floating mats

Make a Smilebox postcard

My friend Becky is leading a womens' retreat this Saturday based on the Bible story about the leper who wanted to be healed by Jesus and his friends lowered him into the room on a mat. After Jesus healed him, he told the man to take up his mat and leave. Becky wanted me to come up with some kind of mat that each participant could take home with them.

I had this old Audobon Society weekly calendar that had gorgeous nature pictures in it. There weren't quite enough to complete all the mats, so I also used another old calendar that had sunflowers. This is the result of weaving the photos together.

Selecting the photos was a no-brainer. Weaving them together took a little planning, but I was able to measure and mark them so they all came out uniform. The actual weaving part was very relaxing. Gail, Becky, and I wove to our heart's content yesterday, marveling at the way the mats turned into something totally different.

I also thought the weaving was symbolic--of how all of us women come together, each with our own separate schedules and agendas; and then throughout the day, our unique stories become woven together.