Gate Craft {Birth of the Bab}
I had a very elaborate craft planned for the upcoming Bahá’í holiday Birth of the Báb – last year. I sketched and schemed, shopped and dreamed. And then delayed. And delayed some more.
With a very active toddler and a baby on the way, it was just hard to find the time and energy to make my beautifully designed craft. So I decided it could wait until the Declaration of the Báb holiday in May, but that came and went as well.
This year I was determined to make the craft that I had dreamt of for so long. So I gathered my materials and my nerve and got started one recent afternoon during Baby Monkey’s nap.
I should have just delayed some more.
Let’s just say that while our iron survived my experiment with Heat and Bond (but only after much cleaning), the ironing board cover did not. Apparently Heat and Bond is not for the mechanically challenged.
I tried to forge ahead anyway, but the sad result was a stained, crooked, rippled mess. Thankfully I have a preschooler who likes to smash things, so I figured at least it wouldn’t go to waste.
But I was still determined to do something for the Holy Day. And finally I realized that there are probably many mothers like me who also dream of doing elaborate crafts but don’t have the time — or, if they are really like me, the talent — to do them.
So here is a simple yet elegant little craft you can whip up during nap time or that you can do together with your older kids. The result is a fun workable gate that any child will enjoy. For Bahá’ís it has the added bonus of being a great visual to help kids understand the Báb’s station as the “Gate” for Bahá’u’lláh.
Gate Craft for the Non-Crafty
You will need:
Paper grocery bag
Scissors
Tape or glue
Markers/paint/decorations (optional)
Cut a 12″ x 24″ rectangle out of your bag. As much as possible use the natural folds of the paper.
Fold the paper lengthwise (writing facing in), so that it now measured 6″ x 24″.
You may want to go ahead and glue the two sides together a little, just so they don’t shift on you when you start to cut the gate pattern.
You can leave it as is or follow this simple pattern to draw a gate on either end of your rectangle.
Cut then do a final gluing around your new edges.
Fold the gates in so that they meet in the middle. (Your rectangle should now measure 6″ x 12″).
Decorate as much or as little as you like.
Since I am using this for the Birth of the Báb, I wrote “The Báb” on the outside and “Bahá’u’lláh” on the inside, to reinforce the Gate metaphor for the relationship between the two Prophets. I also used some scrap felt to make a little candle on the inside, since Bahá’u’lláh was from the province of Núr (“Light”) in Persia (and because it’s pretty!)
If you decide to do this craft, I would love to see how they turn out!
-12 Comments-
Is Bahai your faith or is this a craft you’ve done as a multicultural teaching? I’ve never heard of the faith which makes me more curious about it.
Hi Penny, it is my faith. You can read more about it here: http://www.bahai.org/, and here is an interview I did about it recently: http://christimadrid.com/ltbtl-religion-the-bahai-faith/
Love it!!! I have another idea on the Gate craft, will post soon!
Looking forward to it!
I’m sorry the first craft didn’t turn out and that it ruined your ironing board! I could so relate to the planning and anticipation and then the disappointment!! The craft you ended up with turned out beautifully though!
Thank you! And yes, elaborate crafts are not for the mechanically challenged! It did teach me to lighten up and simplify, though, which is always a plus.
Now that is one beautiful gate! I can totally relate to your: ” And then delayed. And delayed some more” I’ve been a lot of that lately. Anywho, at least you found the courage, and time to do, and re-do it! 🙂
Thank you! I think it helped that I had already committed to doing a craft for this holiday, plus I really really loved the original idea! I’m glad the easy version came out well. Thank you!
LOVE it–just what I was looking for…thank you!!! Will try! 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Leanna, love the idea…will do it next year. What was the original plan? Can’t work it out 😉
Hi Susi! I was planning to do a no-sew cloth version of the above. You iron Heat-n-Bond onto fabric to make it stiff, then you can fold it into the gate shape as above. Yet I obviously did something wrong so that it didn’t bond to the cloth as it was supposed to and so I had to try something else.