Connected ---at least in my brain

 Right now I am working on two projects that on the face of it have no connection to one another, a baby quilt and a creation-themed tallit. However, both of these projects are getting me to use the same part of my brain.

My work tends to be more symbolic and abstract rather than pictorial. The baby quilt is a memory piece and I am creating iconic books and toys from the childhood of the expectant father.


So far, I have built a car,




and a fire truck out of clothing that had belonged to the late grandmother of this not yet born baby.

Yes, all of the loose threads have pulled to the back and knotted off.

I am also building some books.


The Snowy Day is nearly done. I have to add the other lights to the traffic light, and perhaps refine the face a bit.

I am also nearly done with this 

take on the Mr. Man books. I will be making a few more of those because they are less labor-intensive than Ezra Jack Keats's lovely work. Part of my challenge is just creating the fabric collages. The other challenge is working with the fabric that I have been sent that actually belonged to the woman we are remembering in the quilt.

While I am working on the baby quilt I have also begun work on a creation-themed tallit. The tallit will have seven stripes. Each stripe will be an abstracted representation of what was created that day. Some days are easier for me to figure out than others. The first day is figured out in my head but not yet made. in a truly Jewish way, I began my work with the stripe representing the second day--the separation of the waters into the waters above and the waters below.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים יְהִ֥י רָקִ֖יעַ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַמָּ֑יִם וִיהִ֣י מַבְדִּ֔יל בֵּ֥ין מַ֖יִם לָמָֽיִם׃ 
God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, that it may separate water from water.”

I began by creating the רָקִ֖יעַ which according to ancient mythology was a copper bowl.

I used a line of copper stitching. I then cut a stencil and stenciled waves in various shades of greens and blues using oil paint sticks. Today, I used a hot iron to melt away the oils and waxes and set the colors and then overpainted the strips both above and below the  רָקִ֖יעַ with diluted blue dye.


I don't have a photo of the dyed strips you will have to wait until tomorrow when the dyed strips are dry to see what it looks like. Actually, I will have to wait until tomorrow to see what the final result looks like.

I am now completely changing the topic. My husband and I were in a suburban supermarket and saw



these two unfortunately named products.  Aside from the awful names---how hard is it to put a couple of spoonfuls of either mustard or sriracha into mayo?






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