So

Productive? So-so. I finished strip 6. Now the swallowed letters look swallowed again. I'm not sure what to do with them. I was thinking of refusing letters in silver. But I need to reprint them and can't do it from my laptop which isn't compatible with the old printer. And I'm still learning the ins and outs of the new Word version. Somewhat frustrating but not terribly. I will email the Word document to myself at work and print it out there.
I made the paper template for the butterfly which I will photocopy tomorrow. And then I can get started on the buttefly too.
So I guess that's pretty much it for today.

The Best of Intentions

I had plans for the four days of Christmas and Boxing Day. Day three is drawing to an end and let's just say I didn't make all that much progress. Christmas Day I worked on the SAT piece. Finished 5 of the six wavy strips but couldn't figure out strip 6. Set it aside.
Yesterday, I made a tote bag from upholstery fabric someone brought to a FAT meeting over a year ago, some ultrasuede I didn't use in the intended project it was purchased for and some unidentified fabric from a garage sale. The results are not bad considering that I am written instruction challenged. I may have skipped a step or two or done one or two wrong but I'll know what to do (or what not to do) the next time, if there is a next time.
Today, I sat down with the paper piecing instructions, read them over several times and decided it's not for me without actually seeing it. I will try to make a piece doing a freezer paper piecing method I discovered when I was doing crazy quilting. I am going to try to make a butterfly for the 1,500,000 Butterfly Project of the Houston Holocaust Museum. Maybe tomorrow.
This afternoon we went to Michael's to use a gift card I received (thanks, Saul). I bought some silver beads (hopefully I can finish strip 6 now), some letter stamps and some ink pads.
So if I can finish the 6th strip and start on the butterfly tomorrow, I'll be happy.
There's another 3 day weekend coming up so maybe by then my productivity will have returned.

Swallowed lettering

I tried to outline the almost invisible organza with a tiny running stitch. Nyeh. Didn't look good. I was going to remove the wavy strip until I remembered that I had not just sewn it down but fused it. Then I thought to put a darker strip to cover up the one beneath. But that would be bulky. Since the piece seemed pretty much ruined anyways I decided to go over the invisible organza letters with the pearl puffy fabric paint I bought in Israel. That really looked awful so I took a piece of fabric and wiped off the paint. Lo and behold, the lettering is now visible. Go figure. It doesn't have the sparkle effect I wanted but maybe I can remedy that some other way. I also finished my first pass of embellishing but am not sure I don't want to add more. I'm giving it a rest and when I go back to it in a day or two, maybe it will tell me how it feels.

I stopped at around noon because I spoke with Dev and invited her and my Mom for lunch. I assured Devora that we had food, she didn't need to bring anything. I pulled out the leftover soup, leftover majadra, leftover cauliflower & Jamaican pumpkin salad. I quickly made an Israeli salad (tomato, cucumber, green pepper cut into small pieces), opened a few tins of tuna and boiled some pasta. Put out the chumus and the freshly baked pitot, both of which Menachem made. Et voila. Devora still brought bourekas and babka cake. So a full meal.

Did I mention that it's a quarter to four in the afternoon and I'm still in my pj's? It's just one of those days.

What I did this weekend (and it hasn't started yet)

My S.A.T. piece: I finally decided to do the lettering in organza. After failing miserably at printing out the Hebrew letters in mirror image (can't seem to follow written instructions -- need to see a demo) I did the laborious time consuming method of fusing the organza to steam a seam, taping the letters onto the front of the organza, removing the backing paper and cutting the letters out. I'm sure there's an easier way and I'm going to visit Gwen and Nnolika at some point to see in her Silhouette can do it (and what else it can do). I ironed the phrases onto the background wavy strips. One phrase was swallowed by the background fabric (not enough contrast, I guess), the other turned out great. I think I may just do a running stitch in tiny stitches to outline the swallowed letters. Then embellishments. Just tried dyeing the purple duvet cover fabric buttons in three shades of blue. So far, I am not impressed. I guess I should wait until they dry properly before I pass judgment on the results. Now I have to figure out if I can attach the paillettes. I was told that I could adhere them by ironing from the back but since I already have two layers of fabric and batting attached, I'm not sure the ironing will work. I may do a trial but I don't want them falling off at a later date. I'll have to think on that one.

And I have other challenges to contemplate and work on. My FibreArts Toronto group had a meeting while I was away and Christine demonstrated a method of interpreting a photograph into fabric. She's going to send me the instructions and then I have until the January meeting to make a piece employing this technique. Since it is a technique I am hoping to use in some future work, I am itching to get started on it.

And another meeting I missed, this time due to jet lag, was the most recent Pomegranate Guild's. And it was really on a subject I am interested in: embellishing. A challenge was announced for February to make a functional item related to family history, adhering to certain guidelines (eg. no photo transfer, use a recycled item, etc.) The ideas have started percolating. I'm not sure my finished piece will be a functional item but it should be fun figuring out what to do and how. My starting points are geneology and geography and I'm not saying anything else just yet.

