Progress on two fronts

 

Eight verses of Psalm 146 are now painted on one strip of wool for Alan's tallit.

The letters will need another layer of paint and an outline to cute the lettering up a little bit. I will probably be painting this text out a few more times before this task is completed but it feels like a good start.

I have discovered, that it is for some reason, easier to copy the text from my phone than from a book. I love this mix of high tech and low tech  to complete a task.

As always I am the most efficient as a worker when I have several tasks on my plate at one time so I can hop from one task to another when I get stuck. Otherwise I can just wallow in my failures and not get anything done.

So, the other task on my plate is the Schechter Mappah.

Yesterday I finished edging the sky.

Three rows of rat-tail cording have all be hand stitched into place.

The other night, I realized something about this mappah. I realized that the Schechter school has been using this piece upside down for the past fifteen years. My intention was for the texts about learning Torah to be under the Torah scroll when in use (which was why the dome was made out of the heavy duty upholstery weight Ultrasuede.)

The doorway to the building-- is all about prayer.

I will have to make my intentions more clear to the powers that be at the Schechter School. I think that the piece will wear better if it is used as intended.

Yesterday I dyed the doorway arch panel. In the previous incarnation I had used silk. This time I am using Ultrasuede because it is so long wearing.

The mottled dye makes the Ultrasuede look more like natural leather.

I have begun to piece together the silk for the building masonry. I haven't taken photos yet but trust me, there is progress. As I work on restoring this piece I keep thinking about how I can make each and every element a bit more long wearing. When I get stuck I will be sure to ask for help from my wise readership.

Shabbat Shalom! Stay cool and hydrated. 

Tisha B'Av is this week. Those of you who may find the destruction of the temple a little hard to relate to may find resonance in this version of the poem Eli Tziyon that is usually chanted after the Book of Lamentations. The poem was re written as a meditation on Covid. I was ugly crying through the video.