Tallit Commission: A Time for Machine Embroidery

Here's my latest commission, and although I live in California, and the client lives in the southeast USA, it was made with help from one of the best Judaica machine embroiderers on the planet, Marilyn Levy of Ontario, Canada. It's a tallit (prayer shawl) for a young man's bar mitzvah. 

Like all my commissions, this one started out with a  discussion with the young man's family. They wanted cotton, with a leafy design, in blue and grey, so I drew up choices.

They liked #1 best, the simple vines. What was most unusual - and why they needed a custom tallit instead of one off the rack - was that they wanted Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 on the atarah, the long rectangular band that marks the collar.

You know this verse: it begins, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." 

An atarah is optional - store-bought shawls sometimes carry the embroidered prayer for donning it. But I've never seen one with this particular verse. 

Initially, the family hoped we could fit in the entire verse, which is a long paragraph. They wanted the letters big enough to read from a distance. I make a sketch to show them what this might look like. 

That convinced them that just the first line might be better. They wanted it in Hebrew and English. I told them I could only do this job if I brought in a subcontractor. I contacted my friend Marilyn Levy, a.k.a. "the TALLITmaaven," who graciously agreed to help. So now we had a three-way, international collaboration, with the family telling us what they wanted, Marilyn showing us what's possible in embroidery, and me getting everyone on the same page and doing the construction.

After much back and forth, here's a printout of Marilyn's design; the family was happy with the size and fonts she chose. (The straight lines help with placement; it's not part of the design.) Full size it was about 22" long.

I printed it out onto paper, cut out the lettering area and taped the two pieces together. I used that long paper strip to block out the area of the tallit where it would lie, and started sewing the other elements in place around it, while waiting for Marilyn to finish the fabric version. 

Marilyn did a gorgeous, flawless job with the atarah, as I knew she would. 

A little closer: 

She also embroidered the boy's name a few times, so I was able to cut those out and place them inside the tallit, inside a kippah (hat), and inside the quilted tallit case I made to hold everything. Here's the front of the case. The secret to quilting those lines so straight....

....was that I used my walking foot to quilt it from the reverse side, a star print, following the lines of the stars in three directions. Below you can see the print under the top flap. Lower down, the silver thread that shows against the blue was in the bobbin. One of the name tags is on the lower left (I blurred the name for this post.) 

I also made a pair of kippot with the same blue fabric, with grey binding.

The one on the left is reversible, but the other one, not so much, because of where the name tag went, as you can see below. (I didn't want to set the name lower, fearing it would interfere with the fit.) The hat pattern is from my book, The Uncommon Yarmulke (sold in my etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/CathyPStudio.) I used the "large, 4-panel" pattern on p. 19, which fits most teens and adults.

On the tallit, I freehand machine stitched veins on the leaves, and 6-pointed stars on the "pinot" (corner squares), with silver metallic thread. The leaves contain Decor Bond, a midweight fusible interfacing, which  gave them a bit of depth and stabilized them for embroidery. There's also Decor Bond backing the corner squares, which makes them strong for their duties holding a satin stitched buttonhole to surround the tzitzit, the ritual macrame strands, in place.

Like so many commissions, this one was not without its moment of terror. Marilyn put the package with the atarah and name labels into the mail, and headed off on vacation. After a week, the package vanished from the tracking system. I couldn't find it in the Canadian or the US mail. It didn't turn up on its due date, a Friday. My incoming US mail alerts showed no sign of it.

I lay awake that night, imagining the worst. What if it never showed? What if I had to do the embroidery myself, by hand? I decided to give hand embroidery a shot, just for my peace of mind. I spent the weekend doing the best hand embroidery I could possibly do, using Marilyn's paper printout as my model. Here's the result.

The closer you get, the messier it looks. This: 

Versus this: 

The handmade version is charming and might work for a compassionate blood relative; but it's not a job for a client. 

Thankfully, on Monday, Marilyn's atarah appeared, seemingly out of nowhere (according to two country's tracking systems).  I was thrilled with it.

The tallit and its accessories reached the family with plenty of time to spare. But you know how you sometimes find yourself buying fabric for the last quilt you finished? That's what sort of happened to me after this project. 

In this case, I started looking at embroidery machines, thinking, "Wouldn't it be nice if I could do this?" 

And then I answered myself. Machine embroidery is a complicated hobby and/or business. The cost and complexity of an embroidery machine is just the beginning. 

Then there's the knowledge, skill, time, and money required for acquiring and understanding lots of software; designing, sizing, adjusting, stabilizing, hooping and rehooping required for large, complicated designs including bilingual Bible verses on atarahs; not to mention mountains of threads you have to buy, and thread changes you must perform. Most of these things are so clearly not my strengths. But partnering with Marilyn who loves all this and does it so well - that was my idea of fun! 

