Brother Rabbit

After three years and some despair that I would ever be well enough or have funds enough again to have my little offerings of needlework and herb-craft, Brother Rabbit is now an e-shop again, now on etsy. This is a triumph to me, and signal of my health and overall well-being.

The name comes from a textile pattern of Morris’ –Brer Rabbit – which in turn comes from the folktale in the Uncle Remus stories Morris read to his daughters. Some have said that Brer Rabbit represents the joyousness in struggle, and the potential for the victory of the less apparently powerful over the dominant. Brother Rabbit signifies this, but also our oneness with each other, our necessary deep connection with nature, and the tradition of the mediaeval guilds in modern times.

‘Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.’

So said the master, William Morris; an imperfect human, but a vibrant avatar in so many arenas of life. I believe sincerely that our lives can be filled with beauty, joy, and deep satisfaction, and that we do not have to be endless, mindless consumers at the mercy of the multinational corporations to do so.

Beginning with the simple tenet above – that we deserve to be surrounded by genuine beauty and graceful utility – I take the notion that we are the master craftsmen of our own existence into every arena of life: learning and teaching old skills and new; sharing histories – personal and cultural – and lifeways, our own acquired wisdom and whimsy; making our own fun, with stories and music at evening gatherings; steeping ourselves in the bounty and wisdom of nature through direct experience and observation. We thus become once more a part of the human family, the great dance through time, connected to each other and to Source.

Brother Rabbit is not merely an enterprise, designed to make money; it is a resource, a network, a lifeway, a philosophy of beingness. It is a vehicle for connection and transformation. Brother Rabbit escaped the Tar Baby by hiding away in the briar patch, finding peace and freedom; may we also find our own great happiness in the network of the Briarpatch. My life as a craftswoman is a vehicle to a deeper happiness.

The first items on offer go up next week - a series of reproduction Arts and Crafts handbags.

Blessings!