What is in a Name?

"Zarasbunda" is the name of a song sung in olden days to encourage and bless a child's learning to spin wool. (The title is usually spelled "Sarasponda," but I went with the archaic Dutch spelling.)

I hope that referring to this lively, multi-part song evokes the pleasure found when women gather to make textile goods by hand. We learn from and admire one another's work. We chat. The more proficient ones help others. Big tasks are tackled by the group (e.g., quilting bees.) One can bask in the satisfaction of a job well done. To me, it all feels like coming home.

Such work may be said to have three layers of meaning:

1)  It is collaborative. The making goes better in a group. And it is a chance to gather with like-minded folk. What an essential need this fills!

2)  Each project expresses the maker's own inspiration and sense of beauty. The gathering may become a forum for originality and self-expression.

3)  For many people down through the ages, clothing, rugs, quilts, and linens were hand-made rather than purchased. Spinning and weaving literally kept one's family warm. Perhaps women retain the need to do such purposeful work.

In this blog, I would like to explore a variety of venues where women gather to make beautiful and useful items.

Detail of a well-used knotted pile rug (maker unknown)

Detail of a hand-pieced quilt (maker unknown)