Shomria Quilt -- continued

So apparently, the kid in charge of arts and crafts is not as enamoured with the quilt idea as I am. I have spoken to her several times but she has yet to come to find out what she has to do. In the meantime, I have finished doing the preliminary embroidery on 9 of the 18 patched piece seams...
I really do not want to do this quilt project on my own which would be defeating the purpose. I will give it one more try this weekend when I'm up at camp. If they latch onto the idea fine. If not, also fine.
Dee is encouraging me to finish quilting my onion quilt by myself. She did all of the quilting except the border and it looks amazing!! The border shouldn't be that difficult to do. And then bind and finish. Two years, not too bad... So maybe we'll pop over to her place this weekend and pick it up.
And then I have all these other projects under way or in planning. My mother just returned from Israel with Marty's ties which Ruthie sent. There are several hundred of them. I will make a quilt for Ruthie from them. But I won't get started on them until the fall. I want to finish the quilts from Inbal's fabric.

Shomria quilt

The Shomria quilt is on its way. This is supposed to be crazy quilt which for lack of time I will piece but all of the embroidery, embellishments, etc. will be done by the campers and staff. Fabricland had a sale last week so I bought six solid fabrics -- two blues, one green, one brown-gold and two yellows, and muslin. I am using the standard six-piece template I like to use. Yesterday evening, I ironed and cut the muslin squares. I will take the whole thing up with me on Friday and cut the coloured fabrics and do the piecing up there. I simply don't think I'll be able to finish it here on time but I need a better table for sewing up there. I'll have to figure something out.
To make the piece relevant, I am kind of thinking on a theme of peace.
So I've been giving some thought to embellishing. Each square has 5 seams so I'll need five styles of basic embroidery for them, which I have to teach. I thought feather-stitch, either single or double, chain stitch, on a wave, chevron stitch, herringbone, and one other -- better check the stitch dictionary. Then they can be further embellished with french knots, fly stitches, etc.
For the needle-challenged, I am going to be doing motifs in both stamping and stencilling. I thought of stamping doves and stencilling words (e.g. peace, shalom) in English and Hebrew and in different fonts. A few beads here, some buttons there and hopefully, it will all come together.
Then I'll just have to figure out how to sew the whole thing together (i.e. sashed or not, borders or not, central medallion or not.
I'm looking forward to the whole project.
In the meantime, I'm on a hectic schedule of taking the train Fridays at noon to camp and returning Sundays at midnight. (This weekend is a long weekend so I'll have one extra day of "serenity" ha ha in the idyllic surroundings of Shomria). Then I'm left with short weeks in which I work during the day, and spend my evenings doing the stuff that needs being done -- watering plants, mowing the law, gardening, shopping, visiting relatives, etc.
Off to decide which beads, threads, etc. to take up with me.

Old computers, slow internet, catch-up

On June 1st, I went up to Camp Shomria (Perth) with DH, who is the site and operation manager there. We usually go up on June 1st so we'll have a full month to get the camp into shape before the campers arrive July 1st.
Fortunately, our aging buildings did not suffer damage from the harsh winter (i.e. no trees fell on buildings, nothing collapsed... But mice apparently had a difficult winter and moved into at least two buildings. So, including the raccoon family which finds a new point of entry into the Beit Tarbut (rec hall) each year, we had major cleanup after the mice. In the room next to ours (it's a duplex), they ruined one mattress beyond repair, ate a hole in the fridge wall, not to mention droppings and nests everywhere. Same goes for the office.
We'll have to be more diligent in closing up this year and close up any holes under doors, around windows, next to the plumbing pipes, etc. Not that they won't be able to get in, but at least not to make it easier for them. At least we didn't have vandalism.
So I was up there two weeks. Our days consisted of 6-8 hours of physical labour and then "relaxing" -- trips into town to Canadian Tire for repair stuff, trips to the garbage dump... We also got in a few nice meals in Perth and some down time. We signed up at the Perth library and I read 8!! books in the two weeks.
At camp, we're on dial-up internet. And have an older version computer. Boy, is that frustrating. To pick up email takes forever, when the system doesn't shut down. In the end, we just went to the Perth library to read our email.
I got a little stitching done. I took up my sewing machine and started on my art quilt. Not terribly happy yet but I shall persevere. I took up all kinds of cq stuff to work on but didn't get started on any of it.
The two weeks were over, I took the train back, a 3.5 train ride to Toronto, another half hour on the subway and then a taxi home, getting home at around 11:30 p.m.
And that's how I'm going to be spending my weekends for the next two months, train from Toronto to Smiths Falls at 12:20 p.m. Friday, train from Smiths Falls to Toronto at 7:01p.m. Sundays.
Just looked at my watch. Time to run.