So I guess I have my work cut out for me. And I suppose I will be setting some goals for the new year but not just yet.

Jetlag, etc.

Came home Sunday. Unpacked. Put the bits and pieces I purchased in my studio.
Traditionally the Christmas/New Year's season is a good one for me creatively. Lots of uninterrupted time to think and play.
New Year coming up. Resolutions? Goals?
Not sure.
The jet lag is playing havoc with my physical clock and my mental capabilities haven't recovered yet.

Greetings from the Holyland

Arrived Monday. Spent some glorious time with Amit. He just keeps getting better!! Rotem also came over so we had a lovely evening.
Yesterday Inbal had to leave early so we drove Amit to daycare, dropped the car off at Inbal's work and hopped on a #63 bus. Walked down Allenby (feh) to Kikar Hamoshavot where I searched for Hebrew letter beads for my corset challenge. I found them but was not enamoured of them. Then I found a piece of "balsa" (the thin wood from which kite pieces are made)with punch-out Hebrew letters. I bought two, thinking I would punch out the letters, spray paint them either white or silver, punch holes in them and sew them to the blue waves. But once I punched out the letters, I figured I could use the "frame" they sat in as a stencil and fuse fabric letters to the waves or just fuse fusible letters and foil them. So many options. I also bought some more silver mirror-like sequins. All of which I have put in my suitcase, not to be used again until I get home. Back to the bead stores in which I showed terrific restraint by not shopping... From there we went across the street to Matalon Street and the toy stores to buy plastic fillable dreidls (one of Inbal's tasks as member of the daycare's parents' committee). From there we walked to Nahalat Binyamin to see the outdoor craft market. Not much new and exciting. Nahalat Binyamin Street is the official textile street of Tel-Aviv. I wouldn't mind going back another time to see the textiles. Hopped on the #63 back to Inbal's to await the return of Amit.
Today, we are both suffering. Menachem's jet lag has caught up with him. I ate something which didn't agree with me yesterday. So we're taking it easy. Menachem moved Inbal's chalkboard/bulletin board from behind the fridge to over the computer desk. (He didn't originally install it to be behind the fridge but when she got her dishwasher and the fridge moved, the bulletin board was behind it and we didn't get a chance to move it last visit.) And then some hooks by the front door. It's mid-day, Menachem is sleeping, I'm doing some laundry. Inbal may work late today so she took Amit to daycare by bike and we will pick him up with the car this afternoon.
So I guess that's all for now.

On a roll

Finished the binding. Have done my initial quilting of quilt 2. Meaning, the spaces between the rows of quilting seem too far apart to me. So I'm going to quilt in between them. Since I'm using a pre-programmed serpentine stitch, it's not going to take all that long. Then bind and another one done.
I was going to make small appliance covers for Inbal's appliances but don't want to cut the fabric until I measure twice. So I will quilt the fabric and do my cutting and sewing there.
Off to visit a farm...

Progress Report

1. Pj's finished. Much more complicated than I anticipated. Although Saul had provided me with "patterns" (i.e. he traced around the baby's shirt and pants), I downloaded a pants' pattern from the internet. It said 6-12 months. I think it's bigger. I made the flannel pants but when I put Saul's pattern against it, the legs didn't seem long enough. So I added a cuff. Hoping it's not too gigantic. And that it doesn't shrink too much when washed. The real stinker was the top. The orginal top -- did I mention that I was making the baby pj's from a woman's small size pair of pj's?. The original top had decorative stitching around the neck and the wrists. I didn't have a problem with the sleeves. But when I had finished constructing the top from Saul's pattern, I realized that the neck opening wasn't going to fit over the baby's head. So I opened one shoulder to insert velcro as a closure. Did I mention that the top was a jersey type slip around on the sewing machine get caught in the bobbin type fabric? Let's just say not the straightest and evenest of stitching. But it's done. I guess that's the reason I'm into abstract textile collage. If the pieces don't fit precisely, it's not that noticeable. Not that I do a sloppy job on purpose but stuff happens.
2. Baby wholecloth blanket. I finished the quilting in a diagonal grid pattern. If you look from the back, it looks like I was drinking while sewing... My mantra -- the big picture. Later, I will cut and sewing the binding.
3. 2nd baby wholecloth blanket. Not sure I'll get around to it. Maybe. Tomorrow's another day.
4. Hand puppets. I noticed that Amit likes playing with these two hand puppets he has. When my kids were small, their aunt and uncle brought them a gift of two sesame street like felt hand puppets (the fingers fit into the mouth, not the arms). And these puppets had vests with letters and/or numbers. I made about 10 more puppets myself (you don't have to hem felt...) and my kids loved them. I'm thinking of making a few puppets with Chanuka vests -- dreidls, candles, sufganiyot, latkes...
Anywho, that's where I am right now. Mid-afternoon and taking a break.

