|
|
Debra Gabel
Debra, from Clarksville, Maryland, made this
spectacular chuppah for her nephew's wedding. The design is original, and
she used both machine piecing and fused appliqué to create it. The finished
size is 112" x 112". Deb is creating a pattern for this design. Her website
is at
www.zebrapatterns.com.
|
|
Kay Bailey
Kay Bailey of Arlington, Virginia
writes,
“I started a company about a year ago to make wedding quilts and other
sentimental quilted stuff. I have wanted to get into the huppa business, as
I have always loved Judaica...So I have made up a couple of miniature,
sample huppas, which I thought I'd pass along." Kay’s mini-chuppah models
are on her blog, at
http://fiberofherbeing.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html. And look
for the fun bat mitzvah quilt above it.
|
|
Jackie
Ferrell
Jackie,
who lives in Long Island, NY, made this tallit "as
a reflection of my belief
in guardian angels in our lives,” she writes. “I worked at the Orthodox
Union in New York City, near the World Trade Center when it was attacked, when I was pregnant with my son. The atarah has
Psalm 91:11, "for he will send his angels to watch over you wherever you
go." I made a collage of pictures of the members of my family who 'passed
into life eternal' as my rabbi would say, and put them on the inside of the
lining where my heart is." Jan
Gorelick embroidered the atarah.
Jackie
also made this gorgeous appliquéd chuppah---with dolphins leaping overhead
for joy!---for her sister’s wedding. The pattern came from the
Pacific Rim Quilt Co.. And
she did a smaller version as a challah cover! Contact Jackie at
jackieferrell@verizon.net.
|
|
Rosalyn Manesse
Rosalyn, who hails from Rancho Santa
Margarita, California, made this 64” appliquéd, embroidered, and
quilted chuppah for her nephew's wedding. The side borders illustrate
Biblical dreams: Jacob's ladder on the left, and Joseph’s dream of the sun,
moon and 11 stars on the right. The house block includes a door knob made
from a button that came from a skirt her grandmother bought her on a
shopping trip about 50 years ago---it was Rosalyn's grandmother who taught
her to sew. The apples were from one of the last drawings Rosalyn's husband
was able to make for her before becoming too ill. There are also flying pink
hamantaschen! The bride and groom’s Hebrew names are along the bottom.
Rosalyn designed all of it! Reach her at
rosalynf@cox.net
|
|
Congregation Am
Haskalah, Allentown, Pa.
The rabbi's pregnant! What's a congregation to do?
Well, first you have 39 members---young and old---make a spectacular
baby quilt. Then you print up a poster of the quilt and sell it as a
keepsake and/or to raise money for the shul! It’s at
http://www.amhaskalah.org/creativity.html. (Click on the link in the
paragraph below the quilt to see a larger version).
|
|
Phyllis Eisenberg Some chuppot
have overhangs, giving the congregation more to look at during the wedding.
But constructing chuppot like these is a technical challenge. Phyllis
Eisenberg did it by creating five separately quilted and bound pieces (the
top, plus four sides). She joined them with a walking foot. See the results
at
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=ledqc7l.b8pw5q7p&Uy=-fvcl8v&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0
(You don't have to sign in to see the slideshow--just click "View
Slideshow.")
Phyllis adds that she's not
an experienced quilter---she was 'home schooled' (LOL) by a guild member.
The design on the chuppah is a Stack'n'Whack. That meant only one print was
used (the groom wanted only a limited number of colors). Reach her at
theraphyll@yahoo.com.,
|
|
‘H. W. R. M.’
This British quilter asked that her name not
be used--- her nom de plume is "Hello World Read Me," which I've
abbreviated!
“I'm Christian with an interest
in Oriental art and philosophy. However, one of my relatives converted and
married a man who's just become a rabbi - which is how I got in touch with
Cathy. I'm still finding my way around all the festivals and symbolism.”
The piece on this page,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/helloworldreadme/194979775/in/set-72157594207101986/
was inspired by “I am my
beloved and my beloved is mine.” Look through the other images in the
set (use the arrows in the upper right)---her insect embroideries and
jeweled, ruched shell forms are mind-boggling.
She
writes, “I've knitted (Kaffe Fassett being another inspiration), and I've
studied textiles, design, painting and printmaking, while I've just taken up
digital photography. Looking back, I can see that each new technique I take
up enables me to make art faster - it must be something to do with getting
older!"
|
|
Carol Whitehorn
Carol, a Newton, Mass. quilter, and the mother of the bride, made this
gorgeous, folk-art style quilted chuppah.
Here's how she began her speech at the reception (that's her talking in the
photo on the
right):
"Planning a wedding is an adventure. For me, the most relaxing part has been making the chuppah. The wedding is a joyous event
that takes place for a few hours with many wonderful and lasting memories,
but I hope this cover will last a lifetime. After each section was
completed, I wanted to pick up the phone and call Lizzy [the bride] to tell
her about it, since I was having so much fun!"
The quilt combines traditional American symbols--- the
double wedding ring, and the heart-and-hands symbol---with many personal and
whimsical touches.
Georgetown University colors, blue and grey, are used because that's where
the couple met. Carol asked friends to "borrow" pictures from the groom's
photo albums under false pretenses, so she could include them --- including one of him as a tot, wearing his Captain Lightning costume. She ordered an
extra-large Northwestern University tee shirt (where the couple attended
graduate school), to cut out the Wildcat mascot. She asked the grooms'
father to sketch his favorite teddy bear, BooBoo, so she could
appliqué him (in the upper right corner). Her daughter's childhood lovey,
Humpty Dumpty, is also represented.
The chuppah was suspended from ribbons in the four corners,
anchored with buttons. The poles were planted in heavy flower pots---
but the day was so windy that they wound up assigning groomsmen to hang
onto the poles, too, just in case.
|
|
Leslie McCafferty Leslie
McCafferty in New Jersey, had to do a lot of sneaking around to get
these two tallit bags ready as surprise gifts for her twin's b'nai mitzvah.
Her son's elaborately pieced and handquilted envelope is on on the right.
 Her daughter's is the green velvet bag and cotton bag on the left. Yes,
velvet ("I had to keep using a fray-checking liquid so the edges wouldn't
fray to smithereens. I swore off velvet after that!") That tallit
bag is embellished with silver beads. The fringe was made from a variegated yarn ("I cut three inch pieces, folded them
in half, and sewed them to a ribbon, a la my quilting teacher Sherlene's
suggestion, then inserted the piece of ribbon in to the seam").
Leslie was sorry when it was over. "Now, all those
free moments I was stealing to work on the bags in secret can now be spent
on other things.... Shucks, I am going to miss 'having' to quilt."
|
|
MORE COMING SOON!
especially if you
EMAIL ME
|
|