About those daily postings...

When I originally started blogging, I had hoped to use the blog as a daily journal. Ha! Now if I can blog weekly, I'm doing well.

This is a photo of Alana and Mindy taken just after Alana finished her Torah reading. She also led the services and did a wonderful job.

Alana is wearing the tallit I made her. It was a first effort. Overall, it was lovely. I could have made it a bit longer. I should have changed the placement of the stripes in proportion to the corners. But it was made with love and is quite pretty, especially with the outfit she wore that day.

I received many compliments and a few questions about whether I make tallitot for sale, the answer being hmmm. maybe.

The whole Bat Mitzvah was a lovely affair. It was a buffet luncheon at the shul. The food was good, there was background music (guitar and keyboard) which was background music. Except for the hora, the music was quiet and didn't interfere with conversation.

I think I already mentioned in a previous post how Yunkie and Mindy (i.e. Mindy) made other arrangements which were in keeping with the mitzvah part of Bat Mitzvah. The table centrepieces were mitvah "baskets" -- recyclable containers filled with products which after the simcha were donated to a woman's shelter. And the place cards were from Sick Kids Hospital where a donation was made in honour of the simcha.

And it was a busy week. Tuesday evening was an impromptu surprise birthday party for my mother's 86th at her place. My mother had for years talked about getting a roll-top desk and Charles found a small one which fits where the tea table used to stand. So he came in for dinner, Devora and Noam were there too. After dinner, Devora took Charles and Mom out for a walk and the rest of us showed up for dessert. It was very nice.

Wednesday, Mintzy invited us over for dinner and to "share" her grandson Noah. He is afraid of strangers (us). Rafi, Menachem and Noah played a game of indoor catch and Noah almost made it over to Menachem before he remembered that he was a stranger. It was quite comical.

Menachem has been busy all week making arrangements and picking stuff up for camp. We're going up today. So last night, we were busy doing laundry, packing, trying to concentrate all of the stuff in the front hall and hoping we don't forget anything. Perth is a big city and you can buy almost anything you need there but still there's stuff that we can bring from home.

I spent time organizing my sewing room so I could pack up stuff to take with including my new sewing machine. I'm hoping to get started on an art quilt while I'm up there during the next two weeks and something portable that I can work on while on the four hour train ride home.

Did I mention that Menachem put up a design wall for me? It's 1.5 inch styrofoam covered with quilting batting and industrial velcroed to the wall. I already tried out my robe quilts on it and am sure it will get much use over time. I am taking my robe quilts to Perth and am hoping that during the summer, Dee will help me problem-solve their wonkiness so I can finish them.

At camp, we have dial-up internet. And we won't have the phones connected until June 4th. So even if I wanted to post more frequently, I won't be able to. Fortunately, there appears (so far) to be less work than in previous years, so other than the immediate tasks of evicting a raccoon family from the rec hall and ridding the room next to us of mice and mice damage (they ate a hole in the plastic wall of the room's fridge) and some sorting of food donations in the pantry, hopefully we'll have a bit of a vacation. Ha ha.

