Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Fabric of Nature


Resting Time

by William Adolphe Bougeureau



Wheat Harvest Time, USA (allposters.com)







Sea of Wheat

Every week it seems the colors of nature change, which always interests me. Being a fabri-holic, I enjoy matching up the cloth to the outdoor scenes. The fabric I'm wrapped in is gold metallic but the wheat outshines it. It is hard to find a fabric that is the color of this beautiful wheat.

If you are homeschooling your children and have wheat or barley in a field near you, there is a volume of information available for study on the subject. There are wheat crafts, recipes, historical facts dating back to the time of Joseph in the Old Testament and a seemingly endless variety of wheat around the world. A student could list a hundred uses of it, including building materials and fine paper products. I like the beauty of it and have seen it in fashionable flower shops in vases. Over 240,000 farms in America produce wheat. I have been on several car-trips across the country, and seen  where wheat grows in huge oceans of shimmering gold in the sunlight.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember old-timey china sets from the 50's with a wheat theme, so pretty.

Amy said...

Beautiful! The colors and textures of God's creation never cease to astound me. I don't see many wheat fields in this neck of the woods, but the cornfields in late summer are lovely and every now and again I'll pass fields of sunflowers that take my breath away.

Amy
makingajoyfulhome.blogspot.com

Mrs. V. said...

Lady Lydia, I just wanted to let you know that I referenced you and your blog in the post I wrote today. Blessings ~~~

Lydia said...

Mrs. V. I will link back to your clothing article. Thanks so much. What profound points. Yes the women are wearing less than the men. Look at Victorian photographs and compare them to today. The men still look like men, with button down shirts and pants, while the women...the women are unrecognizable.

I watched a wedding dress video recently where bridesmaids and designers were helping brides to be find dresses. When they found a modest one, the bridesmaids would say things like, "Why don't you find something that shows some skin?" When you wear a modest dress with sleeves, the people of the culture around you think the same thing: why don't you show some skin? Since I like fabric, I want more of it and the more folds and gathers and pieces in the pattern, the better I like it. I was watching a lady in a long skirt today and she had a little girl in a matching skirt, who was clutching a big piece of the side of her mother's skirt while they waited in line at the check out area. I thought it was wonderful the little girl had something to hang on to, since the mother was busy pushing the cart and paying attention to the other child and other things like paying for her purchase.

Far Above Rubies said...

Excellent. Thank you. ;-)

Gerie said...

Lady Lydia,

I wrote an article today about outward appearance and that it really does matter to the Lord.
Christians are doing a disservice to the Kingdom of God and losing rewards themselves when they dress sloppily and carelessly and furnish their homes with amusing elements instead of with dignity.
Our God is Holy, His Angels are Holy. They do not appreciate when we dress and furnish our homes in a careless fashion.

Lydia said...

Gerie,

Thank you for doing this and I will make note of it inside the post.

There was a rumor spread a couple of decades ago that people should only be judged on their good personalities and good deeds, and that their appearance didnt matter.

This is a lie. The Bible is full of admonitions against nakedness and against disrespect. The Israelites were told to put on holy garments for worship. Christians, whom God has prospered, need to show their gratitude by dressing to respect their King and to show His care for them. We must not follow the prevailing slop-chic culture of this world. Dress does matter because it also effects our manners. The more casually a person is dressed, the easier it is to be casual about other things.

If you look at photographs of the 1800's, the women are dressed up when they go out or in public. Today, the women are the opposite--totally dressed down, if dressed at all. In the 1800's when there was a heat wave, women stayed indoors, and took off their outer clothes and stayed in their rooms in their petticoats and chemises to cool off. they did not wear their underwear in public like they do today. Today they will claim they are hot and uncomfortable, and have to dress in less, but they can, like the women of the past, stay indoors away from the eyes of others, if not fully dressed.

Christians have to take a stand about this dress issue. We have people coming to church in shorts and bra tops and acting as if it is their right, but immodesty does not belong in the church or among church members. Take a stand by dressing your best, and you'll find there are a lot of blessings to follow.

Karen said...

Thank you for the links you provided with this post. Those blogs contain some excellent messages!

Anonymous said...

I found a great article with links about clothes fitting, particularly for sewing. It mentions resources that I was able to check out from my local library, including Nancy Luedtke Zieman's DVD. There is listed a book for plus size fitting, written by a plus-sized lady that is very helpful: Sewing for Plus Sizes: Creating Clothes that Fit and Flatter.

Article Link:
http://www.burdastyle.com/blog/do-your-clothes-fit-you

It has been years since I have sewn, and I am in the process of cutting out/sewing an apron for my 3yo daughter, one she can slip over hear head, without ties, the Scalloped Apron pattern from Paisley Pincushion. Then, I will proceed to sew an apron for myself (same pattern (: ). Then, I have some dresses to sew, thank you for the inspiration and pattern suggestions!

Anonymous said...

Dear Lady Lydia, I love your blog!! I wanted to let you and the other ladies to know you can buy beautiful vintage dresses on ebay. I see gorgeous Laura Ashley dresses all the time and other vintage dresses that are just beautiful and about the same cost of buying new. I have so many viintage dresses. I will say vintage dress sizes are smaller than today's sizes. Also, I have reworked sleeves to look more contemporary. I just finished a dress today I purchased. I changed the sleeve from big and poofy(8o's) to a slight poof. I love having sleeves. It seems you can't find a new dress with sleeves anymore. Also, I shop at thrift stores. God bless you!!!!!!!!