Woven Art

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

I have this large white wall space above the family room ‘bump out,’ a real focal point of the room, that has been bugging me for months as it sat empty, post-remodeling. What should I hang there? 

I have a beautiful, unique basket that I picked up many years ago – hand-made, local folk art. This flat weaving is created with four inch metal rings, covered with fabric remnants. I’ve never known quite what to do with it – but I loved it, all the same. My gut said – yes, hang this up in the new space! However, it was too small – it would be dwarfed by the wall itself. I loved the look of the basket, but I needed to find two more small pieces of handmade art, and hang these on either side, to balance the display. 

Well, my passive hunt for this wall art ended this past week! At a local crafts fair, I found two 20- inch square rugs that I loved – hand-dyed from sheep’s wool, created in Afghanistan by a women’s cooperative, and sold here by Afghan refugees.

As soon as I saw these small rugs, I knew it – they’d be perfect for the wall. I sewed a small sleeve for a dowel, creating a way to hang these squares, all the while thinking about the women who made the rugs themselves.

My sewing reflections led to a poem, which I’ll share at the end of this post. The wall looks terrific, I think! The rugs are the perfect complement to the basket – let me show you:

woven

with my pinking shears
I cut fabric 
cotton sleeve for a dowel hanger

two small square rugs 
woven by women 
hand-dyed from sheep’s wool
in Afghanistan

women denied the right to work
their survival intertwined with
threads in all the colors of the earth

what do they think about as they weave?

in my sewing box
I find a pack of heavy-duty needles - upholstery rugs coats gloves canvas
a frayed memory unfolds
purchasing these at the corner store in Dupont Circle
years and years and years ago
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
living on my own 
sewing curtains repairing my futon creating a larger rug 
from my grandmother’s carpet samples
I remember trying to affix fabric to my bookshelves
all by myself giddy with excitement 
corner apartment overlooking Rock Creek Park

this conviction
I can do that!
I am free to do what I like

the carpet needle in hand
I connect the fabric to the rugs
I sew love I sew tears I sew understanding
so grateful for my independence
my life

hand-made rugs holding women’s prayers
art in my home

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