Unbeading

I started beading the biblical quote. The first word looked great. It was all downhill from there. So I've "unbeaded" it and am reconsidering how to put the wording on. Either letter charms, printing on ribbon, organza. Lots of ideas, not fully formulated yet.
In the meantime, I'm putting the piece away and getting ready for a weekend of utilitarian machine sewing. A wholecloth baby quilt, a pair of baby pj's someone has asked me to make from an adult size pair of pj's (apparently the whole clan wears the same pj's over the holidays). Maybe something else, depending on how the muse cooperates.

Fleece Quillow

Made. Gifted. Nuff said.
I started on the blue challenge. So far, I have a white textured background onto which I have fused serpentine 1" wide strips of different shades and textures of blue fancy fabrics. I have started beading parts of a biblical quote. It's a start. Not sure where it's going to end.

Peacock Blue

I was at Fabricland yesterday to buy some fleece to make a quillow-type baby blanket. Believe it or not, I bought my fleece, some matching thread, and did not look at anything else.

I have been looking at my blue fabrics in anticipation of my next piece. It's actually for an entry into a juried show. I may or may not enter it, but I'm using it as my next challenge. I have an idea but enough said. Off to work.

And a Small Rant

I usually try to keep my posts upbeat and not say anything which may upset someone or come back to bite me but I need to rant a little about the 2010 Creativ Festival. It was very disappointing. The size was a quarter of the previous years' exhibits. I can't say anything about classes or teachers because I go for the Vendors' wares. There were so few and certainly nothing new or interesting. There was no quilt exhibit or if there was, it was very well hidden. I did end up buying some fabric which I needed as a backing for a baby blanket for which I had a Fabricland front panel I bought a few years ago and couldn't find anything to match it. The fabric I did buy was from Sew-Sisters. Granted at a good price but after I factor in the cost of entry to the exhibit, it was expensive fabric... And then to find there was no shuttle back to Union Station was not a pleasant surprise. So, like I like to say, I was the the Creativ Festival twice this year, first time and last time.

October Challenge

Our last FibreArts Toronto meeting was at Christine's. As well as having a lovely time, she offered some of the printed fabrics (deconstructed something or other -- I'm not that into the dye, screen print, discharge, etc. part of the fibre arts) that were made at the previous meeting at her house. Also, I had brought her a bunch of white cotton crochet cords and other white yarns which she dyed in lovely colours. The October challenge was to make something with them. Voila --my October challenge piece. I am not enamoured with the shape (I have a hang-up about symmetry) and the binding was my second choice. I had actually tried facing it but failed miserably. (The binding also failed, but hopefully not miserably).

Baby Naomi

I am trying to make up for the long time from my September post with 3 short posts. (Mainly because I can never get the photos to go where I want them...)
About two weeks ago, Stephen and Diana had a baby girl, Naomi. In honour of Naomi, I made a baby blanket. And then I had some Chisholm tartan left over from their chuppah, so I made a wall hanging for Naomi.

When Autumn Leaves Start to Fall

Just a few weeks ago we went for a drive in the country to see the fall foliage. And it was truly amazing this year. The colours were so vibrant and it lasted for a long time. As much as we were in awe of the colour display, we weren't quite as enamoured yesterday when we did our leaf raking. We've got it down to a science -- rake, shovel leaves into bag, compress leaves in bag, shovel in more, rake some more. More than ten bags later, we had cleared the ground of leaves. We put the bags out to the curb and went into the house. An hour later, the ground was again covered with leaves. Oy. I found muscles I had forgotten I have. Next weekend, we'll do some more, if they haven't been covered by that four letter word -- SNOW. Right now it's flurrying outside the window.
I am posting a photo of my FibreArt Toronto challenge piece from September -- Autumn. It was inspired by the rich rusty-red colours and the shape of the maple leaf. There are two leaves, one from organza and one from tulle. Overall, it came out well, I think.

Pictures

I finished the laptop bag of which I am quite pleased. Now if I could just motivate myself to do something else.

Laptop Bag Finished

Almost. I have finished everything except attaching the shoulder strap because I still have to buy the piece which adjusts the strap's length. Tomorrow. Fabricland. I am pleased with the result and only hope that it fits... The intended laptop resides in Germany, the requester resides in England and the laptop cover is currently in Canada. Although I have the measurements, I don't work well without being able to actually slip a laptop into the bag. I used another laptop which is almost the same size and there's some give so I hope it works. I do have a Plan B, but that would require me retrieving the bag from the requester after she has presented it to the recipient. So it better fit!
Now on to my next project -- small appliance covers for Inbal's mixer, processor, blender.

Laptop bag started

The bag, which is actually just a large rectangle which will be folded in three, is cut out and quilted. I would like to make two inside pockets, one for a notebook and another zippered pocket for pens, pencils, etc. but I haven't figured out yet how to do it. If I can, I will. And then I will bind it and add a shoulder strap. Maybe this weekend (or earlier).
Shana Tova to my loyal readers, ha ha.