Another week gone by

I don't know where the week went. Well, actually I do but... I worked Monday then came home and stitched on Alana's kippa. I took one from her which fit her well but was torn, when I was over on Sunday, and took it apart so I could use the pieces to make a pattern. Sunday evening, I made the kippa from the mauve duppioni silk. I then embroidered and beaded the seams a la crazy quilt mode. I made a lining from the patterned fabric I used for the tallit bag. Tuesday after work, Mintzy came to pick me up and we went with her cousin, Silka, to see the Pom exhibit. Afterwards, we went for dinner at Me Va'me, and then I had a Pom executive meeting at the JCC. Wednesday evening was our regular Pom meeting. It was on knitting with beads. I don't knit so it really didn't do much for me but you never know when an idea will come in handy. Thursday after work, I went with Rafi and Mintzy to pay a shiva call for a friend from the tnua whose wife passed away. A few years older than me. When it's one of my friends' parents, it's sad but they're in their eighties or ninties. When it's someone may age or a little older, it's really sad. Friday afternoon, Menachem bought me a new sewing machine at Costco. It's a simple machine with several stitches, but a no-name type brand. I don't have great expectations. I really just wanted an extra machine so I can take it up to camp so I have one there and one at home. And then during the year, I will have two machines -- one to do piecing and the other to do free-motion quilting. I tried it out -- it seems fine. For $100 CDN, it's more than fine. We went out Friday night for dinner to a new restaurant up on Beaver Creek -- the Vegetarian Gourmet. The food was quite good and I didn't have to worry about which dishes may have meat. We ordered way too much food but that was OK too because we took it home and rewarmed it for lunch.
Saturday morning we went up to camp to clean and organize our room so it will be ready no matter how late we arrive on June 1st. And to make sure the hot water heater in our room is working! It didn't take too long and the weather was gorgeous. We finished early, walked around in Perth (they opened a new fabric/quilting/craft store on Gore. I was very good and other than fabric glitter paint/glue, didn't buy anything. But am waiting anxiously for the summer...
I never sleep well the first few nights at camp because the bed is unfamiliar, the cabin creaks as it contracts and expands, the outdoor noises of animals, etc. keep me awake. I fell asleep instantly and what woke me up in the middle of the night? Menachem's cell phone beeping that it's battery was low... Oy.
Anyways, we decided to come home early. On the way, we stopped in at the Wesport area studio tour. Saw an interesting exhibit of photgraphy on canvas. And some lovely collage which I am trying to figure out how to translate in fabric. I think I have it. I just have to buy some puzzle pieces...
And now, off to some neglected grooming in anticipation of wearing a skirt. Last time skirt was worn? Two years ago at Rafi's Bar Mitzvah. Nuff said.

Sunday's events

Yesterday was a lovely day. We went to Aleph Bet Judaica to buy the tzitziot (threads/strings) for Alana's Bat-Mitzvah. Then I went to the JCC for the Pomegranate Exhibit to do my docent stint. There was a constant stream of people which was good because I had failed to bring anything with me to do. At 3, Menachem picked me up and we went to Yunkie and Mindy's for a tzitzit tying ceremony. When we got there, one of Mindy's friends was there to help her make the centrepieces. I really like the shape the Bar-Mitzvah is taking. Instead of flowers, they're putting "mitzvah" baskets -- boxes filled with stuff which will later be donated to a shelter. The place cards are donation cards for Sick Kids Hospital where Alana started out her life. Their lifestyle isn't ostentatious and their Bat-Mitzvah won't be either.
Back to the "ceremony". Menachem did most of the tying but each of the kids and Mindy did at least a knot or two. Yunkie almost completed a whole corner himself but found it frustrating so Menachem finished it off for him. We came home after dinner.
I started working this morning on a kippa for Alana. I cut it out and sewed it together this morning from the mauve duppioni. Duppioni frays like mad so I zigzagged the edges. After work, I think I will embroider and embellish the seams. And sew in a lining. Maybe I'll print a little label in it to commemorate the occasion.
And then, on to other projects.

