pated have since grown up and some older congregants who participated have passed away. Every time the cloth is brought out and used, it is a reminder of that special day, of those who continue to grow in Christ, and of those who have gone on before us. In 2008, I was asked to create another communal art project. As I attended a summer worship and music conference, I saw many of the banners used at the conference were woven and quilted. Once again, return- ing to my teaching days, I was reminded of the potholders children would make for proud parents as gifts. There is an old German proverb that reads, “Begin to weave

and God will provide the thread.” On the five-

hour ride home with the other members of the worship and music team, we began to discuss ways that we could create this new communal art piece, in keeping with the Appalachian heritage of using textiles. By the time we got home, we had the entire project worked out. We decided that the liturgical color of green was used the most during the year. We would create a communal art piece using green material woven together into one beautiful piece of cloth. I once again mea- sured and precut a large, single piece of hunter green duck cloth with half-inch seams all the way around. (This time, the cloth would only hang from the front of the table instead of covering it completely.) A very visible line was drawn to designate a border of at least two inches on all sides of the fabric to avoid accidental cutting. Once this was accomplished, slits were cut into the duck cloth at approximately 1.5- to 2-inch inter- vals. This large piece of cloth now became the loom for our communal art piece. A few of my friends and I went to the local fabric shop and purchased lots of material in green colors that were complimentary to each other. We also looked for a variety of patterns and sheens. Once the material was selected, it was cut into strips of varying widths. This mate- rial would then be woven through the larger green piece.

At the Rally Day picnic, we once again set up two 6’ tables to create a large working space. As people celebrated the beginning of the fall programming, they were invited to the table to weave our new green altar parament. Participants chose a strip of material to their liking and simply weaved it

WORSHIP ARTS • JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2010

through the larger duck cloth going over, then under, then over, then under until they reached the other side. If their strip ran short, we pinned another piece of the same material to it. Once the material was all the way

through, it was pinned in place. Then the next person came and did the

same thing but with a different piece of

cloth. If the previous person

started by going “under” first, the next person started by going “over” first thus weaving their strip of material in an opposing way. Once several people wove their material through the fabric, the pins were removed and the strips were pulled closely and snuggly together mirroring the process used in a loom. They were then repinned and the process continued until the large green piece of duck cloth was filled. After the picnic, the parament was refined and sewn. Each row of material weaved through the cloth needed to be straightened before all were sewn together. This process took a little longer than the previous handprint parament, but was nonetheless as effective. The finished piece [seen on the cover of this issue of Worship Arts] was used in a processional and placed upon the communion table on World Com- munion Sunday, five weeks after the initial weaving took place. Both projects brought the community together while participating in an art project that will be used for years to come.

JANE ANN HAMMETT and Fellowship member DAVID DONATHAN are on the staff of Christ Church United Methodist in Charleston, WV. She is Visual Artist in Residence and he is Director of Music Ministries/Organ- ist. He is also a member of

the Worship Arts Editorial

Committee.

People were invited to the table to weave our new green altar parament.

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