Back -- physically

I returned on September 1st from a month in Israel. I had so much fun just being with Inbal and Amit and Rotem. Amit is absolutely delicious. Such a pleasure to spend time with and to be there as he grows and discovers new things.
Although I had taken some sewing projects to work on, I got nothing done. Inbal has a sewing machine which I only managed to open once (because you cannot sew with a 15 month old under foot). And I couldn't really sew on that machine because I have been spoiled by my machine with its bells and whistles. Truthfully, I didn't really miss the sewing. And I have now been back several days and still haven't gone into my sewing room, even though I have several projects that I want to finish fairly soon. Maybe this afternoon I'll get started.
The one time I did sew in Israel, I started on a quilted cover for Paula's laptop. I just couldn't do it on Inbal's machine and now have to rip out the stitching I did do and start over. Also, I want to make quilted covers for Inbal's small appliances.
Practical stuff. And I wouldn't mind trying my hand at sewing some clothing for Amit. Am I changing direction again?
We shall see.

Chaya to Travel

The past few weeks have gone by in a whirlwind. Jojo was in town to surprise her mum on her birthday so I invited her for a family brunch. And since Alana and Michelle were here, Jojo and the girls tried their hand at shaving cream marbling. In September, we'll get together to make something from the dyed fabrics. Then a series of errands, visits, etc. Oh, and I made another tzedakah box for Jordie's Bat-Mitzvah part 1. She's having it on August 5th at camp. Part 2 will be in December in New York. Weather-permitting, I hope we'll be able to drive down.
Tomorrow I'm off to Israel. Today, I have to do my last minute laundry and finish packing. And maybe make a fabric Chinese take out box.

Chuppah to travel

Just found out that the chuppah I made for Stephen & Diana is going to travel to Montreal for a wedding there. Validation!

Loose Ends, Literally

I have finished the runner and placemats, including quilting and binds, except for loose (thread) ends. I'll get to that also. And so as not to waste any of the fabric from Japan, I also made 4 coasters -- still have to zigzag the edges of three.
And I pieced batting strips as soon as I finished squaring the pieces so I'm ready to go on my next project, ha, ha, ha.

Playdate with Michelle

My niece, Michelle, came over today for a playdate. We started with shaving cream marbling. Unfortunately, the shaving cream had lost its oomph so we only managed to do one print and it was a little flat as the dye wasn't properly suspended. Never mind. I'll get a fresh batch of cream and we'll try it again another day. Then we made a disappearing nine-patch table runner top. Did I mention that I'm enamoured with the pattern? Michelle was apprehensive about the rotary cutting so I did the cutting. She did most of the piecing. I also did the pressing. But she decided how to put together the blocks for the runner (there are several variations possible). We're going to have another playdate in a week or so to sandwich and quilt the runner. I think we may just do some of the machine's preprogrammed stitching that she can do by herself. I hesitate to suggest freemotion since I'm not brave enough to do my own...

Photos, as promised

Disappearing Nine-Patch

OK. Now I know what I should have done... Nevertheless, it turned out quite nicely and I happen to have enough fabric from my stash for backing and binding.
While I was on a roll, I made another lap quilt from the 8" lengths I had cut from leftovers. I simply sewed strips together width-wise and then when they were more or less 8" square, trimmed them to 7.5" squares and then laid them out, altering the direction of stripes in each block (horizontal & vertical). I shocked myself with the colours I put together but in the end it is very colourful and interesting. the strips were not 100" even (i.e. 2.5" at one end, a little more or less at the other) but in the big picture, it fits. I even surprised myself by pinning before sewing so my corners match almost perfectly (a first for me). I was ready to head to Fabricland for backing fabric but I checked my stash and in some of my larger leftovers, I have enough to make fabric widths to make vertical stripes and make my own backing. My stash, she is losing space...
Photos later, maybe.

Disappearing Nine-Patch

I guess the trip to Fabricland put me back in the mood. I had, months and months ago, cut up 5" squares from leftovers for a disappearing nine-patch lap quilt. I finally finished sewing the nine-patches and cutting each one into four this morning. I now have them on my design wall. I'm sure there's a way to position them, I just haven't figured it out yet. I think I have to worry about the larger patch in each square and worry less about the same patterns meeting each other. I'll take another look at it later and start repositioning.

