All of us have grown up hearing mother-in-law jokes. Lots of people you and I know have complicated relationships with their mothers-in-law. It is always delightful when the actual relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law goes against the stereotype.
We have been close to a couple younger than we are for a long time now. Mike taught my big kids clarinet and saxophone for years. He insisted that my then five year old youngest begin music lessons. During a lesson for my older kids my youngest called Mike over to an array of instruments, an electric keyboard, a recorder, and a well-tuned xylophone and explained how they each played the same notes. Mike began giving my youngest 15-minute lessons that really got him started on his music education.
Naomi is one of my favorite people. We have shared Shabbat meals. Each of my kids has babysat for their daughter T. Naomi approached me about making a tallit for Mike's mother. They decided to have the tallit be a surprise.
Mike and Naomi came over a few weeks ago to discuss the tallit. I asked them to tell me a bit about Mike's mother. Mike suggested that Naomi tell me about his mother.
I heard about a woman who was deeply kind and generous not only to her family but also to her students. This woman is a talented musician who attended the Curtis school of music. She was planning to major in piano and in teaching. Her family ran out of tuition money. The school offered her a scholarship if she changed her major to bassoon. She had never played bassoon but after a few months was proficient enough to earn the scholarship.
After hearing both Mike and Naomi speak lines from Eshet Chayil kept going through my head. there were some verses from Ashrei that also seemed appropriate.
We selected a beautiful striped silk in two shades of purple.
We have been close to a couple younger than we are for a long time now. Mike taught my big kids clarinet and saxophone for years. He insisted that my then five year old youngest begin music lessons. During a lesson for my older kids my youngest called Mike over to an array of instruments, an electric keyboard, a recorder, and a well-tuned xylophone and explained how they each played the same notes. Mike began giving my youngest 15-minute lessons that really got him started on his music education.
Naomi is one of my favorite people. We have shared Shabbat meals. Each of my kids has babysat for their daughter T. Naomi approached me about making a tallit for Mike's mother. They decided to have the tallit be a surprise.
Mike and Naomi came over a few weeks ago to discuss the tallit. I asked them to tell me a bit about Mike's mother. Mike suggested that Naomi tell me about his mother.
I heard about a woman who was deeply kind and generous not only to her family but also to her students. This woman is a talented musician who attended the Curtis school of music. She was planning to major in piano and in teaching. Her family ran out of tuition money. The school offered her a scholarship if she changed her major to bassoon. She had never played bassoon but after a few months was proficient enough to earn the scholarship.
After hearing both Mike and Naomi speak lines from Eshet Chayil kept going through my head. there were some verses from Ashrei that also seemed appropriate.
We selected a beautiful striped silk in two shades of purple.
I chalked out wavy lines for painting the text and did the first pass of the lettering.
I stitched the silk to a backing of linen to give it additional body.
Each line of text is to be cut out, hemmed and edged with turquoise piping.
And then I got sick. I didn't quite trust myself around fast-moving machinery like the sewing machine. I also kept thinking about what a truly lovely human being was going to be wearing this tallit.
So I began to hand embroider the letters on what I think of as being the key verse.
I am not entirely nuts so just the one verse will be hand embroidered. Even though I was pretty dopey most days and needed lots of naps I worked as I listened to podcasts and thought about the woman who would be wearing this tallit.
More lines of text are ready to be stitched down to the tallit.
I am awaiting a shipment of cotton batiste to underline the tallit before I start to sew the strips to the tallit.
Frankly, I couldn't be happier.
I am so happy I will show you a bit of subway mosaic that I saw for the first time a couple of days ago.
The following column had just one eye.
Extraordinarily beautiful lettering.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It just goes to show that if you are terrible at something but keep working at it --eventually you can become not terrible. Like most of the skills I have acquired it isn't a matter of talent but one of perseverance.
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