Merry Christmas from Bethlehem!

This "coexistence" quilt is made with joy!  The centerpiece is a piece of embroidery made by a Palestinian woman, named Maha, who lives in Bethlehem.  All of my coexistence quilts and table runners are "dry-clean only" due to the nature of the black canvas on which the embroidery is done.  It measures 42 X 60" and is meant to be a couch quilt as a design element on your couch -- and for cuddling up on the couch on a cold winter day!

Baby Quilt

My sewing machine was having problems with tension and it was in the shop for more than 2 weeks. I couldn't even sew during all the recent snow days!  So frustrating and such a disappointment. 

Now that my machine is feeling better and is home with me -- take a look at this cute baby quilt that I just put together!

Little Ducklings

This delicious crib quilt was made on-order for a newborn little boy in London!  Our quilts are 100% cotton and are just right for little babies!  So much fun!

Couch Quilt Sold Today at the AACI Chanukah Fair!

We sold a number of items at the AACI Chanukah Fair today, including this couch quilt made with Bedouin embroidery.  If you haven't had a chance to come, please drop by tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 22, from 9 am to 12 noon. 

See you there!

We are making Table Runners for the upcoming AACI fair!!!

Take a look at this table runner.  It includes a piece of Palestinian embroidery as its "centerpiece"!

Spread the Word!!

We will be selling our baby quilts, table runners and hot plate covers at the upcoming AACI fair in Jerusalem.  Take a look that these 2 new jellyroll quilts that we have made especially for this fair! 

Dates: Thursday, Nov. 21 - 3-9 pm  / Friday, Nov. 22 - 9-12:30
Place: AACI in the Jerusalem industrial zone on Pierre Koenig St.

Mazel tov!

This king size quilt was made on commission as a gift for Eric and Eileen who recently got married!  It is a coexistence quilt -- which means that I have used Bedouin embroidery that I ordered special from the women at "Desert Embroidery" at Laquiya. 

The young couple requested the color purple and a paisley effect!

It was wonderful to hear that they really like the gift! 

Thank you Gift for the Great Aunts!

I made these 2 new totes for the aunts who helped hold little Roei at his brit milah -- Dahlia's Aunt Ellen and Josh's Aunt Cheryl.  I hope they like these bags!

Miscellaneous Baby Quilts

Christmas Came Early this Year!

One of my daughters requested a couch quilt as a Christmas gift for someone she knows.  The woman likes purple -- so here is a scrappy quilt which combines purples, turquoise and gold!

International Quilting Festival Dedicates a Season to Israeli Quilting

Take a look at the quilts on this website!

The Ailsa Craig Community Festival is a quilting festival in smalltown southern Ontario that hosted a wonderful array of quilts made in Israel!

The emphasis seems to be on appliqués and there are lots of beautiful landscapes.  Just wonderful!

Two New Baby Quilts

These two carriage quilts -- one for a baby girl and one for a baby boy -- are being donated for a silent auction to raise money for Hadassah Women's Organization.  If you are interested in bidding on them, let me know!  They both have red edging -- just in case you need them to be a matching set!!

The baby boy quilt is made in the scrappy style --

The baby girl quilt is made with 3 1/2 inch squares --

 

 

Terri and Josh are Getting Married!

Together, we made this couch quilt for Josh and Terri as a wedding present.  They asked for a "coexistence" quilt, which includes a major piece of Palestinian embroidery (made by the women at 'Desert Embroidery' in Laquiya).  The quilt includes an element called stacked bricks and it measures 44 X 60 inches.

Congratulations to the young couple! 

A Cozy Couch Quilt

This new couch quilt measures 44 X 60 inches and is meant for cuddling on your couch while watching TV.  It is made in the scrappy style and is 100% cotton. It sells for $175.

During the hot days of summer in Jerusalem

Here is my latest queen size quilt, made on commission for a woman in the Galilee.  She has become my biggest client and this is the third double bed quilt that I made for her!

Making double bed quilts at home is no easy feat!  In fact, this one seemed so much harder, perhaps because of the August heat!

