The Long Haul

Yesterday I was working on the dress that I’m wearing to the wedding. But one can’t attend a wedding without a gift.

 

I gave the bride and groom the option of either something off their gift registry or I could make them something.  they opted for the made rather than purchased gift. It was a smart choice.

 

The text is familiar to anyone who goes to synagogue on Friday night, it’s

Lecha Dodi likrat kallah

p’nai Shabbat nikabla

Come my beloved to greet the bride

we will welcome the presence of the Sabbath

I painted the letters on the linen damask. And then I did a crazy thing. I chain stitched all of the painted letters.

I do not suggest doing this unless you really love the recipients. You may think about chain stitching all of the letters if you were paid handsomely by the hour. Otherwise it’s a really dumb thing to do. I do love both the bride and the groom.I listened to a whole lot of episodes of the Moth Radio Hour and This American Life as I worked.

I know that the bride loves these colors. I still need to do the borders which will also be gold and white or gold and cream.

This took a long time so you have to look at a whole lot of pictures.

Today I also delivered a gift.  This is the card that I made to go with the gift.

I’m pleased because drawing has been a slow to develop skill for me.

This just goes to show you that if you work hard enough at something eventually you get better at it.

 

A few weeks ago my daughter was talking to me about crocheting. I had taught her several years ago. My daughter is a lefty, so I showed her what I do and let her hands figure it out in a way that was comfortable for her. She just completed a blanket and I told my daughter how nice I thought her work was.  I suggested that she might try to learn how to knit.

 

My daughter said that she had tried a couple of times and just couldn’t get the hang of it. I told her how it took me ten years to figure out how to figure out how to crochet. It took me another ten years to figure out how to knit.  I explained to her that I am actually naturally terrible at hand work.

 

I was however, persistent.I was ready to keep experimenting and keep failing until I was no longer terrible. ( This is why I get cranky when people tell me that I must be naturally talented at hand work, I’m actually naturally terrible at it.) I think my daughter may try knitting again at some point.