What my Beggar's bowl looks like today

"A bowl, whatever its shape, is open. Open for possibilities."

(Sue Bender in "Everyday Sacred")

This is what my Beggar's bowl looks like today: the inside is almost finished, the outer side not yet.

(If you are new to the blog, you can read about the beginning of this project here and here.)

And once more I would like to point out that I do find "Everyday Sacred" to be a book worthwhile reading - it speaks in a slow way and with a low voice about the essentials in life ...

My crazy quilt Beggar's bowl taking shape

My bowl is taking shape - although it's hard work for the fingers to get the needle all through.

As the fabric scraps are not only for decoration but also stabilizing and shaping the bowl, I have to use a lot of backstitches for quilting and holding them down and must pull them quite hard. Although double and firm, the thread breaks now and then.

It's slow sewing - and almost meditative.

A textile Beggar's bowl as a What-if project

Well, I think the herald angels have now sung enough for this season and it's about time to go back to normal again ...

It's been lovely to spend the holidays with kids, friends and family - and now I'm equally enjoying getting back to work, taking part in your projects and sharing mine with you.

Reading 'Everyday Sacred' by Sue Bender lately inspired me trying out a textile variation on a Beggar's bowl - as a what-if project, raising the patched and quilted surface to a sculptural form, using textile media only, adding the scraps of fabric for decoration as I go.

I took a woolen cord, as you use it for weaving sturdy, woolen country carpets as I had this at hand, but I'm sure it would work in a similar way with bundled or plaited strings of rags. (An other alternative would be to crochet a basic bowl with rag string or fabric rope.)

I built up the bowl going circularly upwards, like a potter would do with strings of clay, me of course having to secure the straps with long pins and then attaching it with thread.

I kept the bowl quite small and flat for this first try - the flatness allowing me to twist the bowl inside out for easier application. I want to keep the patches and the quilting rather rough and raggy for this surface and am using odd scraps and black cotton thread.

The expression "Beggar's bowl" goes back to the tradition of Buddhist monks, who will accept whatever given in their bowl as nourishment for the day.

I think this is a wonderful allegory to a what-if project ...

(Please have a look at Renates What-if blog too - she's doing some other interesting what-iffing with raised textile surfaces.)