Swaddling Clothes

Luke 2:7--"And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths [swaddling clothes] and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Swaddling clothes were strips of cloth wrapped tightly around a newborn to simulate the constriction of the womb. A child would be quieted when they felt comfortable. They must have had to use a lot of swaddling clothes because they didn't use diapers then. Mary would have had to be prepared for the long journey with this result in mind. I also heard once in a sermon that these cloths were a precursor to the strips of linen wrapped around the dead before burial, like the mummies. So even at his birth, Jesus' death was foretold.

This card is based on cardstock on which I painted, adhered a drawn image and other ephemera and tissue paper. I etched in gel medium and painted with antique gold paint