Inspirations for Custom Wraps
1st Inspiration - A Tropical Beach
I remember sitting at this beach when I took this picture just praying that one day I would have a baby. This was our last vacation before that prayer was answered after years of trying to start our family.
When our little girl arrived I wrapped her up and held her close thankful that my prayers were answered.
We wanted a second child so we started trying again. We hoped that this time it would be easier but once again we suffered loss.
Through the heart break we persisted and once again my prayer from this beach was answered and a beautiful little boy arrived into our hearts and our little family.
That one day on this beach I said a prayer and held my breath hoping that one day, maybe just one day, my prayers would be answered and I would not longer be Breathless.
.
2nd Inspiration - A Desert Sunset
Each day the sunrises and children go out to play underneath the morning sun. With out a care, children from every corner of the world can kick a ball with another child and immediately become friends. At the end of the day each child returns home for dinner and as the sun goes down on another day the glorious colours of the sunset emerge.
At the end of another day as the sun dropped and the heat disappeared, even with the sound of the night in the distance a child was never afraid because she knew her parents were there to protect. Her father was the most important person in her life. He was a teacher, a best friend, was supportive, trust worthy and most importantly he loved unconditionally. This sunset over the Iraqi desert was shared by a father while in service to his country. The inspiration is dedicated all of the fathers, mothers, and grandparents who longed to wrap their arms around their little ones and who can only do so in the memory of the ones they left behind in service to their country.
3rd Inspiration - "Bush Medicine"
Nancy has combined her vision and yarn to give her take on the vibrant colours of "Bush Medicine", by Artist Elizabeth Close, Australian Aboriginal artist and baby wearer.
"Bush Medicine" is Elizabeth's representation of bush medicine leaves and the tjukurpa (dreaming, stories) and knowledge that pulse through the veins of Ngankari; enabling them to preserve this aspect of their culture, of Anangu Way." One of the many tools that the Ngangkari, traditional healers of the Central Desert, use to heal mind, body and spirit is bush medicine; using plants, flowers, trees, seeds - boiling them, grinding them, mixing them together to heal a myriad of illness and injury
"Bush Medicine" was Elizabeth's entry into the 2014 Telstra Prize for Aboriginal Art." Nancy is honoured that Elizabeth has submitted her artwork and has requested a custom wrap of her very own inspired by her painting.
Elizabeth Close describes her self as "a proud Pitjanjatjara woman who paints modern Indigenous art with a traditional spin. "I paint because I love to share my peoples' culture of using art as a medium to pass on our dreaming but also because I love to celebrate the landscape of the Western Desert region (of Australia) where I come from." Elizabeth Close.
Seven inspirations have been selected by Nancy and now its your turn to select the one or ones you would like to see woven.
To vote for your favourite design and to reserve a wrap of your very own from any one of these inspirations please email customs@west4thweaving.com with the following information: Name, address, your preferred retailer to purchase from, and of course your favourite inspiration and your preferred size for your semi-custom wrap in that inspiration. You can select more than one!
The cost will be as follows, $30 per meter design fee and non-refundable deposit, payable to West of the 4th Weaving, and $95 per meter for a 100% cotton West 4th Wrap, $105 per meter for 50% cotton, 50% super soft flax and lyocel, or $110 per meter for 50% cotton and 50% Merino wool (hand wash), plus shipping. The cost of the wrap will be payable to your preferred retailer at the time of delivery. You can select your choice of center marker and/or tail marker from the following: Pinstripes, accent (blessing) threads, weft colour blocks, or spilt weft (each tail having a different colour weft).
Our standard sizes are : Ring Slings (2m), Small (3.0m), Medium Small (3.8m), Medium (3.8m), Large (4.6m) and Extra Large (5.2m).
Your can also request a West 4th Bag, in our small or large size, in any of these inspirations. Cost of the small bag is $150 and the large bag is $200, plus shipping.