Fabricland Doncaster Closing Sale

Just got back from Fabricland Doncaster. I thought I would get 50% off but turned out it was 66%!! More better!! So I bought 4.5 metres of Warm and White 120" wide batting for about $10 a metre. Excellent price! So now I have the batting for Ruthie's quilt but am still debating on the design. I also bought 5 metres of Steam-A-Seam Lite, sheyihiyeh (so that I have it). And blades for my rotary cutter. I purposely did not buy any other fabrics. I wanted bobbins but they were all sold out. And I had treated myself to a 6" wide 12" long (I think) ruler at 50% off a few weeks ago. So I'm set.
I haven't actually been doing any creating but I resorted my fabrics in the cupboard. Anything which was leftover or smallish (roughly less than a fat eighth) I cut into 8" long strips of varying widths from about 1 3/4" to 3". Anything between the fat eighth and fat quarter, I have in one "bin" (i.e. plastic lettuce container), all the 8" strips are in another, and anything shorter than 8" is in a third "bits and pieces" bin. I already made a table runner from the 8" strips, red patterned leftovers from various projects. I will now take the rest of the strips, mix and match and make more table runners or placemats or other utilitarian items.
The bits and pieces I hope to use to make mosaic pictures with my nieces. They also want to try the shaving cream dyeing so I'm looking forward to the next six weeks before I go to Israel.
I have booked my flights from August 1st to September 1st and am really looking forward to getting reacquainted with Amit. To facilitate my spending time and travelling on the bus with him, we went today to Walmart and bought an umbrella stroller. It was really cheap so if Inbal decides she wants something sturdier, she won't have to feel badly about the investment already made. I will surf the net and see if there are any patterns for sun shades and or baskets I can make for it, although I think between a backpack and the stroller (and Amit, of course), I will be able to manoeuvre fairly easily.
That said, off to surf.

Amit's Gifts

My big plans kept getting smaller and smaller and in the end, I just made a few little things for Amit. I made him a fabric name sign and framed it. I made him a wall hanging thingy with pockets and added some lovely animal flash cards I found at the bookstore. The pockets can be used for anything smallish. And today I hope to make him a fabric birthday card.
I'm invited to a bris on Friday morning (Nira's first grandchild). Along with a purchased gift (from M&R, & us), I made a little carriage/stroller blanket from a lovely neon fish fabric. Not pieced, no design, just sandwiched, serpentine stitched and bound. My creativity seems to have gone on vacation...

Proof

Proof that I haven't been totally idle. The green/blue/yellow is "Bridges" which I wrote about in my previous post. The fuschia/pink/flowered piece is "Out of the Box", also from my previous post.


My activity book for Amit is morphing into something else but I'm running out of time so no more posting til it's done.

Oops, has it been a month already?

Don't know where the time has gone. (Actually, I do. I frittered it away playing useless games on the computer and watching old movies on the classic movie channel).
Shaving cream update: we did do the marbling on shaving cream. The results are nowhere as precise as with conventional marbling (or we're doing it wrong) but we had a great time and I turned my samples into my piece for the FibreArts Toronto monthly challenge. The theme was "bridges" and I admit it was a stretch to turn random squares of fabric marbled/dyed in blue/green/yellow on a white background to something representing "bridges" but there you have it. If I say it's bridges, it's bridges. Both the style and colours are a stretch for me, not at all like my previous work.
Menachem is going to Israel in less than two weeks. It is not a planned visit. The last time he went unexpectedly was in February when his uncle died. This time, l'havdil, it's to celebrate his brother's 70th birthday and Amit's 1st. I just couldn't stand the thought of Amit celebrating without at least one of his grandparents there and since I can't get away from work just now, Menachem is going.
So I'm working feverishly (well not feverishly, but steadily) on a few things which Menachem will take with him. I made Amit a framed name sign for the wall in his room. And I'm in the midst of making fabric produce bags for Inbal and Rotem. I hope to finish a fabric activity book for Amit.
So I'll be busy for the next little while.

Who Chopped Down the Cherry Tree?

We did. A year after we moved into this house, we planted a cherry tree in the backyard. Within a few years, it was bearing fruit and the garden was lush. When Menachem started working at camp, our garden went downhill. Either the cherries had some fungus or the squirrels got them first. We got to pick very little fruit. Then a few years ago, the tree itself got sick and started dying. Menachem cut back the sick branches but the tree kept rotting. We decided to cut it down. Yesterday Menachem took reciprocating saw to the tree and other than a 3' high stump, the tree is gone. We're still undecided what to do with the stump. I want to put either birdhouses or planters on it. Menachem wants to cut it shorter and use it as a base for a bench. It will probably just stand there as a sorry looking stump.
Our next task is to take apart the brick planter we made several years ago. The bricks have disintegrated. The question is what to do with the bricks and residue. I think we'll smash them and use them as a crushed brick surfacing for the walkway between our house and our neighbours'.
Also, our grass is awful and we have to decide whether to rototill the lawn and start over or just reseed the bad spots.
So we'll be doing prep work and major cleanup until the Victoria Day weekend when we may plant some annuals.

