Another week gone by

Shabbes yontif shabbes yontif. With all the holidays, it's hard to keep track. Especially since we don't have small children and aren't overly observant.
Stitch-wise, I've been busy. For the Pomegranate's 10" monochromatic challenge, I've done a white landscape -- quilted, embroidered, beaded and embellished. I am pleased with the result. I am making it into a small quilted wallhanging. In the meantime, my sewing machine has decided to slow down terribly so my attempts to free-motion have not gone well. I think I might try hand-quilting instead, the aim being more to get the stitches through the layers than small even stitches. If I can do both, great!! My border panels are white as well but I am planning to do the stitching in variegated rainbow coloured thread...
I am also working on the binding of Menachem's quilt. I took it to work yesterday but didn't get much done. I've done a little today, maybe some more this evening, a little tomorrow. It will be finished by the weekend.
I also want to finish Ezra'a quilt. I have to quilt the borders. Maybe I'll try that by hand too. But I'll probably do the binding by machine.
And now that there's a new addition to our extended family in Israel, I want to make a baby quilt for her.
And a scarf using 1" squares, solvy and variegated threads.
Hmmm, so many projects, so little time.
And tomorrow, we get our new car!!

Erev-erev continued

So we got home from Perth Saturday evening. Sunday, I got an early start on quilting. I have quilted the middle of Ezra's quilt but have yet to successfully finish the borders (I've done them twice and unstitched them twice...they just don't sit the way I want).
Then we had to go to Cock-a-doodle quilts -- it seems I didn't have fabric for binding Menachem's quilt. I've cut the fabric and made the binding strip. Now I just have to find some uninterrupted time to sew it. Then at noon, Mintzy called and asked if I wanted to go with her and Silke and Al to St. Jacobs. I did, Menachem didn't. It was a lovely day so I went but I was exhausted when I returned.
Monday, Ruthie had a stopover in Toronto on her way back to Israel from Winnipeg. We picked up my mother, went to meet Ruthie at the airport and went out for lunch at the Pickle Barrel at Yorkdale. Also, a very pleasant few hours.
Tuesday, back to work. In the evening I had my first meeting at the York Heritage (Toronto) Quilters Guild. Meetings are held at Edwards Gardens. The speaker was Pamela Allen who does art quilts with an attitude. Very enjoyable.
Yesterday, Wednesday evening was the first Pomegranate Guild meeting of the season. The speaker talked about colour theory, in advance of our guild challenge for the November meeting. We have to make a 10" by 10" monochromatic block. It can be any textile media as long as it's one colour and the required size. I am thinking multiple techniques in white but haven't finalized my decision yet. I have to think on this one a little.
Today, no evening plans (thank goodness). Maybe a little sewing. Mel had his foot surgery today and hopefully it went well. Tomorrow is Erev and Saturday Yom Kippur. We may take our annual ride in the country...
Other than that, no news.
So for those who fast and observe, gmar chatima tova.

Erev erev Yom Kippur

Since my last post was erev erev Rosh Hashana (shana tova to all) and we're now erev erev Yom Kippur (gmar chatima tova to all), it's time to post.
The chagim were very nice. We had two small gatherings. The first night, we had Mom, Bat & Sandy, Devora & Noam, and Shaked. As usual, Menachem outdid himself. Since carp was not to be found, we had mock chopped liver, chummus, baba ganoush and sweet and sour vegetarian "meat" balls instead. This in addition, of course, to soup with lokshen, honey chicken, my mother's veal roast, Devora's pasta prima vera, rice, salads and dessert of Menachem's honey cake and a fruit platter provided by Bat & Sandy. And Menachem baked a tasty and lovely round challah. So it was very nice.
The second night, the menu was the same, the guests different. Ethel came, as did Yunkie, Mindy, Alana, Jeremy & Michelle. Bat & Sandy were at Heather & Maurie's.
Also a very pleasant evening.
We return to camp each fall to paint the kitchen floor. When we told Dee that we were coming up, she invited us the the Brooke Valley Jewish community's Rosh Hashana potluck get-together on Friday night. So we packed up our leftovers and headed out to Perth. The get-together was lovely. They're such a nice group of people. Menachem's meatless balls went over big, especially since most of the participants are vegetarians.
Saturday morning, we painted the floor and then Dee invited us for lunch. After lunch, Menachem and David went to the marina to see a man about a boat. Dee and I stayed to stitch. Well actually Dee stitched, I watched. Except for tucking in a few threads and sewing on the binding, Menachem's quilt is finished. I hope to finish it this weekend.
Got to run to work. Will continue later.

