Valley of Shadow – Framed

I chose a rustic wood frame to give the piece warmth.

Valley of Shadow – Framed, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, I hold them up to You for the rest of their lives.

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Valley of Shadow – Stitched!

And here it is completely stitched!

Valley of Shadow – Stitched!, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, I pray that You stay with them and grant them peace and healing without end.

Valley of Shadow – Sky Fibers

I blended two threads of variegated fiber with four solid DMC cotton fibers to make the fibers for the sky.  This will liven the sky up and make it look more real and interesting.

Valley of Shadow – Sky Fibers, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, let Your light shine into the valley and bring them hope.

Valley of Shadow – Garibaldi’s Hand-dyed Cotton Floss

As you may know, I LOVE variegated thread!  For this project, I found some hand-dyed cotton floss on eBay!

Garibaldi’s Hand-dyed Cotton Floss, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, I pray for little joys and beauties in their lives!

Valley of Shadow – Far Hills

Here are the far hills, completely stitched.

Valley of Shadow – Far Hills, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, lift up their eyes to the hills, where Thy help comes from…

 

Valley of Shadow – Flat Horizontal Stitching

To make the flat, split texture, I have to begin a column on the left and add stitches always on the right.  To stop myself from having to start and end threads too often, I need to keep several colors threaded at once.  Tricky!

Valley of Shadow – Flat Horizontal Stitching, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Making it through the valley is not straightforward.  Healing can be painful, draining, challenging.  Father, give them the strength to heal!

 

Reaching for Faith – Tubing – Finishing the Filled Fiber

Now the tubing must be expanded to cover the filling.  The most important thing is to keep track of both ends of the filling.  Don’t let them get swallowed by the tubing!

Reaching – Tubing – Pulling the Tube On, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Start by holding on to the short end of the filling.  Then grab the other end of the tube and pull it down toward the other end of the filling.  Its bunches will pull out as you do this.

Reaching – Tubing – Expanding the Tube, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Once you’ve got the far end moving, pause and pull the near end of the tubing up to just reach the end of the filling.  Grab hold of this end firmly and don’t let the filling end pull down.  Then just keep pulling the other end of the tubing until it just reaches the other end of the filling.

Reaching – Tubing – Filled, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Voila!  Custom-filled tubing fiber!

Prayer: Father, I thank you that my life is more beautiful with You surrounding me!

Valley of Shadow – Under Haze

The hills on the far side of the valley are seen through streaky haze.  To give this impression, I’ve gone with horizontal stitches making a fairly flat texture.

Prayer: Beyond the valley there is land, land which is green and growing.  Although it seems far away, and maybe even inaccessible while they are in the valley.  Father, I pray that they find their way out of the valley into the life beyond.

Valley of Shadow – The Valley

Here I have stitched the valley and its walls.  Somehow when we are in the valley, it seems like there’s no possible way out.  So I stitched the wall using parallel vertical strokes to give that feeling of being trapped beneath cliffs.

The Valley, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, when they feel trapped in the valley, trapped in their grief, help them to remember that You are there with them.  Help them to walk with You and trust that You can lead them out.

Reaching for Faith – Tubing – Feeding the Filling Through

To feed the filling into the tube, thread it onto a large dull needle.   Leave only a very short tail.

Reaching – Tubing – Starting the Fill, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Then insert it into one end of the tube.

Stroke the tube from the end of the needle until it bunches up near the head.  Make sure the needle doesn’t pierce the tube.  If it does, just back it off.  My right hand is grabbing the bunch so it doesn’t let go, while my left strokes the tube.

Reaching – Tubing – Tube Fed On, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Here the tube is completely bunched up on the needle.

Reaching – Tubing – Pulling the Filling Through, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Finally, pull the bunched tube down off the needle onto the filling.  Pull the filling through until the loose end comes free, and unthread it from the needle.

Prayer: Father, help me to find You in all the details and little chores of life and craft and ministry.