My birthday gift to myself this year was to focus my crafting energies during the month of August on the creation of a large Brizel Silk Tapestry Mini Rug.
This project was going to be an extra special endeavor... as my plan was to make a rug that would serve as a mat for my tarot readings. Being a Virgo Pisces... it is natural for me to desire to manifest my spiritual ideas into products that nourish the soul. Many, if not all, of the lovely creations in the Brizel Handcrafts store are the culmination of this type of work- an expression of my love of life, which I see as a spiritual journey.
Tarot, for me, is a tool that aids my personal progress and spiritual growth. I take this voyage seriously because my development as a human being assists me in being a better happier person. The tarot deck that I work with, which imagery & archetypes are rooted in celtic shamanistic lore, is called the Greenwood deck and was created with deep thought and passion by Chesca Potter.
The sensory inner knowings evoked by my personal interpretations of the imagery and symbolism in the Greenwood Tarot feeds the 'Child Self' within myself which, in turn, better communicates with 'Divine Self'. As a student of art history, an artist and a craftsperson... I understand how powerfully the visual realms leaves its impression upon me.
A few years ago, I conceived of a tarot spread for my personal readings... it is an 11 card spread with 5 cards above, 1 at the center, and 5 cards below. I call it the 'the Eye spread' because it is shaped like an eye.
The five cards 'above' deal with the visible realms... what's above the horizon, what is & is about to be, what's seen & known, personal allies and what resides in the conscious.
The card at the center is the 'Focus' card- it is the focal point & lens of the reading.
The five cards 'below' represent the invisible realms... what's below the surface, what has been & is gone, what's unseen & unknown, what's secret & mysterious, personal challenges, and what resides in the unconsious.
Sun, Sky & Fire represent those visible
'above the horizon' realms...
a Divine Eye to better see and Focus with...
Moon, Water & Earth represent those
invisible 'below the surface' realms...
Brizel Silk Tapestry is a technique I developed...
a cross between weaving, tapestry & crochet work.
Because my rugs begin at the center and spiral outwards... I adapted upon crochet to produce tapestries that, in the end, are thicker than a warp & weft would have produced if a weaving method had been adopted.
I use yarns that are made from reclaimed silk sari loom warps, and other 'eco friendly' yarns such as banana silk, a vegan yarn made from banana fibers.
Many are naturally multicolored since different colored silk sari loom warps are spun together; or they have been hand painted to produce variegated colors.
The enlightening Sun is made of raw silk sari yarn... and the Sky from a variegated banana silk.
The psychic Divine Eye is made with an assortment of silk sari yarns... dark blue, multicolored hazel browns, then a white, black & purple mix; completed & contoured with a variegated purple rayon silk yarn.
The dark Moon, including its sliver, is made of single colored banana silks... whilst its 'sky' is a variegated green, blue and originally orange banana yarn. The orange was then over-dyed to keep the colors subdued and dark toned.
This shaped rug is contoured with a black banana silk yarn and embellished with vintage or antique buttons.
Where 'above' & 'below' meet... resides a golden astrological vintage metal button...
The upper side edge is embellished with golden spiral shell motif buttons...
whilst the upper top edge showcases pierced golden sun spirals, also vintage buttons...
In the upper left corner- my Air animal totem...
a productive Bee...
At the center of the top edge...
a gorgeous golden metal button with a Sun & spiral...
On the upper corner... my Fire animal totem...
a smart Fox...
Half way through and on the opposite hinge
of 'above' & 'below'...
a silver astrological vintage metal button...
Entering the realms of 'below'...
The lower side edge is embellished with dark blue glass buttons with multiple spirals...
whilst the lower bottom edge showcases bold silver spirals on black glass...
In the lower right corner... my Earth animal totem...
a protective Bear... made of adventurine stone...
At the center of the bottom edge...
a magical antique steel cut button
of a crescent Moon & stars
The left corner is home to my Water animal totem...
a wise silvery Salmon...
a bead made of painted fired clay
This is the largest Brizel Silk Tapestry Mini Rug to date...
a 40 hour textile creation measuring approx 20" x 24" at its widest points.
I want to express my gratitude to my two extra special Etsy Friends... Karen from the Faery Cupboard and Laura from lkfarnsworth Studio... both of whom encouraged & inspired me in more ways than one. Please visit their wondrous Etsy stores by clicking on their store names mentioned above.
And also my deep thanks goes to my sister, Dana, who has been generously sending me audio cd installments of Anne McCaffrey's Dragon series all year... many of which have been listened to whilst creating Brizel Silk Tapestry Rugs.
Autumn Equinox 2009
nb: ALL iMAGES designs CONTENT ©2008-2009 Nicole Planchon
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