Making a blueberry patch

I have been lax about posting because we have been out in the country away from my computer and I don't do so well creating posts on my phone. Let's see if I can manage this.

I finally finished the atara for Nini's tallit. I need to take better photos to share with you but until then, this will have to do.

Nini's tallit has been designed over the course of many conversations that have taken place over a long period of time. During one of these conversations Nini wondered if I could include wild blueberries and beach roses in the tallit.

I thought that both the blueberries and the roses could be included in the Pinot/ corner pieces. I knew that making the blueberries was fairly easy .

I began by cutting a small circle out of silk that I had dyed for a previous project. I liked that the depth of the blue varied, just like it does in actual blueberries.

I then began hand stitching around the perimeter of the fabric circle.

After you are done stitching you pull the thread to gather up the edges. I added some netting to stuff the blueberries.

If I had quilt batting on hand I would have used that.The netting will do just fine though, as will a bit of a cotton ball. Anyway, after the stuffing was tucked inside I pulled the thread tight and closed up the bottom of the blueberry. I then added a few hand stitches to create the look of a blueberry top.

After a little bit of work I had a collection of blueberries.

I then checked out Nini's photos of wild blueberries and looked at others through the magic of Google Photos. zi knew that I wanted to create the tangle of blueberry branches. My initial thought was to hand embroider the leaves.

I then looked at my machine.

Stitch #26 was exactly the right shape leaf.

Until yesterday, I have only stitched this stitch pattern in straight rows. Yesterday I finally realized that I could stitch the pattern like curved branches. I don't know if I am stupid to not have thought of this before or brilliant to have figured this out.

After completing one round of blueberry branch building in one shade of green , I did another go around of branches in a different shade of green.

Once I cut the Pinot to size and edge them, I will add the blueberries.

Now that I have the wild blueberry patch squared away, I can begin on the beach roses.

מְחַיֵּה הַמֵּתִים

וְנֶאֱמָן אַתָּה לְהַחֲיוֹת מֵתִים: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה מְחַיֵּה הַמֵּתִים You are faithful to restore the dead to life. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Resurrector of the dead. That particular line is recited at every single prayer service every day three times a day, unless you use a Reform or Reconstructionist prayer book . In those liturgies instead of praising God for resurrecting the dead God is praised for giving life to all. I am enough of a modern woman, a modern thinker, to not actually believe in the actual resurrection of the dead. I don't actually expect all of the residents of the Workmen's Circle section of Mount Hebron cemetery in Queens to get up and get back to work at their sewing machines. I don't expect the young children buried here or the babies buried here to one day get up and frolic. Yet, every single time I get up to lead services I say those words about the reanimating of the dead with every fiber of my being. Yesterday, I e...

Connecting with the past

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The light themed tallit has been shipped!!!

I had begun speaking to Sarah about making her a tallit in the middle of August. It took a few weeks to nail down the design. For Sarah it would have been ideal if the tallit were completed in time for her to wear it on Rosh HaShanah., the beginning of her year as senior rabbi of her congregation. For me, in an ideal world, given the realities of preparing for the High Holidays I would have finished this tallit in the weeks after Sukkot. So we compromised and I shipped off the tallit last night. I would have prefered to have more time but I got the job done in time. This tallit was made to mark Sarah's rise to the position of senior rabbi but it was also a reaction to this year of darkness. She chose a selection of verses about light to be part of her tallit. 1) אֵל נוֹרָא עֲלִילָה God of awesome deeds ( from a yom kippur Liturgical poem) 2) אוֹר חָדָשׁ עַל־צִיּוֹן תָּאִיר May You shine a new light on Zion ( from the liturgy) 3) יָאֵר יְהֹ...

sarah in nyc

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