Choose from our array of quilts or commission something special!

contact us at
amykronish@gmail.com
hoffmanal4@gmail.com

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Place mats

We made these placemats for our friends who are celebrating their 45th anniversary!  Mazel tov!


Here is a close-up on one of the placemats!  They are a matching set, but each one is different!


Monday, November 24, 2014

New Couch Quilt

I had an idea to take two small pieces of Bedouin embroidery and integrate them together into this couch quilt.  These embroidered elements are from the Center for Bedouin Embroidery, located in Laqiya in the northern Negev. 

As you can see, I used the building blocks as a central motif, together with complementary fabrics. 

These coexistence quilts give me great satisfaction, especially in these difficult times as there is so much tension between Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem.


Friday, November 14, 2014

Wall Hangings by Rachel Hubers

I went to the Jerusalem Theater the other evening for a concert, and found an amazing exhibit of quilted wall hangings by Rachel Hubers.

I chose to share two of the exhibited works -- one is a stunning floral piece and the other is an impressive desert landscape.

By the way, we enjoyed the concert too!



Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Happy Birthday!

One of my daughters was born on the first day of Succot.  This year, I decided to make her a new double bed quilt for her birthday!  This quilt is made in the scrappy style.

I love it!  I hope she and her husband will like it too!


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Convergence Design

This double bed quilt is made using an adaptation of the convergence design (as previously referenced on this blog).  I love this design -- it's easy to make and very special.  The hardest job is finding four fabrics that complement each other so beautifully!

More Baby Quilts!

Both of these baby quilts are made from classic 4" squares. We used specialty baby fabrics integrated into the design!



Thursday, August 28, 2014

And you shall love your neighbor as yourself!

As a gift for a friend, my family asked me to make a wall hanging which integrates this verse (Leviticus 19:18).  I chose to use Bedouin embroidery -- it just seems appropriate to integrate something from a "neighbor" in making this piece of art! 


Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Lion King

We are having fun making carriage quilts with specialty fabrics.  This blue quilt features a fabric with jungle animals!



Thursday, August 21, 2014

Little Pink Teddy Bears

We just finished these two new pink baby quilts!  They both feature a cute fabric of little pink teddy bears!



Thursday, August 7, 2014

Thank God for Ceasefire

It hasn't been an easy time here in Israel/Palestine.  Jerusalem has been relatively quiet, only a few sirens over the course of the 3 weeks, but enough to make you realize how crazy this whole situation really is.  In our usual fashion of escapism, we have been nesting at home during this period, making a whole bunch of baby quilts!

Here they are!

This one is not pieced.  Instead, it's made from one piece of a specialty fabric featuring the cutest animals!

 This one is made with jellyroll pieces --

 This one has cute little elephants!


And this one features Little Red Riding Hood!


Monday, July 7, 2014

Ramadan Kareem

It's Ramadan and my warmest regards go to my Bedouin women friends at the embroidery studio in Laquiya.  Their embroidery makes a beautiful center piece to this double-bed "coexistence"quilt.  My quilting can be seen as an embellishment of their stunning handiwork. The gold fabrics lend a certain richness to the entire effect.




Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Baby Quilts

My niece just ordered three baby quilts as gifts for friends who are all giving birth this month!
Here they are!




Sunday, June 8, 2014

Irish Traditional Clothing

We were in Dublin recently and went to an exhibition called "The Way We Wore" at the National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts and History.  The exhibition was about 250 years of traditional Irish clothing.  I thought I would share the pictures of my favorite pieces!  Also one example of fine Irish embroidery.






Wednesday, April 16, 2014

QUILTING FOR PEACE



Thank you to Victoria Kezra for writing the following feature article that appeared in the Jerusalem Post Metro Section this past week (April 10, 2014).  It will appear in In Jerusalem this Friday.  What a wonderful piece! 

Quilting for Peace
An expert in Israeli cinema turns her hand to embroidery.