Quilting tip: Many people ask me how I do the decorative stitching for such a large quilt on a home sewing machine.  I do most of it without the backing! Here's how: piece the quilt together in two large panels, then quilt each one to the batting, then connect the panels, and add the backing.  On the completed quilt's backing, you will only see the decorative stitching for the borders all around, and a few straight lines down the middle, connecting the backing to the quilt. 

This is a coexistence quilt which means that I have integrated large pieces of Bedouin embroidery (made on special order by the women at Desert Embroidery in Laquiya) into the basic fabric of the quilt.  Here the colors are blue and green with some gold, with a strip of stacked bricks down the middle.  

This is a close-up on the embroidery panels which are stunning!!

Jellyrolls

This jellyroll quilt is made to be a couch quilt.  Although it emphasizes blues and browns, it actually offers a wonderful array of colors and prints!

Jellyrolls are fun rolls of quilting fabric that come in 2 1/2" strips, and can be cut and used in all kinds of ways.  Here, you see them combined with scraps from previous quilting projects! 

Happy Anniversary!!

As you can see, we have been busy making lots of quilts in the last few weeks!

This scrappy quilt was made on order as a gift for someone's 45th wedding anniversary which is coming up soon.  They are receiving a couch quilt with a warm and cozy flannel backing, for curling up on the couch on a cold winter day. 

The colors didn't come out so great in the picture -- the light blue is actually turquoise and it matches the turquoise and peach in the floral fabric.  

Hana's New Granddaughter!

This is a 9-patch baby quilt made from calico and floral fabrics.  Which is cuter?  The quilt or the delicious little girl?

Quilt for a new baby boy!

This baby quilt emphasizes bold oranges made with 4" squares.

I made it for the grandson of friends who live in the Boston area.

 I certainly hope the young parents like it!

A matching crib quilt

This crib quilt matches the little carriage quilt (in the scrappy road design) that you can see in the last posting. Both include a great circus fabric with a green background.  Here, I used the classical 4" squares and all the colors that I chose were meant to match the circus fabric. 

It's a Boy!

Amy's daughter had a boy!  Here is the little one, coming home from the hospital, covered in his new quilt from his Savta! 

The quilt, in yellow and greens, is made in the style of "scrappy road", which includes rectangles and squares, interlocking in an almost random fashion!

Table Runners

This table runner is made using the convergence design, with strips that ascend and descend in width.  It is available with a matching twin piece for placement in your living room.  The colors are soothing and beautiful together. 

Lev and Mor are getting married!

Here is the wedding present that we made for them!  This is a couch quilt with a matching table runner.  The design is in the scrappy style! Hope they'll enjoy this gift -- it was made with much love!

New Quilts for Sale

At the upcoming Community Fair at Kol Haneshama, we'll have available new table runners, diaper pads, doll quilts, baby quilts, coexistence quilts and couch quilts.  Come and enjoy -- there's lots to see!

Here are two new quilts --

This one is a small carriage quilt with circus animals.  It's based on a pattern called scrappy road.

And this one is a large crib quilt using a traditional nine-patch design with peach and green florals --

Come One, Come All!!!

This year's annual fair will take place on Friday, May 10th from 9 am to 2 pm.  There will be ceramics, jewelry, tote bags, and lots of second-hand stuff!  Most importantly, we will be selling our quilts -- baby quilts, larger lap quilts, diaper pads and table runners are all available!

Turquoise and Brown

This couch quilt is made up of pieces of specialty fabrics which are batik in design.  I arranged them in a standard 4" pattern, with contrasting borders. Don't you love the combination of brown and turquoise? 

Happy Israel Independence Day!

In honor of Israeli Independence Day, which we are celebrating today, I would like to share my latest "coexistence" quilt -- it integrates 3 pieces of embroidery made by the women of "Desert Embroidery", a non-profit organization in the northern Negev Bedouin town of Laquiya.

I love my relationship with these women.  Not only do I purchase embroidery from them for my quilts, but they have been showing my quilts in their shop in Laquiya and recently they sold one!  So, this has become a true partnership and I'm very proud of it.