I also vowed to learn a little more about hand-embroidery. I enjoyed doing it, even if the results were not suitable for formal occasions. I do wonder if flawless hand-embroidered  lettering - especially Hebrew lettering - in a reasonable amount of time is possible. If you've done it, I'd love to see and hear about your approach! 

To learn more about Marilyn's gorgeous Judaica, go to her website, http://www.tallitmaaven.com/. More examples of my (mostly not machine embroidered) tallitot and their backstories are on my Judaiquilt.com website, at http://judaiquilt.com/Tallit_Gallery.html. 

Fun, Fabric, and Friendship at a Canadian Jewish Needlework Celebration!

Last weekend, I headed north from my home in Los Angeles for the event of a lifetime: the Rimon Calgary Celebration of Judaic Needlework, hosted by a group of extraordinarily talented, generous women who make up the Calgary chapter of the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework. 

The 3-day event was packed with artistic, quiltish, and Judaic delights, starting with  - could it be? - yes, it was, a psychedelic party bus! Several of our members attempted to pole dance, but arthritis struck, so we quickly sat down and applied hand sanitizer.  That's a sparkly light show on the ceiling. 

This unlikely vehicle brought us waaaay back in time, to the Heritage Park Historical Village, hosting its own special event - their 24th annual Festival of Quilts, with hundreds of quilts hung everywhere. The Wainwright Hotel was fully adorned. 

There were racks and tents between buildings, with more quilts. Below, left, a paper-pieced quilt made by Laura Stewart and quilted by Jennifer Poole....

"Sasquatch doesn't Believe in You Either," below, was made by Falyn Nicholl, from an Elizabeth Hartman pattern. 

Another Hartman Sasquatch quilt, below, made by Karen Young,

On the left in the photo above there's a flying geese log cabin quilt by Lynn Rob, from a Missouri Star Quilt Co. pattern.  Next, by Sharon Hana, a quilt called "Roam."

Linda de Beaudrop's Spectrum: 

There were plenty of small quilts and group challenges, too. Marilyn Samuels (one of our conference organizers) made the gorgeous quilt on the left, below (#640), but I didn't know that when I photographed it and posted it just because it's beautiful! 

Below, "My Small World" by Bonnie Stainbrook, based on a Jen Kingwell pattern. 

Eva Lowey's "Arlene" was based on a pattern by Laura Heine. 

 Here's "Sockeye Run" by Kerry Foster,

And hundreds more! Plus shopping! At the huge Merchant's Mall, American dollars went a long way. In front of the tent, a cow named "Patches," made by artist Madelene Dollar, stood guard. (That's not fabric covering the cow; the surface is glazed). 

Something I've wanted to see for a long time was the park's historic synagogue, aka "The Little Synagogue on the Prairie." It's a 1916 synagogue that served Jews who had fled pogroms to make a new life on the dry Canadian plains. 

Calgary member Leslie Levant gave a beautiful talk that put us in the frame of mind of how difficult life was for these farmers. 

The historic furnishings were enthralling. 

Members of the Rimon Calgary group made many of the textiles on display. 

Learn more about the synagogue here. One of the Calgary Rimon members - author and artist Trudy Cowan - wrote a children's book, "Quarantine: Keep Out!" based on the time it became a refuge from the 1919 flu epidemic - read about it here. 

There was a special exhibit by Ana Buzzalino, an international quilt world superstar - whose class I would be taking a couple of days later. Among her many honors, Ana is this year's "Quilter of Distinction" at the Festival of Quilts. Here's one of her pieces: 

She's particularly brilliant at turning batik fabric into gorgeous rocks. (Quilting Arts magazine Feb/March 2008 has her article about how she does it.)

There were costumed interpreters everywhere, but the fellow below is the real deal - a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 

He made me feel short. And safe (although I don't think there's any crime in Canada...)

I'm not a car person, but the vibrant shapes and colors of the park's "Gasoline Alley Museum" seized me. More info about this car-lover's nirvana is here.  These gas tanks were about 12 feet high. Loved the parrot-themed pump in the middle.  

And speaking of oil, as if that wasn't enough fabulosity, in the evening we walked into our conference dining room and found a monumental masterpiece:

It's one panel of the "Black/Gold Tapestry," a 9-year project by filmmaker and artist Sandra Sawatzky (she's on the left in the photo above). It consists of 8 long scrolls, 220 feet in all, that tell the history of oil, across cultures and millenia.  

The beauty, clarity, whimsy, and sweep of it are enthralling. 

See more and better pictures here. Sandra  was a wonderful keynote speaker, so humble and sincere. My only question is why this piece isn't yet in a major museum. Someday my grandchildren will tell their children that great-grandma saw it up close and met the maker. It's beyond stunning. 

