Failing Palm Folding

Love Palm Sunday, Love-Hate relationship with the palms.  Today we got palms at church after they were blessed.  They were beautiful, albeit an attractive nuisance.  I got whacked in the eyes, face, arms, and head repeatedly (and not necessarily in that order).

The kids quizzed me on when I was going to make them something-a cross, bouquet, design, anything with their palms..if you've been Catholic at least one generation, you have quite a repertoire of palm-creativeness up your sleeve.  Especially after palming at least 20-30 Sundays!

I however, have not been a Catholic for an entire generation, so I don't have a repertoire.  I don't have even one design, unless you count the gum wrapper design where you fold two papers back and forth over each other for approximately five folds (although I bet I could make at least 15-20 folds with a palm!).  That's it.  It's all I can do.  I look at other people's busywork (as our readings and homilies are particularly l-o-n-g the last three weeks of Lent- Mass has been running at least 30 minutes late, according to my childrens tummies and their more-frequent time checks) and see that they are folding, bending, tucking, knotting, and I'm feeling hugely underqualified (is inadequate a better word?) in a crafty area-an area I'd like to think I excel in.  I mean crafting, not palm-folding.

I forget the rest of the year how it feels, so I forget to ask for lessons.  And if you let them dry out-like even for a day-it's too late.  They are dry and Fra-G-Le.  Ask me.  I've had last years palms brushing all across my van's dash for a whole year.  I know all about them.  You are supposed to keep them all year (yes, ideally in the house!), then return them for Ash Wednesday to burn them for ashes, but we always forget.  And apparently forget to learn how to fold them.

This older lady at the back of church today made this amazing, zig-zagged arching thing with a tied fluffy/pointy thing at the end (check out C1-The Square Cone here)-then gave it away to a little girl who oogled it-So Sweet!  Wish she'd share her knowledge and history. : )


Oh. My. Gosh.  Guess what I found when I felt sorry for myself and googled?  This awesome site with ViDeOs and designs!  Next year, I'll be the BOMB! : )  I think I'll try the Grasshopper!  Ha.  I will teach Palm Origami during Lent next year.  I'll be ready. : )

Here are all the awesome Palm Folding Design sites, in case you want to learn too!
Palm Weaving, the Story and the Art
ItaliansRUs
Fun With Flax (book)
And here's a video with instructions : )
and check out these amazing pictures of folded palms-fancy style!

Can you fold palms into magical creations?  What can you make?  And..can you remind me next year around Ash Wednesday to start practicing?