The Friendship Ribbon Banner
I come from a crafty family – not crafty as in cunning, but crafty as in making things with your hands. As far back as I can remember Mama sewed all of our clothes, paying special attention to Christmas and Easter dresses. The words kettle cloth, madras, poodle skirts and rickrack will stay with me forever. In addition to sewing, her talents included crocheting afghans and other items, followed by decoupage, ceramics, making dolls (all-cloth and later, “Cabbage Patch”), dried flower arranging, needlework and black-and-white ink drawings. I dabbled in most of these crafts, but never hit the mark for proficiency that she did. Mama says now that her craft-days are over, but I hope not. My sister, Cathy, gave her a lovely paint set and easel a year or so ago, and we’re all hoping Mama will pick it up and start painting, or should I say playing soon – since, isn’t that what craft projects or artistic creations are, playing? Letting out the child within us to play, play, play!
Dad hit his stride later in life after a career in the shoe industry when he found out he could build anything he put his mind (and hands) to – items as simple as a birdhouse or as complicated as a seven-piece bedroom suite with a rice poster bed, (the latter, a gift to our daughter, Kelly, as a wedding gift). Dad has made more than twenty hope chests and ten butcher-block kitchen carts, all gifts, along with literally hundreds of other beautiful pieces. I’m so proud of every item in my house that he’s made including a dozen or so wooden picture frames. He uses traditional woods: red oak, cherry, mahogany, pine, and maple. But he also uses exotic woods, which I especially adore: purple heart, teak, coco bola, monkey pod, burl walnut and wormy chestnut. In fact, he and hubby Russell made our cherry rice-poster bed.
I’ve been feeling restless these days and have been doing the usual spring gardening, which keeps me grounded (no pun intended) and ever mindful of creation in general. But I’ve been wanting to do something creative and colorful that I’ve never done before. I thought long and hard about various ideas. It was important for me to start something that I would finish. (Don’t we all have baskets or drawers containing some long forgotten art project that we abandoned?) I wasn’t in the mood to take a class – too constraining: be there at such and such a time, have your supplies ready, follow the teacher.
I turned to my best friend Carolyn, remembering what she has hanging in her home that represents one of the happiest moments in her life: her wedding day to Chuck. It is simply gorgeous! It’s a ribbon banner that is as colorful and beautiful as their lives. It was placed at the altar where they were married.
I called her to see how she made it, thinking this might be the perfect idea for my creation. Like girlfriends do, we talked about everything else under the sun: Her daughter Suzanne’s recent graduation from USC with a master’s degree, our daughter Katie’s finishing up her first year of grad school at LSU, what plants we were putting in the ground, what new recipes we wanted to share, where we’d been traveling lately and so on. Then, Carolyn started telling me the way to go about making the banner: “Measure the size for the frame (a wooden T-shape), keeping in mind exactly where you are going to hang it, then shop for ribbons – assorted colors in all types.” I’m thinking of grosgrain, satin, organza and cotton, some wired and some plain. She continued, “Then use a staple gun to attach the ribbons. Flip it over when you’re done so that the staples didn’t show.”
In Carolyn and Chuck’s case, they invited friends to bring a souvenir to attach to the banner; like bells, or anything representing the earth: seashells, feathers, stones, etc. In my case, I will simply let the ribbons dangle or blow, if the wind is kicking up, since I’m going to place it on my back porch along a red brick wall.
But this is the best part: As we were talking and discussing the steps to make this beautiful craft project, Carolyn – dear friend that she is – offered to come help me make it. I can hardly wait. We will attach love and joy as we staple in each and every ribbon. I can picture it now: Colorful strands of magenta, turquoise, ochre, lime, teal, orange and ivory, all representing the diversity and uniqueness of life. I’m sure we will weave stories and memories as we watch the banner being assembled, with ribbons dangling down in many lengths and textures. We will stand beside it and have Russell take our photo, as proof once again, not women at work in the sense of a chore, but women at play – the thing we do best. And my banner will be named “The Friendship Ribbon Banner,” a keepsake for me to remember Carolyn by and an heirloom for my children to one day enjoy.