Also at dinner, we got our first glimpse of work exhibited by Pomegranate members. Here are just a few, starting with a trio of gorgeous High Holy Day Torah covers made by Carolyn Devins, Polina Ersh, Deb Finkleman, Susan Podlog and Nadine Waldman

Next, a fascinating 3D piece that incorporates felting and family photos, by Marilyn Samuels. 

Laura Rosenspan - who came to the celebration from Massachusetts - displayed this Tree of Life,

Trudy Cowan showed several pieces, including this embroidered piece called "After the Harvest."  

Another of her piece's became an illustration in her book, "The Little Grey Mouse  - A Fable in Fabric." (Details here.)

And this is Trudy's quilt called "Wildfire." 

You can see why Trudy was last year's Quilter of Distinction at the Heritage Park Festival of Quilts! Next, Esther Silberg's "Fun, Family, Friends, Sports, Sewing, Sipping Wine, Life, Love, Laughter." She covered all the important stuff in a small space!

A fabric collage called "Tzfat," was made by Chana Nachal McKereghan. 

Eileen Patterson came with a group of people all the way from Florida. Here's her lovely embroidered and quilted Shabbat Shalom wall hanging/bread cloth. 

There was a stupendous, elegant chuppah made by the Calgarians. The leaves are 3D and bend into the space below. The group rents it out for weddings. 

And so much more! The dining tables had their own textile show - including denim placemats with machine-embroidered maple leaves on the pockets....

....and they reversed to a variety of Canadian-themed fabrics. 

And there were stitched bread bowls with more Canadian fabrics. I'm not sure what I loved more, these carbs or what they're sitting upon. (That triangular sesame lavash was divine). 

At the end of the conference, my friend Miriam Marlin, from Northern California, kindly gave me one of the bread bowl that she won in a raffle. They're reversible! Side 1: 

 Side 2: 

Thank you, Miriam and people who made it, I'll treasure it! 

The desserts were also works of art, including this pastry....

...And a pomegranate sorbet. (The Carriage House's glatt kosher kitchen specializes in crusty caramelized shards.)

The desserts were so photogenic that I took pictures of people taking pictures of them.

The event had its own vendor's mall. There was jewelry;  hand-knit dolls by Myrna Ichelson (who's donating the proceeds to charity)....

...Sewing and embroidery kits; plus something I never could have anticipated - fish leather!? It's relatively lightweight, gorgeously colored and textured, and artists use it for appliques, brooches, and bags. (More here.) The company is called "Sea Leather Wear," and its president Stanley Major, below, joked about it being "gefilte fish leather." Indeed, the fish species in their wares includes carp. It's all brightly colored and begs to be patted. 

The fashion show on the second night was another highlight. I didn't get good shots of everything, unfortunately, so send me a photo if you have something I missed! First, Marilyn Samuels in a beautiful quilted jacket with a bargello background and appliqued flowers. 

Marilyn also modeled this wet-felted piece...

Trudy Cowan showed an immaculately stitched sashiko jacket.

...and a quilted jacket:

Musician Paul Finkleman showed off an awesome shirt that his wife Deb stitched...

Susan Podlog wore this fascinating vest: 

Next is a formfitting knit dress worn by Rona Davies - a dress that her mother, a professional singer in the 1930s, knitted 60 years ago! It's as fabulous today as it must have been then. 

Bring on the hats! Susan Rose made this fascinator in a class taught by Carolyn Devins, a professional milliner. The feather exactly matched the fabric used on the base of the hat. 

Carolyn also brought these two 19th century style-hats she made. They have straw bases....

I walked the runway, too, and with my friend Marion, from Winnipeg. We showed off two of my quilted Bukharan kippot, made from my pattern (here). 

And speaking of yarmulkes, I taught one class at the event -  

how to stitch a skullcap-style yarmulke, based on my "Uncommon Yarmulke" book.  My students brought wonderful fabrics, and here are some of the hats they made. First, Nadine Waldman (left) and Deb Finkleman (right) show off kippot with very different moods.

Nadine ambitiously took on an sophisticated grey stripe, with a silver lame binding. 

Deb used a colorful print. 

Here's Leslie Levant's kippah, not quite finished - when it is, the ruffling around the bottom (caused by pins) will go away. 

The fabric reminded me of a starry night sky. 

Sheila Martin made the next one from an elegant blue print. 

Here's the whole class, showing off one side of their kippot.....

...and then flipping them to the reverse side, since my kippot patterns are reversible. 