Tallit details and tallit bag (please read previous post first)

If you click on the photo of the tallit, you can see the details up close of the flowers and beading. This is the bag. It's actually a quilted rectangle with snaps and the folded tallit is folded with the bag into thirds.

Anyways it's finished. We're off to the Judaica store to buy the tzitziot [strings]and this afternoon, after I finish my noon to 3 p.m. stint at the Pomegranate exhibit, we are going over to Alana's to have a tzitzit tying ceremony of sorts.

And now I can proceed to my next project which will hopefully turn into wedding gifts. Or not.

Tallit Finished!!

I've been working against a deadline to finish Alana's tallit [prayer shawl]. Her Bat Mitzvah is next weekend and I didn't want to leave it until then. So after much angst about the pinot [corners] , Menachem reminded me that I had a buttonhole setting for my sewing machine and that made things easier. I, of course, see all the little defects but in the big picture, it turned out quite nicely. I will try to make a matching kippa [skullcap] this week. If it looks small, it's because Alana is quite petite.

Next post details and the tallit bag.

Gardening, beading, etc.

It's been a busy weekend. The weather was beautiful and we tried to take advantage of it to get stuff done around the house and in the garden. Menachem is off to camp for three months come June 1st and whatever doesn't get done before then doesn't get done.
It's also free garbage day this week and we wanted to clean out the garage.
We started with the garage and it wasn't that bad. We had actually cleaned it up in the fall but during the winter we tend to throw stuff in there -- the metal shelving we took out of the bedroom closet, the boxes we bring the groceries home in, excess plastic bags, etc. So we moved the shelves to one side, broke down all the boxes for recycling day, and then took all of the plastic bags and styrofoam containers which don't go in the regular recycling box to the recycling depot. We also took some paints and a printer to the hazardous waste depot.
Then Menachem tackled the maple trees in the front yard. Some of the branches were brushing against the house and on a windy day they can cause real damage. So he cut those down. And then he had to cut them into smaller pieces and bundle them -- our garbage collection guys are quite particular. I did some raking of leaves, last years dead stems on the hostas and pulled the maple seedlings which had started sprouting.
Yesterday, we tackled the back yard. Menachem took down branches of a tree which was growing through our fence with the (not pleasant) neighbours. And cut them up -- the branches, not the neighbours... I continued to gather last year's dead plants and leaves...
Now all that's left to do is mow the lawn and some cutting back of overgrown shrubs.

On the creativity side, I did some beading on Alana's tallit. Yesterday afternoon was my turn as docent at the Pomegranate Guild's exhibit. I took two shifts -- 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and then 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. There was a flurry of visitors from 3 to 4:30 and then no one until 9... But anticipating this, I took the tallit with me and got all of my embroidery stitching done. It wasn't so much embroidery stitching as it was using embroidery floss to tack down the lacey flowers I had wonder-undered and some weren't so wonderful... The stitches are added protection to make sure the flowers won't fall off. This morning I started beading between the flowers I stitched down and I hope to finish that this evening or in the next few days. I still need to sew the lining, attach the corner pieces, make the buttonholes for the tzitziot and then make the tallit roll (instead of a bag). It really is just a quilted rectangle with buttons and loops, so it shouldn't be that difficult.
Photos to follow, I promise.

Sold!

For as long as I've been stitching, I've only ever made things for friends or for fundraisers.
Yesterday, I sold my first piece! It's one of the pieces I made (finished) for the Pomegranate Guild's 25th Anniversary Exhibit. Of course, it's the one piece I don't have a photo of yet...
I am on duty as docent on Sunday so I will photograph it them.