Shaving Cream Marbling on Fabric

I have heard about this for ages and wanted to try it out. And since I am showing the technique at my next FibreArts Toronto meeting which I am hosting, I figured I should try it out in advance. Devora came over on Friday night (I think it was Friday because with all of the chagim [holidays], I've kind of lost track of time.
Menachem had purchased the shaving cream, I had leftover Procion "H" dyes from the silk painting class I took about 5 years ago, and cotton fabric. So I improvised the rest -- I made the rakes from hairpins clipped onto stiff plastic and tried dripping the dyes, first by shaking from a stick and then by sucking the dye into a straw (taking care not to let the dye reach my mouth).
The results were interesting and proof that I need to get eye droppers because if the colour "blobs" aren't big enough, the resulting marbling is very faint and subdued. Also, the bobby pins didn't make a precise "cut" through the shaving cream so the results weren't crisp enough. I will ask Menachem to make me some rakes. I look forward to the real meeting. It should be fun. And the book about marbling I bought only because it was on sale and really cheap is fantastic. I might even read it in advance of the meeting... No posts of the samples we made because I don't want to discourage anyone.

Chasal Seder Pesach (aka The Seder's Are Over)

I guess it's time to report on the Pesach Seder(s). The first Seder we hosted family: Savta Charna and Auntie Ethel, Devora and Noam, Yunkie, Mindy, Alana, Jeremy and Michelle, Alissa and Mel (Matty wasn't feeling well and couldn't make it), Charles aka Chaim, Josh and Jennifer, and Janice. So we were 17 at the table. We have a dining room table which, with leaves inserted, comfortably seats 13. Add our kitchen table to it and we can seat another 7. The dining room, though,is a little narrow so once you're seated, you're seated. The sore point in chairs -- our dining room table only has 3 chairs left (we inherited the set from my parents who bought it second hand). And of the six chairs which were part of our dining room table set purchased in 1980, only two remain and those chairs have seen better days too. So we use folding chairs, some from my parents and the rest purchased on sale at Canadian Tire. They're quite comfortable but the vinyl on some is giving out. I'm thinking of making slip covers to cover the vinyl bits (backs and seats). Right now my thought is to use a different quilt pattern for each chair. But I digress.
The Seder was nice and more importantly, the preparations leading up to it were relaxed. No anxiety. The meal was delicious -- We started with Menachem's gefilte fish and a roasted vegetable clear soup with knaidlach. Then we had three entrees: Charna's veal roast, Mindy's meatballs and Menachem's chicken. Devora made her salad, and Menachem made roasted vegetables, roasted potatoes and yams, and eggplant salad. We finished off with my mother's compote, a gorgeous fruit platter by Menachem and a medley of baked goods from Alissa. It was a lovely evening but ran later than the 8 p.m. bedtime I am used to so yesterday I was exhausted.
Last night, we were invited to Mintzy and Rafi's Seder. More of the same, only louder... Mintzy and Rafi have a Seder which is part traditional Jewish, part kibbutz seder and part, well, Mintzy and Rafi. It helps when you have a musical family (not that ours isn't musical but theirs is participatory musical). Some of their traditions are different from ours but I am always blown away that Jews everywhere are sitting down at the same time for the same purpose. It was festive, of course, and when Stephen and Dee announced that "they" were pregnant, even more so. Another late night for us.
And since I worked yesterday and will work again today (Josh is going to Vancouver tomorrow, there's a closing today and we're trying to tie up loose ends before he goes), no recovery time until the weekend.
I am hoping to finally get around to shaving cream marbling this weekend and will let you know how it goes.

Tanach Book Cover

At the local Associated Hebrew School, there is a ceremony in third grade, coinciding with Shavuot, when the kids receive their bibles. It is a tradition for the parents/family to decorate a fabric book cover. At Jeremy's pre-bar mitzvah Shabbat dinner, his aunt Susan (my sil's sil) mentioned that she had to do the cover, had missed the school's how-to suggeston session and didn't know where to start. I offered to help asking only that she give me some idea of what her son, Mitchell, wanted. Mitchell wanted two images: Noah's ark and Mose's tablets on Mount Sinai.
Susan and her daughter, Julia, came over a few weekends ago and we started with Noah's ark based on an image from the internet. The ark had no animals which is a good thing -- I'm not THAT good at representational... It was an image of an ark on water but with a rainbow in the background. I explained to them about fusibles. They chose the fabric combinations from my stash and then we cut and fused and did a little stitching to hold the design together. It was not yet attached to the cover.
This past weekend, Susan returned with Mitchell to work on the second image. This one was almost totally Mitchell's design of Mount Sinai. He chose the fabrics, we ironed fusible onto them, he drew the elements onto the back of fusible, and Susan cut them out. We made the tablets by printing the Hebrew letters onto freezer-backed fabric run through the laser printer and heat set them by ironing. Once Mitchell had arranged the composition on the book cover background, I fused it down and added some stitching to hold it. Same goes for Noah's ark, to which we added a dove with the branch in its beak.
I had a thoroughly enjoyable time sharing my stitching know how. While I may have experienced some discomfort from letting go the reins, any imperfections perceived by me were overridden by the happy look on Susan and Mitchell's faces. (Susan also brought me a lovely gift which I will used at the Seder).

At the FAT meeting, Christine's challenge piece for "spring" was an image of coils, done in a holographic style. I am quite taken with the idea and may try to duplicate it. My great grandmother's Shabbat candelsticks come to mind.

