put up the red and green, but I appreciate a day to reflect on all that I am thankful for.

I’m thankful for colors—blues, greens, corals, rubies, golds, browns—oh the richness and variety of browns in the world!

I’m thankful for textures—smooth, silky, fuzzy, bumpy, ridged, sharp, soft.

I’m thankful for handwork—weaving, spinning, knitting, tatting, crocheting, sewing.

But more than all of these, I’m thankful for faith, for family, for friends.

And I’m thankful for all of you who read through my occasional musings on fiber art and who have supported my creative jaunts.

To share my appreciation, I am offering 10% off on any orders over $75 from my Etsy shop. Just enter the code HOLIDAY18 at check-out. And if you order on Cyber Monday, November 26, your treasures will ship for free. Perhaps you’ll find just the right gift for you or your special someone.

Thank you – and Happy Thanksgiving!

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Write a Letter

07 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by jeanweaves in creating, Nostalgia

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

creative inspiration, family, grandmothers, Holidays, Projects

Handwoven Notecard with Star Motif

Handwoven Note Card with Star Motif

Every year, as I put away Christmas, I go through the Christmas cards and re-read the letters enclosed in them. This is the only communication I receive from several of these people, but I so appreciate the letters (unlike what the media makes us think about Christmas letters!)  I love reading about friends’ families and finding out what they did this past year and what they plan for the new year. How else can we stay in touch?

When I was a child and complained about being bored, my Mom would suggest writing a letter—either that or some job I really didn’t want to do.

That suggestion to write a letter was a pretty good one. Who doesn’t like to get some “real mail” – not just junk mail – in the mailbox? And how else to get letters than to write them? At least that was the logic.

Yes, I know what they say about letter writing—that it’s a thing of the past, that in this digital age, it’s a waste of paper and time. I beg to differ!

I treasure the letters I received from my grandmothers and others who are now gone. Their encouragements, greetings, and stories bring a smile as I re-read them after so many years. And as anyone who has tried to research their family history knows, letters give a glimpse into our ancestors’ everyday lives.

So I forge ahead into the new year, once again resolving to write more letters. Even if I don’t hear back, I hope the lines in the cards will cheer someone up and brighten their day.

When was the last time you wrote a letter?

If you are looking for a blank note card with a handmade touch for your next letter, you can find several options at my Etsy shop, JeanWeaves.

Seasons

29 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by jeanweaves in creating, Nostalgia

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

creative inspiration, family, Handweaving, Holidays, Knitting, Spinning

“Sunrise, sunset…
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears.”

Snowfall in the trees

Snowfall in the trees

This song from “Fiddler on the Roof” came to mind as I’m looking out at a grey, drizzly afternoon.  Seasons change, cold winds blow, gardens now lie fallow.  We close the window on one season and focus on another.

Thanksgiving sometimes gets lost in the hoopla over shopping, decorating, and baking. Each year, the stores seem to open earlier and longer. However, at our house, we try to give Thanksgiving its full due—a 1:00 turkey dinner complete with all the traditional trimmings, often followed by board games in the afternoon.

I actually look forward to this time of year. There is a rare quiet in a December afternoon if I just listen, a quiet of the soul. The earth has pulled up a blanket over the sleeping soil, and if we allow ourselves, we too can share that peace.

I’ve often thought of handweaving, spinning, knitting as quiet meditation. We all need that. The rhythm of the wheel, the quiet thud of the beater help soothe our busy minds and remind us that quiet is good.

Of course, as I get older and our family spreads out, quiet is more common. It wasn’t always so. Seasons. Each one has its purpose, its gift.

May you find peace in your season, whatever it is.

The Finish Line

16 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by jeanweaves in creating, Weaving Inspiration

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

creative inspiration, Finish Line, Holidays, Production, Weaving

I’ve noticed a trend in how winter unfolds in my studio. Through the course of the summer and fall, one warp after another dresses each loom and the hemming basket always has something in it. There’s always another project in the planning stages. November stands out on the calendar as a finish line of sorts; items have to be finished by then to be ready for holiday sales.

Kitchen Towel in Cotton and Linen

Kitchen Towel in Cotton and Linen

In the past, when I had an outside job, any items I wanted to put in our guild’s holiday sale had to be made over summer when I had shortened hours. If they weren’t finished by September, they weren’t going to be in the show. Now that I’m just in the studio, I can weave into October for that event, but I also have other venues to cover. Stocking up is the order of the season. I have to have enough inventory finished to get through the holidays.

However, by the third week of November, the pace changes.  The finish line approaches. The towels are hemmed. The scarves are fringed. The runners and napkins are pressed. And I have to admit that the unfinished items – and there are always some of those! – will have to wait patiently for another week. It’s at this point that my mind shifts to home and hearth.

Working at home gives the impression to most people that the line is blurred between home life and studio life, and to a certain degree that’s true. But in order to keep growing as a weaver, I have to discipline my time. My studio is “the office.” I go to the studio in the morning and work until lunch. I return in the afternoons and continue with whatever I was working on in the morning. With the occasional “let the dog in, let the dog out, let the dog in…”

By December, while I do spend time in the studio, I’m also making cookies, creating gifts, and planning menus. As I write, soup is simmering on the stove and bread is rising. In another week, grandkids will be running down the halls and pulling out the old toys.

I’m already pondering what will go on the looms in the coming year, what weave structure I want to learn more about, what market trends are emerging. Winter is a good time for reviewing the past year and looking forward to the next. More on that next time. For now, the holidays are just around the corner and there are things to be finished.

May your holidays be filled with grace, peace, and good times!

Finding Joy in Making

26 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by jeanweaves in creating, Weaving Inspiration

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Creativity, Gifts, handwork, Holidays, Making

Works in Progress

Works in Progress

As I head into the holiday season, I once again have a list of projects not yet finished –some not yet started! There’s the hat and mitten set for a grandson, a dress-up skirt for a granddaughter, and the “purple sweater vest with a unicorn” for her sister. I’ve thought of other things I could have made if I had started earlier, and things I wish I could figure out how to make.

This is all part of my genetics. I remember my mother’s handmade gifts and how she set her mind to something and pushed forward until it was done. She’s still at it. Just the other day she was telling me about her latest idea and how she probably wasn’t going to finish it before Christmas. That’s my Mom. I’m determined, though, that I’m not going to stress about my unfinished projects. Those that need to get done, will. Those that don’t, won’t. I want to enjoy the process.

Then I read the latest post on Love Those Hands at Home. Kerry writes about making something because it pleases us, and how that wisdom has guided her endeavors. Her point is that we can make something or embellish something simply because it pleases us. Her words hit a chord with me, especially at this time of year.

I learned from both my parents, hard-working farm people, that handmade gifts are worth the extra effort. As far back as I can remember, there was always some project to finish by Christmas. There were embroidered shirts, handmade baskets, wooden play sets. And then there were the cookies–Mom spent hours in the kitchen making a variety of holiday treats because she loves to bake and she loves to share what she bakes. But that’s the key–enjoying what you are making.

So even though I still have to finish some gifts, I’m looking forward to working on them. And that makes the projects worthwhile.

What projects are you working on? What do you enjoy making?

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