Excited by the prospects of fame and prosperity (cough cough), I went to check out my stash to see what else I could whip up. Now if only I can stay awake long enough to actually stitch. And I must finish Alana's tallit asap. I actually started the embroidery this morning. I'lll work on it at home on Sunday morning and then take it with me on Sunday afternoon, just in case there's a lull in visitors at the exhibit.

Yay me!!

Pomegranate Guild 25th Anniversary Exhibition

On Sunday, I was at the opening of the Guild's exhibition and if I was proud to be a member of the Guild before the exhibit, I was more so afterwards. To have so much creative energy concentrated in one location was amazing.
The large wallhanging is "Kohen Hagadol's Vestments", designed by our Guild member, Haya Nativ, based on references in the bible to the high priest's vestments.
The shadow boxes are some of the members' interpretation of the theme "Threads of Identity". It was difficult to photograph the entire exhibit as many people were milling around. We will try to return to do some more photography on a quieter day and will post more photos if successful.
I strongly recommend to anyone in the Toronto area who has a chance to see the exhibit to do so. The group wallhanging is truly breathtaking. The photos don't begin to show the piece's sparkle.

This week has gone by so quickly!

Can't recall what I did all week except for working on Alana's tallit. It's finally got it's basic design and stitching done. This week I will do the embroidery and beading.
And finally sew on the lining.
Then I'm going to make a quilted tallit bag, except it's not going to be a bag but a roll-up (like a jewellry roll bag). I already have a nice piece of cotton fabric which matches the tallit in colours. Its pattern has lines which go from one side to the other so I'll use those lines as my quilting stitch guide.
Today is the opening of the Pomegranate Guild 25th Anniversary Exhibit and I am quite excited. I will be seeing many pieces the other members have made as well as the group quilt. I haven't seen it yet except for a glimpse in the Canadian Jewish News. I wasn't able to work on it because it was made at Tuesday afternoon workshops and I work during the week.
But I got a call last week to say that there was an empty wall in the exhibit hall and someone had suggested my family chuppah to fill the space. So in addition to my blue and white shadow box, my "brother-grandfather" piece and my "four sons" piece, my chuppah will also be on display. I am excited and proud of my textile accomplishments.
Anyways, off to the exhibit! I hope to post photos and commentary about it later.
P.S. Did I mention that I was at the Mississauga Quilter's Guild exhibit yesterday and saw a goregous black and white quilt with splashed of colour at the centre of each block. Menachem took photos. I will post later.

Tired but content

Yesterday was a long day. And today, my body aches.
I spent the day with Lola, a new quilting friend from Israel who is here visiting her daughter. We went over to pick her up and she brought me some booklets of quilts from Israel which I have perused and intend to revisit soon.
Menachem drove us to Newmarket to take in the York Region Quilter's Show and then he went down to watch the Raptors first playoff game.
I think Lola enjoyed herself. Most of the quilts were traditional, both in patterns and techniques. Not very much art quilt style. I almost always enjoy these shows because I now have a true appreciation of the amount of work invested in each quilt. There was also a vendors area but I was a good girl and only bought 3 fat quarters...
From there we walked at least 5 km. to the bus back to Toronto. (It was supposed to be a 2 km. walk but I didn't realize exactly where the bus stop was...) On the ride back, we both napped. Then we took the bus to the Creative Needlework and Sewing Festival out near the airport. The show was OK. Again I was a good girl and only bought some "Sulky" -- I've never tried sandwiching fabrics and fibres and thought it was high time I tried--and some lacey type lavender fabric which I may use for Alana's tallit.
Menachem came to pick us up and it's a good thing he did. I was so tired by the end of the day.
And now my back aches from all the shlepping and walking...
But I came home energized and finished cutting the glue and paper bits off the fabric samples.
I'm going to make my first art quilt. I'm not quite sure yet what colours and fabrics to combine but I'm planning to jump in and start cutting strips and hope for the best.
Anyways, Menachem has a camp meeting this afternoon and I think I'll go to Fabricland to see if I can find any lavender fabrics there and save myself a trip down to Queen Street.

