“Homespun” is simply cloth spun at home, but it connotes several aspects of the creative ways of living and being church I hope to support with this blog. For me it conjures notions of family, resourcefulness, and the love of economy which is the art of making the most of life (George Bernard Shaw). It suggests embracing a frugality that is generous of spirit, that forgives and even appreciates roughness around the edges as signs of the love and human touch with which things are made. It represents serviceable handiwork requiring skilled, but not professional, labor undertaken to meet basic needs in a way that reflects well on both the maker and the wearer, but not to impress unduly. Homespun puts on no airs. It is unique and sturdy rather than flashy, one-of-a-kind rather than mass-produced, an in-house rather than outsourced effort. The process of weaving works a variety of threads of disparate orientation into a strong and singular piece of cloth. At various points in history it has even represented non-violent resistance movements: households choosing to make something according to their own traditions rather than lose their identities to fancy imported goods that would beggar them. And yet, it is a tradition that welcomes improved techniques and technologies. The small-scale production of cloth is deeply cultural – it will reflect much of local history and custom and situation – and yet universal, much like the Church.