Batch No. 5

Produced in Jacksonville, Florida  

Creation Date – February 2017

Artist – Johanna Lawson

Technique – paper weaving, sewing on paper

Inspiration – Recycled Remnants

This month my beautiful sister and mother threw my spouse and me the most amazing baby shower! Yes, I am due in April. It was such an inspiring event. Stars, rainbows, and unicorns filled the house and we were surrounded by all our favorite friends and family. Throughout the party I was overcome by all the love and support. So I decided to dedicate Batch No. 5 to my generous family and friends.

My mother’s mantel covered in memories.

Baby J’s crib in the new nursery.

He loves me, I promise!

Another part of the shower that was pretty overwhelming was all the presents for little Baby J. Check it out ~

Yeah, it was quite a bit of love! And one of my favorite parts? The cards, of course! And the wrapping paper. It was adorable. As we were opening gifts, inspiration hit – recycled remnants. I decided I would use the wrapping paper for the thank you cards. It would be a special way to give back a little bit of the gifts to my loved ones. The next day, I got to work cutting all the wrapping paper into strips. Each strip was about half an inch.

Then, the weaving began. It took a while, but it was worth it for the results. I started by alternating the various strips vertically and taped them down to the table. Over, under, over, under, I wove the strips horizontally, again alternating the strips as I went. After weaving, all sides were taped so the panels would stay together. I wove 9 panels that were all about 7-8 inches by 10-11 inches.

To create the small 4 x 4 squares, I painstakingly measured (it was a pain! math is not one of my strengths) and sewed the panels.

After cutting out the squares, I mounted them on brown craft paper and then onto the cards. I think they turned out quite sweet and I believe my friends and family will enjoy getting a little piece, a remnant, of the shower.

Now, this batch was made as thank you cards for friends and family, but don’t worry! I created another batch this month (inspired by recycled remnants) just for you. See Batch No. 6 for cards that will be on sale in June at the Riverside Arts Market.