Itchy fingers

Wednesday evening I went to the Pomegranate Guild meeting. I was tired, as usual, and wasn't terribly able to assimilate the lecture about the history of Jews in the textile dyeing industry, although it was interesting.

The evening was not, however, a total write-off. One of our members brought in upholstery fabric sample books for people to take and some did. Whatever was left, I took. I brought them home, and dismantled the sample books. I will cull from them the samples I like and take the rest back to the next meeting.

I have been mulling over an idea for an art quilt -- I've never made one -- based on a mosaic pattern I saw. The samples should work wonderfully with other fabrics I already have. Yesterday, Menachem and I went to Perth to check out the winter damage at camp. There wasn't any visible damage except for the raccoons who apparently have moved into the Beit Tarbut (rec hall) again...
But on the 3.5 hour trip in each direction, I had time to think about the technical aspects of doing the art quilt and think I may have solved one of my dilemmas.

We also visited Dee, my quilting guru. She is quilting my first quilt and has finished it except for the borders. It looks quite striking. She is coming into Toronto next Friday evening for a camp board meeting and I wouldn't be surprised if she brings it with her. And then I will have to bind it. Et voila. It only took two years to finish...

Saturday, I am spending the day with Lola, a quilting friend from Israel who I haven't met personally yet. We had originally made plans to go to Cock-a-doodle Quilts and then down to Queen Street to the buttons/beads/fabrics/ribbon stores but while surfing, I found out that there's a quilt show in Newmarket and I think she may enjoy that more. The creative needlework and craft festival is also on this weekend so maybe we'll go there Sunday. It will take some creative scheduling because Menachem has his first Raptors playoff game on Saturday and a camp meeting on Sunday.

And I've received the go-ahead for Alana's tallit. I want to buy fabric and trims -- on the trip, I had several ideas about how to make it. I'm just waiting for Alana to tell me what kind of a design she wants and her colour choices. She had orginally chosen lavender but I'm not sure I'll be able to find it in duppioni. I actually thought of make stripes using duppioni, organza, lace and ribbons between them. I'll have to run it by her, although I think she's pretty easy in that respect.

Anyways, off to work.

Dry Spell

I am going through a dry spell, creatively. Probably because I am not sleeping well and am just too tired in the morning and evenings, before and after work, to stitch.
Dee, my quilt guru, was in over the weekend for a Hashomer Hatzair board meeting which was held in the restaurant of the Novotel North York Hotel. I took my projects along and after the meeting ended, we laid out the wonky quilt on the restaurant floor for her critique. The concensus is that I will rip out the borders and this summer, when we get together, she will show me how to stabilize the quilt edges before adding the borders.
I have been pondering making fabric boxes. I downloaded three patterns for paper folded boxes and made the first one. I debated whether a box made from two layers of fabric sandwiching wonder-under would be sufficiently rigid. It isn't. So my next try will be with stiffer stuff -- Pellon or similar. I am still trying to figure out the mechanics but have an idea.
Anyways, I'm off to work shortly so will cut this post short.

For lo the winter is past

Ha ha. It snowed yesterday and there's flurries today. And it is cold.
I have been sick for a few days with cold/flu symptoms and this weather is very conducive to staying indoors and catching up.

The sdarim are over and were both lovely. The first night was chez nous and we had 16 people: the usual suspects minus Alissa and family plus Roi and Nicole. Roi (one of my father's former pupils) and his wife, Nicole, came in from Pittsburgh and stayed with us so that was an additional pleasure.
The preparations were relaxed, the seder itself was relaxed and the clean-up was also not terribly daunting.

The second seder we went to Alissa's. Also very, very nice. It was just family -- Alissa and Mel, Sari and David, Johanna, Matty, Aunty Ethel, my mother, Devora and Noam, and Menachem and me. So we were able to carry on conversations without too much hoo ha.

