Getting Crafty: A Look Back at Our First Monthly Girls' Craft Night

I told you that lately the itch to craft has been nagging at me. Coupled with my recent reorganizing spree, I've found a whole list of crafting prospects hiding throughout our house.

The truth is, there's always some craft vying for my attention. It's just a matter of whether I act on that compulsion or not. For the past few months I haven't. Which is why a couple of weeks ago, I gathered a group of wonderful lady friends and we had our first Monthly Girls' Craft Night.

In my living room, there were four sewing machines (and only six gals!), a huge bag of yarn, fabric scraps, needles, floral tape, patterns, even an ironing board and iron. All in the name of ladies getting around to make things with our hands.

We spent the night cutting and stitching, bouncing ideas of each other, and creating. Albeit, progress wasn't all that fast, given the fact that we were also getting to know one another even more and chatting the night away. By the end of the night some paper flowers, a curtain, some cloth napkins-turned-dish rags, a blanket and an apron in-process told the tale of our evening together. For myself, I made one of those thick belt that you wear at your natural waist, out of some fake leather and, MacGuyver-style, a paperclip. (I'll show you all that soon, I promise.)

Getting these friends together and seeing their projects was such an inspiration to me, and one that hasn't worn off yet. My mind has been brainstorm craft after craft ever since, which is exactly why I needed this to look forward to each month. Pure and simple motivation. (And of course, an excuse to gab with some lovely-hearted women!)

When Michael came home later that night (our male counterparts nabbed the opportunity and enjoyed a night of boys-only Settlers of Catan), he was telling me about how it was hanging out with the guys. And he told me about one of their conversations, where they said, "I thought our wives would have outgrown this crafting thing by now?" That made me laugh that they think that crafting is something you can ever outgrow, so long as your knuckles and joints can stand it.

I hope this isn't overspiritualizing it, but I always go back to the Proverbs 31 woman, who is called by the NIV translation: The Wife of Noble Character. Not only does this passage of Scripture praise her for her love of the Lord and being a servant to all, but it also points out her industrious spirit—and her crafting.

She selects wool and flax
       and works with eager hands. (verse 13)

In her hand she holds the distaff
       and grasps the spindle with her fingers. (verse 19)

So perhaps this crafting is not something we're meant to outgrow. Maybe it's something that's good for us to cultivate and revive? Perhaps there's more going on than just making things pretty...

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