Ever January a faithful and unfaithful group of rug hookers join together on the Welcome Mat to create a January Journal.
We've been doing this for MANY years.
Each year I listen carefully and wait for our subject, theme or focus to appear.
This year it is a beauty: With these threads we create the cloth of ourselves.
It is a bit long so I've shortened it to "With These Threads"
Here is the backstory.
In October and early November my good great friend Alicia Kay and I were driving around North Carolina and we were discussing important character developing tidbits and interchanges we gather up from others and their view of us as humans through our lives. These moments both "see the whole you" and recognize your special qualities. They touch your soul. You hang onto them for a lifetime.
I said to her, with these little shreds I think we weave the cloth of ourselves.
This sentence struck us as very important, we thought right away this will be the construct for our January Journal project in 2018.
Each day important threads spin out towards us. They twirl their way around and encircle us with inspiration. Can we catch them? Can we notice small coincidences and soul filling shreds and record them in our journal rugs?
Every day is filled with meaning that soothes and strengthens us. Today I saw two majestic swans preening, so incredible and graceful, so big!
I saw a small boy clasp the hand of his doctor in a palm to palm, heart filled moment for them both. It was beautiful in so many ways, black hand to white was gorgeous, the trust, the joy for the Dr. The wonder of the boy to meet such an evolved person who was simply available for him in any way he presented, who took the time to wait and be fully there. What a joy.
We will seek, wait for and capture these threads in our journal rug. They might come from events, thoughts or memories, people things or places.
You might think of your first textile memories or who first spoke to you in a way you felt noticed... our lives are rich with content if we would just take the time to be present and wait for inspiration and claim it by taking note. What threads have you gathered from others, are they thick or thin, long or short? Do they create chaos or order? Think on the cloth of yourself, what is it created from? How could you represent this?
To fashion your journal rug you can work any way you wish.
I like to create a premise I will follow. I might concentrate on the colour of my "threads." I might concentrate on how they come together. I might suggest to myself I use only 5 values or only have curvy lines or repeated shapes I create/journal in the middle of. This is part is completely open to your interpretation.
You will create an interpretation of "threads" that make up you whether through time or during the 31 days of January 2018. You should have developed 31 "areas" to represent each day's insight into this theme.
I also like to apply myself daily and try to complete the day's hooking the next day. On Day 1 I seek out my soulful "thread". I develop the idea and draw it on the backing and begin to hook it. I might finish or not that day. Day 2 I seek my thread notion for the day and while this comes I finish up my Day 1 thread idea. Once I find my Day 2 thread, I develop the brainchild and draw it on the backing and begin to hook it. I might finish or not that day.
And so on.
This rug can be made in any way, with anything, with any style, in any size you like.
To join for free (The Welcome Mat is free and you need to join it first here) Then to join the free journal group go here.
This free group is unsupported by me, Wanda Kerr. Though I looks forward to seeing what you might create, i cannot help you by inspiring you, answering questions or giving advice.
If you seek such input I would be glad to work with you in the concurrent Journal Rug Class for With These Threads in her subscription classroom - Teach, this costs $40 US for a whole year of her monthly lessons and contains many great lessons already about enriching our rug hooking through better color use for instance. Teach also is part of The Welcome Mat and you need to subscribe to The Mat first before joining Teach.
Please join us now as we prepare to start hooking our rugs on January 1, 2018.
Take time for yourself and start the new year out on the right foot by hooking!