Spring

Tomorrow is our FibreArts Toronto meeting. The challenge is "Spring". In the end, after comtemplating spring rolls, spring fever, watch springs, and a whole list of other springy items and concepts, I decided to go with green. So I used a background of green silk from a dress of Carmit's detritus, spelled out the word "spring" in green fabrics, added green flowers from a fake Hawaiian lei, beaded in green, stitched in green, et voila "Green They Say" (from the lyrics).
I had it hanging in my office exhibit last week (including the 17th where people thought the flowers were shamrocks).

Anyways, back to spring. Today I got a little spring cleaning in. After all, Pesach is coming. I have two fridges in my kitchen, from the days when the kids lived at home and one fridge and certainly it's freezer weren't enough. So when we redid the kitchen, we bought another fridge and I insisted that they both be in the kitchen, side by side. It worked out well when the kids lived at home. Since they're gone, the only time we really need both fridges is the holidays when we get the entire family together. So today, I cleaned the "empty" fridge, transferred the food to it and cleaned the other fridge so now we're ready for our holiday shopping which we'll do at the end of the week and our holiday cooking which we'll tackle next Sunday & Monday. Of course, once you clean one thing, you see how the other things need it as well... So I will do the oven overnight and soak the stove elements overnight and finish them tomorrow. When the urge to clean comes, I mustn't repress it becomes it comes so infrequently.

Anyhow, off to watch TV and veg.

Undecided

I can't figure out what to do with this one. It seems unfinished to me but I'm not sure how to go forward. My sister says she likes it as is. What do you think?

Tzedakah Box

This is the Tzedakah Box I made for the Pomegranate Guild's upcoming exhibit.
It is made using flexi-firm to give it body, the base fabric is duppioni silk, overlaid with organza. The roof appears thatched -- it is made using a ribbon with a cross-hatch and sequins (that's the way it came). It is embellished with stone from a deconstructed belt and the door handles are from deconstructed jewellry. The money goes in through the peak of the roof and the bottom comes out for easy emptying.

Exhibit Up

My exhibit is up and I must admit that hung, it is somewhat impressive. I would really be impressed if someone bought a piece or two. Up til now, they've just come by and oohed and aahed. I guess that's something in itself.

After Hours

I decided to show my work in any venue available so I am mounting an exhibit next week in my office cubicle...
I have room for approximately 12 12" wide pieces. I have approximately 15 pieces which meet the size requirements.
In preparation, my first task was to decide on a name for the exhibit. I decided to call it "After Hours" because my office colleagues know me during the work day and my art work is done after work hours. And then to decide how to define my work. I am calling it "fibre art compositions". I made flyers to hang in strategic locations in the office. Then, I made name tags for each piece. Now I just have to gather enough courage to actually carry through and hang the exhibit. The cubicle walls are upholstered so I can attach the pieces by pinning them to the wall. It shouldn't take any time at all.
I would like to sell the pieces on exhibit. So how do I price them? I think I'll be really underpricing at $54 a piece, but that's where I'm leaning. Decisions, decisions.

I finished the FAT "spring" challenge. For me, spring means green. So I made a composition spelling out "spring" in different greens, embellished with green silk flowers, green beads and quilted with green variegated thread. Quite simple in appearance but I'm hoping that less is more.

I also cut out and fused the pieces for an upright matza holder. Hopefully I'll sew it up tomorrow.

My muse is sort of on vacation so I hope it returns soon. I want to make a "quiet book" for Amit before I head to Israel in May.

Big Purge

The Bar-Mitzvah is behind us and I decided it was time to do a little spring cleaning. Granted, it's not really spring but when the urge to clean comes, I try to obey because it doesn't come all that often... This time, it had nothing to do with my workroom. I needed to get paperwork ready for taxes. Our current files are kept in a filing cabinet beside the computer desk. At the end of the year, I open files for the new year and put the previous year's files aside so we can cull any information required before I put them in the "keep for 7 years" boxes. I also pull out the oldest year of the KF7Y box and shred it. While I was at it, I asked Menachem to review his computer print outs (i.e. the stuff we all download from the computer because it looked interesting and relevant at the time). We threw out at least a tree or two. At the same time, I asked Menachem if any of his computer books/manuals had passed their "best by" dates. Quite a few. So we ended getting rid of those too. And the assorted cables, chargers, 3.5" disks, etc. which no longer have any relevance. I was able to consolidate what was left into less space and better organize it. So, good on us.

I did get some sewing done of Sunday. Susan came over so we could work on Mitch's Siddur cover for his class' Siddur ceremony. We didn't finish it, but we made substantial progress and I got an email from Susan that Mitch like it so it's all good. If she comes back, the next part should be much easier and go more smoothly.

I still have to do "Spring" for F.A.T. but I think I will go with the colour green and try my hand at Dorset buttons using found washers, plastic and metal, in varying sizes. I still have 3 weeks to figure it out.