This quilt is queen size and was made on commission for a relative in the Galilee.  In addition to the embroidery, I have used an element called "building blocks", which represent the building of a future of peace for all people living in this land.

There's more!  This is a matching table runner for putting on the dresser!

Native American print

The main element of this quilt is the specialty fabric, produced to look like a Native American print.  We have combined it with diamonds in various earth tones.   The quilt, made for our friend Cheryl's first grandson (who is turning 11 years-old this month), measures 50 X 82 inches (125 X 210 cm.) and is made for an Israeli youth bed. 

Save the date!

The annual Kol Haneshama Crafts Fair will be held this year on Friday, May 10th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Come and browse at our stand. We are offering baby doll quilts, carriage quilts, crib quilts, and diaper pads.  There is also one coexistence quilt available at this time!

Check out this cute Little Red Riding Hood carriage quilt!

Pesach Gifts for the Grandchildren!

Finished just in time for Pesach!

Here are matching quilts for Gramma's two youngest grandsons who share a room - all the other grandchildren already have quilts!

In the center, these quilts have a picture of 770 - the Lubavitch headquarters - and a photo of the recipients on the back. The quilts are the same pattern and share some fabrics with one having more blues and the other more greens.

A Queen Size Quilt with a built-in Runner

My sister is my biggest customer!  She commissioned this quilt for her in-laws who live in Beit HaKerem.  They ordered a "runner" look which was a big challenge, because instead of having to piece together a large quilt, I had to put a lot of attention into the detailed quilting!

A stunning Wall Hanging

Our friend Cheryl asked for help in creating this wall hanging.  We gave advice, technical assistance and a bit of inspiration.  She did all the hard work! 

Using beautiful batik fabrics that she found in a specialty fabric shop, she created this "scrappy" wall hanging, which she plans to hang in her guest room.  Pretty special, isn't it?  Congratulations to Cheryl!!

In Memory of my Mother

Everything I know about sewing, I learned from my mother.  We had an old Singer sewing machine in the basement, near a ping pong table which was piled high with stuff, and she sat there patiently doing her sewing.  We spent a lot of time there together, especially when I was in junior high school.

I have been trying to think of a theme that would bring me warm memories -- and I came up with this quilt which features birds, seen through a series of latticed windows. 

 Even though it is January,  spring is coming (symbolized by Tu B'shvat) and the days are slowly getting longer.  Every year in the springtime, I remember standing by the dining room window with my Mom, watching for robin redbreasts -- the first sign of spring in the northeast!  We had a casement window, with a screen that had a small box that could slide, so that you could get to the handle of the window which opened outwards.  So, I have a very definite picture of our peeping through little windows, watching for the robins.  Here you can see the birds, framed with a latticed affect, and a peacock fabric (I can just imagine the robins "strutting" around on our front lawn), and bordered by bright yellow sunshine and blue sky!  This quilt measures 40 X 50".

Color combinations

When planning a quilt, you should have 2 basic colors in mind.  From this everything else will develop.

Here are a few samples that might help you in choosing color combinations for your quilt!

First of all, it is important to choose light and dark colors that complement each other.

Next -- choose color combinations that you love -- such as --

• brown and blue
• purple and green
• blue and beige
• turquoise and purple
• brown and turquoise 
• purple and yellow

This new quilt that we just completed combines green and peach. This is a couch quilt (44 x 58 inches) in the scrappy design, with a cozy flannel backing.  The quilt was prepared as a gift for my niece who recently bought a new home.  She has a maroon couch in the family room and I hope this will match!

Another color combination could be maroon and beige as seen in this coexistence couch quilt.

Or blue and gold in this pinwheel baby quilt.

It's a Girl! And it's a Boy!

Our close friends just had twin grandchildren! 

Wishing them much nachas, health and happiness.  May they grow to become wonderful individuals, each with his/her own unique talents!

We prepared these matching little baby quilts for them! 

More tiny strips

As you can see, we are having fun with a wild array of colors.  These tiny strips all come together to form a wonderful blend!  Who would have believed!