sarah in nyc

I’m really pleased by this tallit bag. The lines of quilting stiches were a last minute inspiration. I’m a little concerned about the durability of the orange drapery fabric from the 1940’s. Quilting will make it a bit more secure.  I also love how the horizontal quilting lines echo both of the ribbed fabrics that make up the bag.   I also like the little bits of light that the copper thread give to the tallit bag. I included some action shots of the progress of the stitching An now for the interior, The names of all of the wearers of the tallit. I love how the photos just peek out. The photos inside the bag, including the grandfather of the bar-mitzvah boy wearing the tallit that will live in the bag.   Enjoy the following dramatic shots of the bag.

I just made this mystery item for me. I made it to protect my new toy/tool. This is a detail, a snap pocket to hold the peripherals. I made a case for my new tablet.   My reason for getting the tablet isn’t a fun one, I’m going to Boston to help share in the duties taking care of my mother.  I will be there for at least several days. This way I can be in touch with my universe while I am away.   It is a crazy fun toy. I have already downloaded a bunch of sewing books from the early 20th century to read on the bus. I also plan to use it to help me practice the Haftarah I’m reciting on Pesach. My mother is improving. It was a stroke. It could have been much worse

One of the nice things about living with my older son is that he thinks about food. It isn’t just that he will think about what he wants to eat for dinner ( for my youngest the answer is probably mac and cheese 90% of the time), but that he thinks about what sorts of things might be delicious to concoct.   While we were in Florida I got a call from my oldest. “ I was thinking that it might be nice to make roasted oranges for dessert.”     He had never eaten roasted oranges but the  thought of such a dish had struck him.  We talked though how he might make such a dish, grease a sheet of parchment paper, lay out the oranges, sprinkle with sugar and roast. He didn’t end up making that dessert for the dinner he made while we were away, one of the guests brought dessert but I loved how he really thinks like a cook.   This Friday night we are invited to a friend’s house. my son’s schedule is busier than he had expected, so I made the oranges. ...

I finally got the images properly transferred to silk.   Perhaps the ink that my printer uses is no longer compatible with the Bubble Jet but the images washed out of the fabric when they were washed with detergent. I turned to an older. low tech method of transferring images to fabric, where you lift the toner off of a photocopy using iron on mending material and then transfer the image to the silk. It’s a two step process but I have done it often enough so that it’s second nature to me.   It is frustrating that something that ought to have taken fifteen minutes has taken nearly a weeks’ worth of  work time  to get right.  it is finally done so now I can work on getting the rest of the bag completed.

My third grade teacher, G'veret Cohn died this weekend. G'veret/Mrs. Cohn was one of those teachers we used to categorize as "strict but good". G'veret Cohn was in her early 50's when she was my teacher. I was seven. She spoke both Hebrew and English with a strong Polish/Yiddish accent.  Amazon.com Widgets She was a teacher with a mission. She expected us to become serious spiritual Jews.While G'veret Cohn taught us meany things well, she really excelled at teaching us Bible.  We had begun our study of the book of Genesis the year before with large lettered textbooks that contained just the biblical text. In G'veret Cohn's class we moved on to the more grown up text with Rashi's commentary at the bottom of the page printed in regular Hebrew print. ( by fourth grade we had moved on to volumes with Rashi printed in the more usual "Rashi" typeface) I believe that we began the year's work in bible at some point during the Ab...

I have spent much of the last few days trying to transfer these images onto silk for  the lining  of the tallit bag.   I had prepared the silk shantung with a chemical that allows the ink from my printer to set permanently onto the silk.  The product has a really stupid name, Bubble Jet 2000, but it works really well. Printers don’t love to print fabric, so you have to trick them into the job. I had prepared the silk, and then ironed it onto some  wax coated  cloth backing with the trade name Chartex.  Chartex was created to back photographs. A neighbor had given me a box years ago. We had thought that it would work to actually transfer the image from a photocopy to fabric. The Chartex was useless for that task.  It is wonderful though for giving the fabric enough body so it can go through a printer without destroying it. Chartex is no longer being manufactured and I have most of a box of 100 sheets so I’m set until I find something bet...

Happy Shushan Purim!!!   This year I had no idea of what I would wear for Purim. During Shabbat morning services though, I had an inspiration. I decided to come as Elizabeth Taylor.   I had made this gold lame dress as a joke a couple of years ago. With a push up bra, the mink coat and a ring that I fashioned out of a glass door knob I was set.     My neighbor Lorraine teased up my hair and cemented it into place.   My husband is of the throw random stuff together school of Purim costumes.  I think he looks great. Here are some close ups of my ring. The jury is out if it was the push-up bra or the ring that really made the costume.