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Post Rosh HaShanah Wrap up

Means lots of ironing.  Three of the table cloths in this stack that I ironed today are heavy linen . The pink one is relatively small, 52x 70 inches but the others  are  larger, I think 90 and 120 inches respectively. The cotton cloths are not all that difficult to iron.  The linen cloths  take a fair amount of upper body strength.

ironing (1)

 

I also ironed the napkins we used during the holiday as well as  other decorative cloths.

ironing (2)

 

I was also very touched to use this embroidered cloth. My sister embroidered it while she was in high school.  The kit had been purchased by a friend of my mother’s who died far too young from cancer.  After Ruth died, my sister got the cloth.

 

It was a big undertaking.

abi's cloth (1)

The design was a fairly standard one and was sold  in kit form for decades. This cloth had the design printed on heavy linen. It’s more common to find more recent versions printed on cotton or a cotton poly blend.abi's cloth (3)

 

I love the elegant satin stitching on the lettering.abi's cloth (2)

 

My sister’s work is beautiful. The design, less so.

 

We used the cloth a few times for Shabbat after my sister finished the embroidery and then hemmed the cloth.  I think my mother just couldn’t manage ironing the cloth on a regular basis. 

As for the meals served on the table cloths, they were delicious. But, even better than the food was spending time with people we love.

 

Blowing shofar was, as always, a powerful experience.  After I was finished I realized that I was shaking. And yes, the sound was loud and sharp and pure.

 

G’mar chatima tovah.

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