Progress on Jojo's

From a blank slate, I'm on my way. Once I got started, I was OK. I did my own lettering, not perfect but me. Also had/having problems with steam-a-seam not always sticking... I have machine sewn down some elements and am now hand sewing some others. Then some beading to remedy the unstick problem and add further embellishment. It's off the design wall for the letter hand stitching. Once that's done, maybe I'll put it back up and photograph it. I also have to decide whether to do a traditional 3 layer quilt or just two layers and whether to do a binding and if yes, with what. So lots of stitching and planning still left to do. By Labour Day. This weekend and next, I won't be able to do much stitching. On Saturday, we are invited to Penina's for lunch and Sunday we have Netaly's wedding. Next weekend, on Saturday we have Stephen and Diana's wedding (for which I made the tartan chuppah) and Sundy Mintzy and Rafi are having an all day open house for out of town guests and "others" (we're others). So I'll be stitching morning and evening until I finish. But I'm having fun doing it.

Jojo's chuppah

Jojo was over yesterday and brought a gorgeous piece of white raw silk which I will use for the centre of her chuppah. It's a bit stiffer than the dupionni I am used to working with but again, gorgeous. I have it up on my design wall as a blank slate and am now going to get cracking. I auditioned a few fonts for the "matzati et she'ahava nafshi" but wanted thrilled with them. I am now going to try my own lettering and see how it looks.

Energized

I sewed the hanging sleeves on yesterday without pinning. Sometimes skipping a step is not a good thing. I had to rip them out and redo them. But now it's really done, hanging sleeves and label. Yay me.

I also marked out the inner square of Johanna's chuppah on my design wall. The shul's chuppah frame is 96 inches square. That's one big chuppah. And since I am assuming that Johanna and Warren may want to use the chuppah as a wall hanging, I decided to make an inner square of 48" with a 2 foot wide perimeter which can be detached after the wedding.
I am mapping out the design so I get the elements in (what I consider to be) proportion to the background. Since the background may be a piece of silk that Johanna's bringing me tomorrow, I'm kind of stuck moving forward until then when I see what she's got.

However, I decided that I should do something creative and have finally started finishing some leftover crazy quilt blocks. And since they're the colour palette of the remnants from the dress my mother had sewn for my brother's wedding, I framed two blocks and now have a small project to do handwork on. I won't be able to take it with me because the handwork involves beading, buttons, trims, and embroidery with multiple colours (too much stuff to shlepp and too much possibility for spillage). But I would like to get this one finished soon, either for the next library exhibit or just so it's done.

I should make a list, prioritized of my outstanding projects. By outstanding projects I mean the ones which I have either started or need to finish by a specific date.

Here they are:

#1 Johanna and Warren's chuppah
#2 My slice of the F.A.T. slice quilt
#3 The quilt from Marty's ties (I finally decided how I want to do it -- simple and uncomplicated)
#4 Crazy quilt projects (I think aside from the one mentioned above, there's only one more)

And then I can tackle the baby quilts, nursing aprons, etc.

So, I'd better grab myself a cup of coffee to fortify myself and get started.

Stephen and Diana's Chuppah

This is Stephen and Diana's chuppah, finished except for the hanging sleeves. I wanted to photograph it before I took it off the wall because after I attach the sleeves, I am not putting it up again.

I went to Fabricland at Empress Walk yesterday to take another shot at finding fabrics for Johanna and Warren's chuppah. I was planning to head down to Queen Street if I didn't have any luck but I found the fabrics I wanted. They're all blues-blue/greens and I'm not sure they're perfectly matched but I liked the different textures and shades so that's my plan. I would like to find some lacey fabrics as well. Or not. Now I just have to sit down and figure out what to do. I'll probably do something like the piece I made from my father's kippah and tie. Of course, I never know where I"m going until I'm there so it should be interesting.