Summer Solstice Celebration
Last Friday night I had a feverish dream inspired by a blog I just discovered: Twig and Toadstool (http://twigandtoadstool.blogspot.com/), where they spent a lot of time preparing for and celebrating the Summer Solstice. I was feverish because I was ill with a virus, but the inspiration worked its way into my dreams all night long. All night I wove a sun; each time I woke and fell asleep again, I slipped right back into the weaving. I could feel the yarn in my fingers, the sticks, the wool. And so, when I awoke, I knew we had to MAKE this thing I had dreamed about.
I gathered some sticks from the local schoolyard and supplies from home, and did some shopping on Monday. I fastened the center together by wrapping it with floral wire. I also wired the edges in an effort to keep the sticks from shifting during the weaving. I think it worked well.
And then before and after our Solstice dinner outdoors, Lucas and I worked on our giant sunburst, which is a lot like a Ojo de Dios (God’s eye), but has eight rays and not four.
Lucas was a big help with weaving the center, especially. Isn’t it beautiful?
We took a break to eat my yummy corn salad, spinach salad, and Daddy’s amazing tri tip.
Sunshiny squashes, organic tomatoes, and iced tea graced our table. Must be summer!
Here comes the SUN! The art project took all evening, but we finished before the sun went down. Lucas held it up high in the sky so I could photograph it. Then we hung our sunburst on our house, where we can see it from the patio. We spend a lot of time there when it’s warm, and our boring beige paint looks better with some colorful art.
We used $1 ribbon spools in red and orange, a bit of mama’s thick cotton rug yarn, raffia, yellow fabric scraps (with rocket ship pattern that you can’t see) tied into a long strip, and acrylic yarns in yellows, gold, and orange. I wish I had had an excess of yellow or gold wool roving on hand to use in our sunburst, but I didn’t. We also had on hand several colors of nylon twine (including safety orange) but elected not to use them.
Honeydew melon with mint and lemon sorbet served as a delicious dessert. I don’t know how that watermelon ball sneaked in there. Chef Daddy deserves the credit, I presume. He’s brilliant, as always.
Asher didn’t care for the art project much, but enjoyed snipping bits and pieces of yarn with scissors, and running around with sticks (guns/weapons/swords/knives. Can’t stop him despite my pacifist leanings!) Besides preparing dinner, Ian made a finger-woven chain to add to our sunburst, but for a while, it was “Action Inja” Asher’s headband.
So, welcome Summer! May it be full of frolicking, fun, fiestas, and good fortune. May it be full of right action, deep breathing, generosity, and abundance. May it be patient, low-stress, and l a z y -good. Blessed Be.
June 23, 2010 at 2:19 am
I saw your photos on a kids crafts flickr group and I just wanted to say that these are the most beautiful ojos de dios I’ve seen! What a great project, you’ve inspired me and my son to create some of our own. Thanks! ^_^
June 23, 2010 at 11:30 am
Thank you! It was really fun to make, but probably not the ideal project for little ones. My 3-and-a-half-year-old didn’t want to participate. Good luck and please let me know how your project turns out!
June 30, 2010 at 11:21 am
Oh my…yours turned out SO beautiful!!! The most wonderful thing about this project is seeing the inspiration hit other homes, and seeing other people’s take on this project!!! I think it was my favourite craft we did this year!!!! I’ve got ours hanging in our Oak tree!
xo maureen
June 30, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Oh, thank you, Maureen! Honestly, I’m grateful for the inspiration. I’ll be back to look at more of your projects in the future.
We now have a growing collection of suns hanging on our house exterior, where we can see them from the garden and patio. Very festive!
August 12, 2010 at 5:23 am
ha! glad i’m not the only one that has those sort of dreams!! 😉 your sun turned out beautiful! we have this on our to do list. that dessert looks scrumptious!
August 12, 2010 at 9:44 am
We kind of did this, it was supposed to be a basket, but when the kids were finished it was flat. We ripped old jeans and shirts to make ours, now they are hanging on the wall as art.
August 12, 2010 at 10:06 am
Thanks, Rae! I love it and I’m happy to see that direct sunlight never really shines on it, so it should last a long time without fading.
September 11, 2010 at 9:37 pm
I am catching up on my blogs and just saw this on Crafty Crow! had to stop by and tell you that I love your giant sunburst!
I love playing with god’s eyes and have made one with six sides – but never attempted 8! – Love the look of it though. And the creative use of so many different wefts! Great job.
September 23, 2010 at 10:53 am
Thank you, Pam! It’s very kind of you to say so. Thanks for stopping by!
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January 27, 2012 at 7:52 am
Od dawna szukałem artykułu na temat Solstice Celebration | Love in the Suburbs . Dzięki
December 4, 2015 at 11:50 pm
thank you for this beautiful sun ray display. My mother is in the hospital right now, and with the winter solstice nearly upon us, I think she could use a little sunshine. My two littles and I will be making her one of these. Brightest yule blessings to you.!!
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