My days are filled with this and that….

I was invited to exhibit my work at this conference What to Wear- Women, Clothing, Religion.  I’m really excited. It’s a good fit for me. Much of my work is made for women.

When I was asked to exhibit  at the conference, I came up with this piece, a head covering to wear while lighting Shabbat candles that is covered with  the prayer recited by women with special requests from the divine.

Several years ago I came up with this.

Arba kanfot, Tzitzit for women. Yes, it is a very limited market, but it’s my market.

Anyway, I needed to make some more sets  of Arba kanfot.  I decided to use a silk camisole that was a hand me down from a neighbor.  I liked  the camisole because the construction was so cool. It was cut in two sections, but not as one might expect with a front and a back, but rather two entirely differently shaped  wedges that fit together to make the garment.


I cut apart the camisole, copied the pattern pieces onto newspaper and then cut them camisole out of peach colored silk charmeuse. The two pieces nestle against one another and spiral around the body forming the garment. I was entirely pleased with myself that I had engineered the camisole.  I was trimming the piece with lace when I realized that while I had made a niftily engineered camisole, the construction had made the piece entirely unsuitable to be a set of arba kanfot.

I know this does not look like a camisole, but it turns into a cute one.

Arba kanfot need four corners.  This garment is adorable, ( and wrinkled) but can’t be used for arba kanfot.





I cut out three other sets that are now in various degrees of doneness. Photos will follow as they are completed. I’m having a blast putting cool fabric together.

As I have mentioned before, I’m a member of a couple of different sewing discussion groups on the internet. I like how often these virtual friendships slip into the real world. I had mentioned on one of the groups the process of transforming  the men’s dress shirt for my daughter.  One of the group members contacted me. She had just retired and had a load of professional clothes to give to my daughter.  I picked up the elegant garments on Sunday. The bag of goodies inclused several suits as well as some blouses.

One of the blouses was an Orvis silk broadcloth short sleeved shell with one button at the back of the neck.  The silk was beautiful. I knew my daughter would not wear the blouse as is. I have been thinking about the cutaway shoulders of about twenty years ago. I had re-watched  the movie “Broadcast News” last year. In the last scene, Holly Hunter wears a black and white polka dot dress with cut away shoulders. Those cut away shoulders just looked so good.

I attacked the blouse with my scissors, serged the raw edge turned and topstitched. I’m happy with the look.  If my daughter likes the blouse then it is hers, otherwise I have a new cute silk blouse from my friend Sue. Thank you Sue!!!!