Tefillin Bags

Tallit Bag

Camera back, cameraman sick

Menachem came back from Israel with a very bad cold/flu, although he had the flu shots before he left. He's been recuperating all week so I didn't want to "huck" (pester) him. Tomorrow, however, I will because I finished the sewing portion of Jeremy's bar-mitzvah preparations. I made Yunkie a tallit bag and both Yunkie and Jeremy tefillin bags using my father's ties from a pattern (not tallit/tefillin related) downloaded from the internet. The bags were relatively easy to make, once I figured out the idea behind the construction. I personally think it's ridiculous putting the words "tallit" or "tefillin" on the bags. I think if one peeks into the bags and sees their contents, they'll know what they're for and not mistake them for grocery bags. Lots of tallit/tefillin bags are made of navy blue velvet or some similarly non-descript fabric. It then becomes necessary to embroider/applique the name of the owner on the bags because they all look so much alike. Well, Yunkie and Jeremy will not need their names embroidered on these bags. No one will have such funky tallit/tefillin bags. Hope they like them.

Camera on Vacation

My camera is vacationing in the Middle East so I can't post any photos until it returns.
I finished my tzedakah (charity) box house. It turned out quite well.
I finished my January challenge "Underground" based loosely, very loosely, on the Toronto PATH system.
I made a "green" Tu B'shvat potholder set for Mindy and Yunkie from quilt trimmings -- batting and green fabrics.
So what now?
My next projects, with a February 20th deadline, are a tfilin bag for Jeremy, and a tallit bag and a tfilin bag for Yunkie. So I have a chance to use up more of my father's ties which sort of lets him "take part" in the simcha.
But other than thinking about it, I won't start until tomorrow morning when my head is clear and ideas are fresh.

And Now to Work

I am currently making another organza composition in blues. Off to stitch.

Wedding Square

And finally, a bit of fluff which was play for the sake of play. I made one of these in honour of Maggie's wedding and since I still have quite a bit of wedding gown leftovers, I decided to make another. It didn't make too much of dent in my whites stash, but it was fun.

Pomegranate Challenge

The current challenge for the Pomegranate Guild is "Jewish Symbols". Size doesn't matter but it has to be no more than two colours. Since I have a bag of kippot (yarmulkas, skullcaps) from Yunkie and Mindy's wedding, I decided to use a kippah as my symbol. I deconstructed one and used one of the six pieces as a template for a flower. I made the flower from fabric mosiacs from fabrics left over from Johanna and Warren's chuppah. The centre of the flower is a button, and a ribbon covered plastic washer from the computer disc container. So my colours and blue and magenta. I may just take another kippah and cover it with fabic mosaics as well.

And Another

Lavender fabrics left over from Alana's tallit.

I Liked the Technique of Organza

I really like the format of the 12" X 12". And while I had those fabrics out, I made another piece. This one had no restrictions of a theme, just a composition of technique, colour choice and embellishment.

On to the Next Challenge

The January challenge for FibreArts Toronto is "Graffiti". I had trouble with this one. Unless the "artwork" is commissioned or sanctioned by the property owner, I view graffiti as vandalism, no matter how artistic it may be. So my association had to be that most graffiti is the "artist" leaving his/her mark. While trying to think of a marking, I remembered a book of Yiddish stenography that belonged to my Aunt Nechama. When she had to give up her apartment in Brooklyn to move into a nursing home in Buffalo (closer to Toronto, easier to visit, long story), I went to New York and helped clean out her apartment. Since I was in my Yiddish phase at the time (i.e. studying Yiddish at U of T for my B.A. in Jewish Languages and Literature), I took all of her Yiddish books. I guess the concept of Yiddish stenography fascinated me. Anyways, I looked for symbols for words which might be appropriate and found two. In the middle square, the top squiggle is the word "mazel" (luck) and the bottom work is "bracha" (blessing). I chose these words because the words are the same in Yiddish and in Hebrew. Then for the other markings, I turned to braille (in English, although there is also Hebrew braille and perhaps also Yiddish -- I'll have to google that). From the top left hand corner, going clockwise, on the organza are my rendition of the braille for "luck", and also going clockwise from the top left hand corner, on the other fabrics are the braille for "blessing". And the overall feeling is one of softness, which contrasts the harsh feel of graffiti.

One by One

I spent my days off during the winter break in my studio, oblivious to the weather outside, listening to classical music while stitching. This was my inspiration:



It was made as the December challenge for my FibreArts Toronto group. The theme was "wash, rinse, repeat". My first association was to hair. I must admit I had the "repeat" more in mind -- I wanted to repeat the use of fabrics already in my stash and I had the colour scheme left over from my slice of the "Orwell's Corners" quilt. The background is in shades of grey (self-explanatory), the squiggles are bright browns and reds (touch ups, perhaps?), and the circles with embroidery in the round and beading using circular beads and sequins are the bubbles of "wash and rinse".