'F' is for Facing Bench . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV

 



Cork Meeting - Ireland

‘F’ is for Facing Bench . . . In Quaker Meetinghouses there is a section of benches or seats that are identified as being the ‘head’ or front of the room. These benches or seats are usually slightly elevated or there is a slight difference in their appearance from others in the Meetingroom and are known by Friends as the facing bench/benches. Traditionally those sitting on the facing bench are the ‘Clerk,’ ‘Pastor,’ ‘ministers’ or ‘elders’ of the Meeting and are considered spiritually gifted.

“The Presence in the Midst” painted in 1916 by J. Doyle Penrose, a well-known Quaker artist born in the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland but lived most of his life in Watford, England, shows the elders on the facing bench and a separate gallery for ministers – the raised gallery is behind the facing bench which is on the floor. These Friends are gathered in the silence of worship and are listening for Christ - the presence of Christ in the center of this Quaker Meeting for Worship can be seen.

 

Today the use of the facing bench varies among Friends – in ‘traditional’ Meetings those benches or seats are reserved for specific elders of the Meeting, while ‘non-traditional’ Meetings may allow anyone to sit there or committees may take turns sitting on the facing benches. Unless you know the customs of a Meeting you’re visiting its best not to sit there, unless you have been invited to by a member of the Meeting.

 

Mooresville Friends Meeting

In my Meeting, there are normally three Friends that sit on the facing bench – our Pastor, a member of Christian Ministry & Council (CM&E) Committee – the committee that gives oversight to our Meeting for Worship (considered the ‘elders’) and the Friend who leads our singing. On occasion there might also be a special speaker sitting there as well or in place of our Pastor.

 

Care should be taken by the Meeting when nominating and approving Friends for their Christian Ministries & Council (CM&E) Committees. As the ‘elders’ of the Meeting they should live their lives in such a manner as to represent our faith and our Meetings in a good light.

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‘F’ is for Fabric Boxes and Folded Star Hot Pads. There are lots of quilt blocks and quilts that I could have featured here, but my goal here is to share a variety of different quilted projects with you.

 

Rainbow stripe

Fabric boxes – I found several versions for these cute little boxes but they all seem to have the same basic instructions, the only real difference was in the dimensions of the fabric pieces and how deep the tucks are in the corners. Basically make a quilt sandwich (layer two squares of fabric – the outer fabric & the lining fabric with a piece of batting), stitch through all three layers around the outer edge – leaving an opening to turn right side out and turn right sides out. Then quilt the square as desired. Fold and mark the corners. The last step is to fold the tips down and sew on buttons.

 

Aunt Carolyn's
Ladybug box

I’ve made about 30 of these little boxes in all sorts of fabric combinations – the 10 lucky girls and CIT (Counselor-in-Training) that get assigned to my cabin up at Quaker Haven Camp next month will all get to choose one to take home with them! A couple of weeks ago I gave one to one of my Aunts when I saw her – she had made a comment when she saw the first one I made, and so I made a special one just for her!

Daisy Box Trio

 

Peppermint
Folded Star

Folded Star Hot Pads – described by some as a form of fabric origami they might look rather intimidating to most, they’re not difficult to make – just a bit time consuming. These amazing hot pads are created by folding and layering fabrics – a technique that was common in the 1980’s. It takes a lot of fabric to make a single eight-inch hot pad. They can be made larger and used as table toppers, table runners, placemats or used in clothing.

Holly Folded Star

 

I’ve found instructions for making them round or square, with round being the most common. Traditionally these are hand-stitched, however I have seen a few tutorials online showing how they can be done on the sewing machine instead . . . I’ll stick with making mine by hand.

 





One of the
Folded Stars
taken to Ireland

I think I made my first folded star hot pad in July 2008 at Church along with my youngest daughter (who was 12 years old at the time) – she gave the one she made that day to her Grandma for her birthday that September. If I were to guess has to how many I’ve made over the years I expect that number would be close to 100 - for our USFW (United Society of Friends Women) Fall Bazaar; USFWI (United Society of Friends Woman International) Triennial; gifts for – Christmas, wedding showers & weddings and I even donated four to The Market Place for the Irish Quaker Faith in Action fund-raising sale (mission work) when I participated in Ireland Yearly Meeting while on Pilgrimage in July 2013 along with several other items I had made.

 

'Ants' Folded Star
Hot Pad Cub Scout
Pack fundraiser

Both the fabric boxes and the folded star hot pads work up very quickly, are easily personalized and make awesome gifts! Did I mention that they are both rather addicting?????? In a good way, of course!