Quilts and Worship

I found a big picture book of quilts in Barnes and Nobles. Some were very old; some were new. The book told stories about the quilts because they were unique: they were made for causes.

Some historic ladies quilted to promote patriotism; they made flags and presidents, Uncle Sam with his long pointing finger, and battle scenes. African American women made freedom quilts. There were quilts made by women to protest against feminism. And quilts sewn and sold for charity; peace quilts, unity quilts, go-green quilts, etc.....

So I decided to make a worship quilt, using things around the house again for beauty and glory.

I found just the perfect thing! The female members of this household were going throughout their closets to clear out stuff they no longer wore nor liked nor fit into. It was a lovely time to gather fabric.

I made a pile of corduroy, cotton, wool, and flannel shirts to cut 6 by 6 inch pieces from.

Then I sewed them all together.

There were already some large pieces of material from leftover costumes in my material box that I used for the edges and the back. A child's size costume made an ideal sheep for the front.

I had to buy some batting.

It took about two afternoons to make the quilt. Then I hand-quilted it an old-fashioned way by pulling yarn in single stitches and knotting them.

The picture quality is poor because I hung it on the wall beside my bed, which is the darkest wall in the bedroom. It's a little shorter than me so it is about 4 feet tall, I guess.

The entire quilt is special to me. The fabrics taken from our very closets reminds me that our family is sewn and patterned together in a loving and specific way. A family is really like a quilt- every member's colorful personalities, talents, and gifts arranged in a beautiful expression of care for each other.

And the sheep on front reminds me that people are sometimes like sheep. We often stray away from where we are supposed to be, and we need a patient and strong shepherd to find us, protect us from wolves, and bring us back to the safe pastures. I am like a small sheep, and Jesus is my very good Shepherd. Jesus thinks so, too. As a matter of fact, he says so in John 10:11, 'I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.'

Star of David

I've been looking into rug hooking. Apparently there are a two different kinds: primitive and modern.
A long time ago, our lady ancestors used leftover scraps of fabric to hook rugs.
When such economic projects grew unpopular, modern users preserved the art by choosing colorful strips of felt to create a picture which is then steamed to preserve the humped-up hooks.
There are also latch-hooking kits for kids, but it isn't the same thing.
When I heard about our industrious grandmothers, I was inspired to see what was around the house that I could use for beauty and glory. I found an empty grass seed sack.

And I found some scrap material. With a small crochet needle, I pulled half a strip of material through the loosely woven bag. Half of the strip was above the surface of the bag (Strip A,) and half was below the surface (Strip B.)
With the crotchet needle, I pulled up Strip B above surface in a small hoop and threaded Strip A through it. When I tightened both strips, it created a knot.

This way I finished the basic shape.

Then I used cream leftover wool yarn to fill in the star. Then I broke down my around-the-house resolution, and bought a ball of wool yarn that began as red and turned purple and turned blue and turned green and turned brown and turned pink and turned red again to fill in all around the star.

Next, I stitched in the middle of the star.

Now it all finished! Except soon, I hope to make a rough wood frame for it and hang it on my wall.

The Star of David is considered a Jewish symbol, though no absolute spiritual or Judaic meaning can be traced back to an original fact or prophecy.

For Israel, it is a patriotic figure reclaimed from the shame of the Holocaust.

For Jews, it could carry many meanings: our dual human nature represented by one triangle pointing up to God and one pointing down to earth, or the twelve tribes of Israel by the twelve small triangles it makes.

To everyone else, it may be a sign of unity or goodwill.

For me, the Star of David is a symbol of God's love and faithfulness to his people. It reminds me of the words of the prophets in the Old Testament about the Messiah who is fulfilling God's covenant and plan for his people.

I added the branch in the middle because one of the prophecies about Jesus called him a righteous Branch and a King who shall reign and prosper, executing judgment and justice on the earth. (Zechariah 6:12-13)