I had been feeling lousy off and on since before Pesach, running nose, itchy eyes, headache, but it developed into fever and chills, so I stayed home Wednesday and yesterday and slept off and on during the daytime and even during the night (something I haven't been doing recently). Today I'm better insofar as fever goes but I think it may be developing into a sinus infection so I'm going to take it easy for the next few days.

This morning, feeling better, I went into my studio to stitch a little. I'm almost almost finished the Heschel piece. I just have to sew on the hanging sleeve, attach a label (still trying to decide what it should say) and perhaps a few bobble and beads at the bottom corners.

I have more or lest finished my UFOs and am now into my WIPs. I want to finish the challah cover, two more cq pink squares and a few other pieced pieces (another blue Auf Simchas trio, and two more pink/purple Auf Simchas trios. I have the Inbal quilt tops to finish, sandwich and quilt, and some other things floating around.

So, that said, I'm off to stitch. And because it is Good Friday and the Easter weekend, there is the most fabulous liturgical music on the radio. Relaxation at its best.

Gefilte fish and tsimmes

One of the reasons I blog is to keep my children who live an ocean away up to date on what's going on in the parental unit's life.

It is erev erev Pesach and we are preparing for the Seder tomorrow evening which will be at our house. I actually started cleaning last week -- cleaning of the heavy-duty once a year variety. I continued yesterday and today.

This morning Menachem made gefilte fish, using his late mother's recipe. While he was "putchking" with the fish, I, as sous chef, peeled a ton of carrots for the tsimmes. So now the fish, tsimmes and vegetarian clear soup are ready, the dining table has been extended, the Pesach dishes have been washed, the list of things to do tomorrow is ready and we're relaxing, sort of, for the rest of the day. Menachem and Yunkie have a basketball game this evening.

Tomorrow, Menachem will make Pesach meringue cookies, chicken with prunes, baked potatoes and yams, roasted vegetables, and a fruit platter. (My mother is bringing her veal roast which, according to the family's carnivores, is delicious, Devora is bringing a salad, Mindy is bringing ratatouille, and Bat-Sheva is bring bits and bites for dessert. And my mother is bringing compote, the traditional anti-dote to matza overload...

We love having the family over but it's always a little sad for us because our kids are so far away...
We are having company, though. One of my father's pupils and his wife, Roi and Nicole, are coming for the Seder from Pittsburgh. Although Nicole has family in Toronto, they have cats and Roi is allergic. So they'll be staying with us. They should be coming this evening.

Anyways, I'm off to nap. I have a cold and it's making me tired.

Chag Sameach to whomever may be reading.
I haven't been in my studio for a while. I haven't been sleeping well so I have trouble getting up early to stitch in the morning and am too tired to stitch in the evening...
Oh well. Hopefully this too shall pass.

Free motion quilting

I have been struggling with free-motion quilting the borders around a cq piece I made. I am not happy with the results and have already ripped out stitches twice. Thankfully, the fabric is forgiving and doesn't show needle marks.

I have been trying to do the fmq free-hand and it just doesn't work for me. I'm finally at a point where the top and bottom stitches are OK and stitch length OK but the pattern isn't.

I will give it one more try, using a pattern I print onto tissue paper which I will attach to the fabric. Either it works or it doesn't. I will not rip out stitches again (on this piece...)

Note to self: take a course in fmq and stop complaining.

Visuals from my last post

These are the two projects I finished from my UFO's which I wrote about in my previous post.

This morning I finished the hanging sleeve on Sari's Auf Simchas and I will give it to Alissa when we visit there later today.

Yesterday afternoon we had a call from Mintzy. Steven (Stephen?) was supposed to come into town yesterday but couldn't. She had made too much food -- would we like to come for dinner? Never being one to turn down a free meal, we said yes and had a lovely evening. Mintzy's cousins, Silka and Al, were there and we laughed a lot. This is a good thing. We didn't get home until 10:30. Not terribly late by general standards, but I'm usually in bed by 8... And this was my third late night in a row.

