CHOSEN ONE

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.   –Isaiah 42:1

This sign is one of the most beautiful finished signs, but it was one of the most frustrating to make. It may have just been timing (spring break, towards the end of the project), but we were incredibly frustrated with this sign.

Our first mistake, or challenge, was that we really wanted to use the beautiful old barn wood from Robert and Chewie's farm. The boards must have originally been made out of oak or some other incredibly hard wood. However, through the ages, the wood weathered to a thin pithy texture in some parts. The result was wood that was rock hard in some places and as soft as cheese in others. 

Step 1: Lay out the letters

Step 2: Nail around them

Step 3: Repair the boards

Step 4: Nail again

Step 5: Catch the nails that fly out

Step 6: Nail again

Step 7: Cringe as more nails pop out

You get the idea. We eventually switched nails and the result was whimsical and appealing. We used a combination of roofing nails (with big heads) and framing nails (with small heads). The string art was done with an open randomized cross-cross texture using vintage colors of crochet yarn.

This photo looks like a joke in the making: "How many Hoosiers does it take to hang a sign made out of fragile barn wood, nails and string?"