weaving

I've been weaving all day, and I wove all day Friday too. It's very tedious after you get into the rhythm of the pattern, thus I've also been listening to Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. I just finished it and I must say... it was just okay. I really think I like Jane Austen in movie form much better. That way you avoid all the excessively long conversations with annoying characters. Anyway, I'm halfway done with my project, so I'm pretty pumped. Now I just need to find another book on tape to finish with.

I've been thinking a lot lately about my intentions and purposes for making things to sell. Am I just making things because of vanity or worldliness or ambition or fame or...?? What good is it to make clothing? As a Christian, could I be doing more worthwhile things? Yes. But, I am convicted that I have my talents/passions for a reason. God gave me the desire to create things and I've never felt that it was wrong or a wasteful thing. Plus, it seems to me, from my humble earthly perspective, that He has to be doing something for a reason with people in the weaver's guild wanting me to be president next year and then this job working for wiksten that just fell in my lap.
I had the thought the other day, Paul was a tent maker... and then I looked it up, it's in Acts 18: 2-3. He and Aquila and Pricilla were making tents in Corinth, for a living. And there's always the excellent wife of Proverbs 31 who does a lot of making and providing for her family. (It sounds like I'm trying to justify myself, I know, and in a sense I am, but hopefully not in a bad way.)
Then I thought about my obsession with traditional textile techniques from different countries. It doesn't seem like that much of a leap to see myself traveling, working with people making textiles in other countries, and it being a way to serve the Lord in proclaiming the gospel. Well, whether that ever happens or not, I do have a sense that this is definitely where I should be now. But I hope I remember to be constantly seeking the Lord's guidance and not just run after my own goals (like I do all the time...).
Anyway, check out this amazing kilim woven bag from Turkey. It's for sale at World Crafts Village, a website that sells products from all over the world made by people supporting their families and the gospel.

a daring endeavor... or just stupid

I have come to a realization. Several that are connected actually.

1. I am obsessed with sewing clothes, and there is no stopping me.

2. I am slightly less obsessed with aquiring as many hobbies as possible. (but these aren't just any old hobby, they all have a theme...)

3. I am becoming increasingly interested in all kinds of traditional folk dance. (this being one of the more dominant hobbies.)

Conclusion: It seems that all my adventure novel reading when I was a kid has really had quite an influence on me. All of my interests are related to "adventure". I put that in quotes because it means different things to different people. Example: I told my husband the name of my blog and he said something to the effect of, "so you're going to make gortex fashion for climbing Mount Everest?" Adventure means something different to him, at least his first reaction to the word.

Some thoughts on "adventure": To me it's a very multifaceted concept. Anything people do in adventure novels, including, but not limited to: any type of travel (hiking, boating, flying, riding horses, etc.), exploring, being outside in general (city or rural), working hard at something unusual (ex: gardening, blacksmithing, building something, etc.), dancing, hunting, archery, sword fighting, being brave in general. I have a feeling this list is not comprehensive at all, so any more additions would be welcome.

Now that I've sort of given my definition, I must say that for me personally I want to be dressed for adventure -- whether or not I'm actually going to be doing anything exciting. And I have noticed in my clothes making that I'm moving more and more to a certain style that is both influenced by classic/adventure literature and ethnic construction and decoration--but still not completely ridiculous to wear nowadays. (some people might disagree on that, hehe.) Oh, and I'm also in love with folk dance costumes!

So, the purpose of this blog is to consciously document my influences, projects, hobbies, and general train of thought. And to see if I'm alone in my strangeness, or there are other adventure-novel-reading-and-fashion-influenced people out there.

Disclaimer: I don't think of myself as one of those people who goes to things such as anime conventions or any type of dress up convention for that matter, or civil war reinactments, or renaissance festival obsessed people, etc. But, I have done every one of those things at least once, and I'm not saying they're ridiculous, I'm just saying those people were a little too intense for me. I'm not obsessed with one specific thing that I spend every waking moment thinking about. No offense if you are one, I know those people have a lot of fun.

So here is a picture of a shirt I wove 2 years ago. It's wool and cotton and it was a blast to weave because I just switched colors whenever I felt like it, and it came out so well. It's my favorite thing to wear in the winter.