Another thrill of a lifetime was Ana Buzzalino's class. She showed us how to use Inktense pencils to apply permanent, rich color on quilts. Some of her samples: 

The design on the upper left of that picture is the one we would be making. We spent the morning freemotion quilting it into a fabric sandwich. I was lucky enough to use one of Carolyn Devins' vintage Berninas. (As if these Calgary gals weren't wonderful enough, they loaned us their personal sewing machines for workshops! Carolyn also arranged for the Fashion Institute by Olds College to loan us some more.)

In the afternoon, Ana taught us how how to use fabric medium with the Inktense pencils. 

My more-or-less finished piece. 

I may pin all my Candian souvenirs to it...

I also thoroughly enjoyed a Locker hooking class taught by  Calgarian Sheila Martin. Locker hooking has to be the most relaxing craft ever. Here's the project that Marion Yarema finished. It's so folk arty...and so easy to do, when explained so well by Sheila! 

After the class was over, I finished my larger experiment. I call it "Kindergarten Flower." 

The "Show and Kvell" at the final dinner was just wonderful. Here are some more classes with finished projects. (There would be more people in these photos, except a bunch went to a Cher concert!)

First, "felt gelt pockets" taught by Carolyn Devins - using heavyweight felt to make gift pockets.

A "Mosaic Afikomen Bag" workshop, taught by Laura Rosenspan (left) of Massachusetts, using English Paper Piecing. Participants will combine their EPP mosaics with meaningful family textiles to make bags for use on Passover.

Polina Ersh of Calgary (center) is a highly-accomplished foundation paper piecer, as well as an organizational whiz, and she taught a FPP class that made these quilted Shabbat cloths.  

Trudy Cowan taught a shadow embroidery class, a technique I'd never seen before. The embroidery is done on a very sheer fabric. 

Closeup of Jan Robertson's finished project is below. (It will eventually be a greeting card.) Isn't her stitching lovely?

Next are items from Susan Michlin's "Vintage Days of the Week" embroidery class. Susan also vended her beautiful designs and patterns. See better pictures of her work here. 

Unique beaded cuffs were made by participants in Marilyn Samuels' class.

Carolyn used an heirloom watch case in her cuff, and plans to put a family photo in it. 

Susan Podlog (below, center) taught a class in making Sukkot fabric bowls. They're shaped like leaves or fruit. And they're reversible!

Trudy Cowan also taught a class on how to translate papercut designs into fabric. 

Trees were one of the themes in Laura Rosenspan's class in freemotion quilting, below. 

There was a counted cross stitch class taught by Jeannette Douglas, an internationally-known needlework designer. Her class worked on a small pomegranate-themed needlebook, but if you're looking for any exquisite handstitching project, check out her website at http://www.jeannettedouglas.ca/. Here's the "Mini Pomegranate and Pear" stitchery from her webpage: 

(no financial affiliation.)

And so much more! Like loads of raffle gift baskets...

...which meant loads of happy winners! (including two named Susan.)

...the best corned beef  ever....

...a hilarious sing-along with Paul Finkleman, whose website is popparodies.com. He sang "Walk Around the Block" - see the video on this page. (Swallow your coffee first.)  

But above all, I will always treasure the kindness, friendship, and infinite hospitality of the Calgarians....the Calgary White Hat ceremony, when we became honorary Calgarians....

...reconnecting with old friends, making new friends, and free snuggles from a ridiculously cute baby. 

What more could anyone ask for? My profound thanks to the event co-chairs, Esther Silberg (below, left) and Susan Rose (right). They have worked on this for two years, overcame many obstacles, and did a spectacular job. (Note also the lovely quilted chapter banner.) 

They were ably assisted by Carolyn Devins - my hero in so many ways, who saved my class with her knowledge and generosity with sewing machines  - and Polina Ersh, who helped keep the teachers   organized. Thanks to the entire volunteer committee: Trudy Cowan, David Craimer, Rona Davies (who put together the gorgeous gift baskets), Steve Davies, Carol Feldman, Deb Finkleman, Paul Finkleman, Myrna Ichelson, Lily Joffe, Leslie Levant, Sheila Martin, Chana McKereghan, Therese Nagler, Susan Podlog, Agi Romer Segal, Marilyn Samuels, Gary Silberg, Hartley Waldman, and Nadine Waldman. 

Thanks to all the instructors, donors, raffle contributors, swag bag contributors, vendors, sewing machine loaners (bless you a million times), and jack-of-all -trades/comedian Gary Silberg, Esther's husband. Thanks to the Carriage House Inn and staff, founded 50 years ago by a Jewish Calgarian named Leo Sheftel, whose portrait hangs in the lobby,

(He looks like my zaydie). So many of the locals told me how important this hotel was to their families, a place where they knew they could get delicious food, well-run simchas, and, when needed, kosher food. He built an extraordinary community-focused business that serves all Calgarians so well. 
If you want to learn more about the Rimon Calgary group, please contact me and I will put you in touch with them.