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.

Back?

So it's been well over two months since I posted. Not because I didn't have access to internet or time. It just didn't happen. My life has been full with the joys of being a savta (grandmother).

I did get some sewing done but mostly utilitarian stuff -- baby blankets, crib bedding, curtains for the Amit's room, drapes for Rotem's apartment. And one I'm sure not many can brag about -- a slipcover for a washing machine. Don't ask.

Now that I'm back in my studio, I have several projects to work on. I have finished Stephen and Diana's chuppah save for the hanging sleeves which I will probably do today. I was at Fabricland (Doncaster) yesterday and did not find fabric I liked for Johanna and Warren's chuppah. I may just head down to Queen Street and a few other places to check it out. I sort of know where I'm going with it but have to fondle fabrics before I continue. I may also hit Fabricland (Empress Walk) to see what they have in stock.

I want to take my sewing machine in for servicing and also my serger for repair/servicing.

Do I sound less than enthusiastic? I guess I just have to get started and things will fall into place.

Brit Milah

NQR except for the cutting...
Yesterday was Amit's Brit Milah. Inbal initially wanted to go with a medical mohel (one who is a doctor and has been trained as a mohel as well) but the price was prohibitive. Inbal didn't want the whole party who-ha atmosphere usually associated with a brit. So she got the name of a highly recommended mohel who when told there might not be a minyan said that the mitzvah of doing the brit outweighs the mitzvah of having it done with a minyan. And yesterday afternoon, in the presence of Rotem (who was the "sandak" and held the baby during the ceremony) Inbal's good friends, Naama, Simone and Yael, and me, Amit joined the ranks of the Jewish men before him.
It just dawned on me that Inbal's three friends represent three periods of her life. Yael is a childhood friend. They literally grew up together. Simone and Inbal went to school together in Canada and did their army service at the same time. And Inbal met Naama when she started working in Israel after she returned from university in Toronto. Interesting. But back to the brit. The mohel was very nice and didn't appear to be judgmental. Amit is doing fine. A few tears but handling it well. The mohel should be back for a check-up today and then nothing. Nothing meaning none of the stress related to Amit's first few days and breastfeeding difficulties or stress related to the brit -- when, who, where, etc.
So now everyone can settle into a routine of enjoying Amit.

Grandparenthood -- Who Knew?

There's a Yiddish expression about humans making plans and God laughing at them.
So Inbal's due date was May 30th and I had planned to go to Israel on the 26th. Inbal had her baby on the 19th. The process had started a few days earlier.
Needless to say, I changed my flights. I left on the 19th at 11ish p.m. (Toronto time)and arrived at Heathrow at 11ish a.m. local time the following morning. Since my next flight from Heathrow to Tel-Aviv didn't leave until, again, 11ish p.m. on the 20th, I had many hours to pass. I visited every duty-free shop at least once, read a book, and most importantly, managed to stretch out on some benches and grab a few winks. I arrived in Israel at 4:30 a.m. on the 21st and was very glad to find Rotem waiting at the airport. He drove me to Inbal's to drop off the luggage and take a quick shower and then we went straight to the hospital to see Inbal and the baby.
Amit (pronounced "uh-meet" with the emphasis on the second syllable) is adorable, delicious. He has a full face and doesn't have the scrawny wrinkled look often associated with newborns. We are all busy adjusting to one another -- Amit to being in the outside world where he has to take affirmative action to be nourished, Inbal learning to read Amit's signs and cries, and me to staying up later than 8 p.m. and waking up frequently during the night.
But it's all good.
As I write, I feel tired so I'm going to lie down for a bit. We've all got to nap when we can...