These designs will be a limited edition offering and will only be woven once. Only those wraps requested will be woven. One wrap from each inspiration woven will be donated to a lending library selected by the person who submitted the inspiration.
If you would like a wrap in any of these inspirations please send your email prior to July 17, 2015. Requests are available on a first come first serve basis. Once the available pieces are requested and no further pieces are available then we will close that inspiration and commence weaving. To get your requested wrap please submit your request to any of our retailers or to customs@west4thweaving.com.
All prices are in Canadian dollars.
4th Inspiration - An Ultrasound Picture
For years chasing the dream of parenthood is just that a dream. That dream becomes a rollercoaster of emotions with hopes and disappointments. After years of never getting closer some may seek help from their doctor, and OBGYN, naturopathic Doctors, alternative medical practitioners, and even fertility specialists.
During fertility treatments there are a number of ultrasounds. Every test it seems has you looking at an ultrasound and this leads to ultrasounds every second day and for some every day. Then its "O" day and the ultrasounds stop and you wait. The waiting seems like it lasts forever and then you take a test and cross your fingers and hope. For the lucky few that hope turns into a line and a positive pregnancy test. Four weeks after the confirmation of pregnancy you are back for another ultrasound but this time its different. This time you see a little "bean" and you heart tht flutter for the first time. Years of disappointment give way to tears of joy and disbelief. You stare at that monitor and see the little miracle you have waited for for so long. A few weeks later as the Glow of pregnancy sets in you are back for another ultrasound and once again its different this time. This time you can see the outline of your precious little one. Once again you can hardly believe your eyes that all of those prayers, hopes and dreams have finally been answered and soon you will become a parent.
6th Inspiration - Friends
I am so blessed to have a group of women surrounding me that have been so pivotal to my Babywearing and parenting journey. Although I have never met most of them in real life, they are like my soul sisters, and we support each other through thick and thin. Through parenting and life. They are a group of kind and generous women who always rally behind each other. I owe these women the world.
The bright colours in the dark, like the way that on the worst day, we always have each other's support. On the happy days, we have someone to share with. This group has been a light in the darkness for all of us at one point or another. From sharing in our bad day to holding our hands through the worst of times. Someone is always there, shining bright to light us the way.
We have been together through losses, rainbow babes, the happiest and saddest times. These ladies are my closest friends, even though I've only met a small fraction of them!
5th Inspiration - Wild Flowers
Wild flowers remind me of babywearing and the amazing community that is incorporated into and surrounding babywearing. A lone wildflower is a beautiful thing, it stands and sways in the breeze that blows and sinks its roots deep into the earth to find nourishment. It turns its face up to welcome the sun and rain. It can take all these elements and blossom, showing its true beauty. Take that one flower and multiply it. A meadow of wild flowers is amazing to behold. It captures all of these traits and together the meadow forms a blanket that covers Mother Earth and protects her in turn for nourishing the flowers. Each flower is unique in its own way, no one will have roots in the exact same pattern or stems in the exact same place. This as well represents our babywearing community, as it shows we are all different, but together we support and protect each other and are beautiful. This beautiful painting is what reminds me of all of the amazing ladies within the babywearing community.
7th Inspiration - Artistic Friends
Inspired from the art of Clarie Uhlick, Nancy has taken Claire's light play in her cut -paper instalations and selected a light to dark grad then added Clarie's choice of colour, turquoise. Claire's cut-paper art is amazing to view the play on the light and shadows that form a beautiful form from the simpest medium, paper. Claire has a stunning eye for using shadows and light to make the world come alive.
Claire's amazing cut-paper art can be viewed at http://www.clairelouiseuhlick.com/cut-paper-art.
Claire has been a friend of Nancy's and have waatch each other get married and now start families at the same time. Claire, and her husband Ryan, are also starting their family and are excited about wearing their little one who is due to arrive into the world in the next few weeks. Nancy is honoured to have been asked to design and weave a wrap for her friend and amazing artist, Claire Ulick.
