Revisting and Restoring an Old Piece

 My father was dying during the summer of 2008. The parents of the graduating eighth grade class asked if I would be willing to make a mappah, a table cover for the school synagogue.  The school synagogue is both a prayer space and an educational space. Kids learn the mechanics of prayer so that once they reach bar-mitzvah they have the skills to function as both participants and leaders(prayer leaders and Torah readers) in a grown up synagogue. 

I was given relatively little guidance by the parent who was in touch with me aside from the fact the there was already an ark curtain in the room that featured a stylized fantasy version of Jerusalem. I wanted this piece to be functional--it covers the table used for both leading services as well as for reading Torah. I also wanted this piece to work as a teaching tool for the students who would be using it.

I decided to go with the stylized Jerusalem theme by using the motif  the sort of squat domed structures that are so common in the old city of Jerusalem. The building itself was constructed of "stones" made out of striped Italian tie silks.

I added the texts that you either recite or ought to think about as the reading table was in use.

I painted these texts on white Ultrasuede that dyed to look like parchment. I wanted these chunks of text to look like they had come out of an old manuscript.

I worked away on this piece while my father was actively dying. My work on this piece was interrupted by regular trips to Boston by bus, often going to visit my father early in the morning and taking the last bus back to New York and arriving home at 2:30 am.

While working I tried to make fabric choices that could withstand the use of many (probably not very clean) hands.

The building was set against a sky made out of felted white wool coating (which had had some mink content) which I painted to look like sky and then quilted.

Earlier in June, I was contacted by the principal of the school. This year's graduating eight grade class wanted their gift to the school to be the restoration of this mappah.

Fifteen years of multiple services a day led by kids who tend to touch things have taken a toll on this piece.

The calligraphed text had gotten soiled and the lettering needed to be refreshed.

The part of the piece that sits under the Torah scroll had gotten seriously abraded. There were some nasty stains in the sky.

I purchased some yards of Ultrasude. I will re-do the arch with the text in that indestructible fabric.

I began my work by attempting to clean the nasty stains in the sky.

Soapy water helped some as did a mixture of vinegar, rubbing alcohol and a bit of dish soap. The stains were less awful but still visible.

I thought that perhaps I could embroider over the stains. below you can see some experiments

Eventually I realized that unless I covered every inch of the wool the stains (which I suspect was coffee with cream--UGH!!!) this just wouldn't work.

So yesterday I trooped down to the garment district in search of wool to cover the stained white wool.  I started with the place where I might find the best deal and planned to work my way up the cost ladder if need be.

I found a bolt of pale blue wool coating at Kabbalah Man's---the store that has been going out of business for the past twenty five years. It was my first stop.

 Since you asked the wool (that Kabbalah man said was a cashmere blend) cost $20 per yard. He tried to convince me to purchase another yard so I can make myself a skirt. There is enough left over that I could easily make myself a  modest skirt with what I have left.

I basted the blue wool in place using safety pins and my X-ray vision. 

I don't really have X-ray vision but between feeling for the seams below and peeking I was able to mark the edges of the sky with the safety pins and then cut the wool to the proper size. Actually, I think that the blue actually works better with the maroon silk than the white did. 

Embroidering the clouds serves two purposes. The first is decorative--a sky ought to have a few clouds scattered here and there.

The second reason is actually functional. 

The embroidery is actually securing the blue layer of wool to the white wool beneath it. I am using a mix of threads, metallic embroidery threads, wool yarn silk cord and rayon embroidery thread to make the clouds.

I am working on one set of repairs at a time. Each mend requires different problems to be solved. I will just tackle each one-- one at a time.

I am so touched that this year's graduating class wants to restore this piece. This piece was made with the pain of my father's approaching death. There are so many things that I really like about this piece. There are also some decisions that I regret.(I ought to have used stronger fabric under the central arch.)

Hopefully this will be a summer without grief as I mend this piece.

Shabbat Shalom!