Erev erev Rosh Hashana

Boy, the past few days have been busy. Saturday, we went to Cock-a-doodle Quilts and bought some fabric, which I have already washed and will prepare for Inbal's quilts' backings.
I sandwiched the baby quilt and also sandwiched the swirly quilt. Now I just need courage to quilt them...
It is the day before erev Rosh Hashana and we're getting ready for two family gatherings -- the first tomorrow night with Mom, Bat & Sandy, Devora & Noam, and maybe Shaked. We invited Shloimeh and Zena but not sure they'll attend. They are religious and the walk from their house to ours may be a little too much for them.
Then Thursday night, we're having, Mom, Ethel, Yunkie & Mindy, Alana, Jeremy and Michelle.
Sunday we went shopping for fish (and quilting safety-pins). No carp to be found, neither at the supermarkets nor the fish stores. So our menu has changed.
We'll be starting with roasted vegetable soup with lokshen (noodles). Instead of gefilte fish, we'll be having chopped liver from mock (i.e eggplant), dips -- hummus and baba ganoush, corn salad, green and red pepper salad, and sweet potato salad. (All very very labour intensive).
For the main course, we're having veal roast (my mother's delicious specialty), honey chicken, maybe sweet and sour tofu balls, rice, bean salad, pasta salad and a green salad.
And for dessert, Bat-Sheva's bringing a fruit platter and Menachem's making a honey cake. And of course, Menachem is making round challahs in honour of Rosh Hashana.
We will be repeating menu 1 on night 2. Those who are coming both nights may have complaints but too bad.
Tomorrow, I will be speed cleaning the house.
Thursday and Friday, we will rest, or maybe take a ride in the country.
Saturday, we're going to camp to paint the kitchen floor. We have a car rental for three days so hopefully we'll have a nice weekend. Maybe visit with Dee to show her my quilting efforts. At any rate, I need to buy some quilting thread and am not sure what colour to go with so I'm hoping to confer with Dee and purchase the threads in Perth.
And Monday, Ruthie will be passing through Toronto on her way home from Winnipeg so we'll be going out to the airport to visit with her.
And that's all the news that's fit to print.
So if anyone is reading, have a happy and healthy Shana Tova.

Baby Quilt Top Finished

This is the finished top. I had to ditch my idea to use the curly turquoise fabric -- it was too slippery to work with. So I bought a light green marbled fabric. There are two reasons I put the green squares in the corners a) I didn't like the way it looked when the fish prints met side by side and b) the top and bottom borders were each about 2 cm. short and I didn't want to have a seam where the fish may not line up between the two pieces.

I think it looks OK.

This morning, Shaked came over and we went to Cock-a-doodle Quilts to buy backing fabric for the two versions of Inbal's quilt. I bought two very different backings. We'll see what happens. I had previously bought backing for the swirly quilt and the baby quilt at Fabricland but just didn't see anything remotely suitable for backing Inbal's quilts.

We also popped into AM Studio, an Israeli glass studio which imports art glass items from the Galil. And also does some custom glass work. I thought Shaked, herself a ceramics sculptor, might enjoy it. And she did.

Baby quilt

And this is the beginnings of the baby quilt made by sewing eight long strips, turning 90 degrees and cutting eight tubes, then rearranging. So easy!! I was going to make a border using the blue fuzzy fabric but it didn't handle well. So I'll just have to buy some yellow fabric for the inner border and then use the fishies for the outer border.

And I have other fabrics I thought might be fun piecing in this way. Of course I'll have to buy fabrics to match...

Inbal's Quilt - Photo finish

Et voila! The pieced parts are identical in colour, even if the photos don't show it. See how different they look?

I am halfway through the quilt top for Ezra. I tried a new technique for making squares and it really does make the quilting go quickly.

New Quilt

This is the little quilt that grew. The Israeli Quilter's Association, of which I am a member, is having a juried exhibition. The rules were small wall quilts, no side to exceed 22" and if pieced, no block to exceed 4" square. So I started making 4" squares. And enjoyed what I saw so I made some more. And I so liked what I saw that I said, forget the exhibit. I'm making a quilt! So I did. Now what I'll do with this quilt is another matter...

I actually have a four day weekend. We didn't have any closings on Friday so the office was closed. I worked on this quilt on Friday and finished it this morning.

Then I finished Version B of Inbal's quilt this evening. (Tomorrow I'll post pictures of both versions.)

Tomorrow, I want to start a quilt for Ezra, Mintzy's grandson. It won't be elaborate but it's with that nice flourescent fish fabric so it should be fun. Also the backing fabric is soft and cuddly. One of the fabrics is not that stable so I'm going to use interfacing before I cut it and hopefully that will help.

While I've been quilting, Menachem's been painting. We decided to finally paint the "new" door -- it's already four years old... So we chose some lovely colours -- an off-white for the trim, a tan colour for the side panel and for the door itself, a burgundy. Well, the burgundy isn't. It's more red than burgundy. And after three coats of paint, it's blotchy and awful. So this afternoon, Menachem put on a new coat of primer and we're going to paint the door tan as well.

Tomorrow, we're invited to Yunkie and Mindy's for lunch. And then Menachem has to pick up Itai and Inbal from the airport in the evening. And that's about it, other than painting and quilting.