Busy day today. I am off to my studio to decide which project to pick up next.

Time flies

So, I finished the four brothers. I did simple straight quilting in lines around the perimeter of the centre piece. I did the felt applique several years ago. Since then, I have changed the way I do things. If I had done it more recently, it would have had a different background, been more creatively embellished. However, it turned out quite nicely.

I also finished off a crazy quilt block. This block is one which I should have abandonned after piecing. I wasn't happy with the colour combination. Then I wasn't overly happy with the embellishments because the colour combination limited the colours I could use to get a good contrast. I chose for the border a very colourful print which instead of setting off the centre makes the piece look like one big busy mess. But did I know when I had had enough and quit? No, I soldiered on to the bitter end. I free-motion quilted the borders and as much as I adjusted, the bottom stitches are not even and look awful, but they'll face the wall, right? I sewed on a binding from a fabric which was too thick. And I haven't quite got the binding business under control so there are place where the binding is wider than others.
I shall hang this piece in my studio as a reminder how not to do stuff and as incentive to do better!! BUT I did finish it.

Then I picked up my stalled challah cover. I strip-pieced it ages ago because I thought I would use it for my Pomegranate Guild project. I have had it sandwiched and ready to quilt for quite a while. I wanted to free motion quilt it but chickened out after the first row of stitches which I promptly ripped out. This week, I decided to try out my sewing machine's double needle. The top stitches looked great, the bottom, chalushes, so again I ripped. I think I will try again this weekend. Not sure yet how but I do want to finish it.

Is it obvious that I'm trying to finish my UFO's? Another few weeks and I'll be able to start in on new projects.

I was at the Toronto Art Show at the Metro Convention Centre last night. I saw some interesting fabric related work and other work which inspired me. I took home lots of cards but am not sure I remember which is which... I am writing down their info so that if I ever want to refer to it, I don't have to pull out a gazillion cards.

One artist does landscape painting with fabric snippets. From afar, it actually looks like an oil painting. Only when you get up close do you see the details of tiny pieces of fabric. I think it was Diane Stewart www.shafleyandstewart.com.

Adrianna Steele-Card uses a combination of fabric, fibres and home-made recycled papers to create whimsical collages. www.peaceofmindcreations.com. And she lives not far from Perth so I said I may drop in on her this summer.

Alice Vander Vennen does interesting collages with fabric, metal, found objects, etc. www.alicevandervennen.ca.

Nahid Mrandi does sculpted figures of silk on painted backgrounds. www.nahidart.com

Stephanie Ford Forrester does all hand sewn applique. I was impressed by her even stitches but I don't think they were the size "required" by hand quilters. Still, lots of colour and interesting design. www.stephaniefordforrester.ca

Of course, most of the art wasn't fabric art but afforded lots of ideas about colour and design. In fact, I saw a work in mosaic glass tiles that I am thinking about adapting into a quilted wall hanging. www.filippetti.ca

And stuff which there's no way (I think) I could adapt into my work but still unusual and inspiring such as aluminum bas-relief www.josettemorency.com , paper collage www.janeteglas.com , painting with wonderful colour and imagery www.kojour.ca and this one which I'm not sure her media but I liked the colours, shapes and forms www.monikaaebischer.com.

So that's what I did this week. This evening, we are going to dinner at Boujadi, our favourite Moroccan restaurant, with Joanne. Tomorrow, I'm not sure. I'd like to get over to Yunkie and Mindy's to give Jeremy his birthday present and speak to Alanna about a tallit if she still wants one. Sunday, we have an engagement open house for my friend, Nira's daughter and then we're meeting Alissa and Mel for coffee, either at their place or out somewhere if Mel is feeling up to it. And Sunday night there's classic Israeli folk dancing and I may just join Menachem.
And of course, a little stitching over the weekend never hurts.

Til the next time.