For the past 10 years, Amy Kronish has made what she calls “coexistence quilts,” combining her own quilting techniques with the hand-sewn embroidery of Beduin and Palestinian women to make meaningful pieces of functional art.

She never imagined that quilting would come to obsess her and turn into a political statement.

“They call me ‘the designer’ in Hebrew,” she says of the women of Desert Embroidery, where she gets many of her handmade pieces. “I take their things and I design beautiful things around it. They make things with their embroidery; they make pillowcases, beautiful bags, stunning things that they sell in their shops. But my pieces are much different, in that I take inspiration from their work and then I go forward.”

Kronish melds craftsmanship and symbolism in her cozy Jerusalem apartment, stocked with books, pictures and of course, quilts. Now she makes quilts of varying sizes, table runners and other crafts. People commission her for the quilts, which incorporate themes of unity and peace. Her commissions come from people of all religions and walks of life, and are often purchased as celebratory gifts for weddings and births.

At first, she says, she was nervous about the reception her pieces would receive. “To tell you honestly, I was concerned that Palestinians would find it a little patronizing of a Jewish woman who takes this handmade material made by a Palestinian women and then puts it into her work. I think they would say, ‘How dare she exploit our national artwork or handicraft,’” she says. “But two of my biggest customers are Palestinian.”

Originally from New York, Kronish and her husband spent a year of graduate school in Jerusalem and knew it was the place they ultimately wanted to settle for good.

“It took us more than 10 years to get back here, but we are committed to being part of the society and – maybe naïvely – we believed it was a society where we could make a difference,” she says.

“I’m the assistant to the quilter,” jokes her husband, Ron, as he leaves for the day. “I help choose colors and layouts. I’m the adviser.”

Kronish may not have started out with a career that would suggest an aptitude for handicrafts, but it was a path that required an eye for artistry. She first began working at the Jerusalem Cinematheque as a curator of Jewish and Israeli film, writing books, lecturing and becoming considered an expert in Israeli cinema.

“As a professional woman, I would have thought quilting is like one of those cottage industries that women do that is not serious – and I got into it in a big way,” she laughs.

Surrounded by ornate quilts displayed on her couches, homemade table runners and pillowcases, she recalls the origins of her start in quilting. “I have a friend who lost her husband, and she went abroad and went to a quilting exhibition, and they sold little kits for starter quilters. So she bought a kit and she said, ‘Let’s do it together,’ and I said, ‘Oh my God,’ but I was interested in going there and spending as much time with her as I could, because she was alone,” she recalls.

After a few months, she was hooked – and it wasn’t long before she decided to mix her hobby with ideology.

“At some point I decided that my quilting should reflect my politics. I’ve always loved this Palestinian embroidery that you see on the dresses the Beduin women wear, or on the pillows that they sell in the market. I decided to hunt down some women who would kind of be my partners, and I would use their embroidery as an element in my quilting.”

After deciding on a building-block quilt pattern for many of her coexistence quilts, a pattern that she says represents the building blocks for peace, she added the embroideries as the centerpieces to her creations. Not only are they a sign of unity between groups that share the land, the quilts also have a bond of womanhood.

As such, many of the embroideries used come from an organization called Desert Embroidery, which seeks to improve the lives of women living in Lakiya in the Negev. The profits from the crafts they sell go towards educational lectures and leadership programs for the women in the area. Kronish has spent time with the women who provide the inspiration for her works.

The women of Lakiya have even asked her to teach them quilting, which Kronish says would be a great next step to furthering the relationship between fellow artists.

“These women aren’t so much interested in that coexistence element, but they are interested in our getting along together in the same country. I’ve sat and talked to them. Their Hebrew is not great, but I’ve been learning Arabic. We sit and we talk to each other, and they tell me where to go in the Old City to buy fabric.

“It’s wonderful. We have a nice thing.”





Monday, April 7, 2014

Perfect Gift!

Many people ask me why I make so many quilts in the size of a couch quilt (approximately 44 X 60 inches).  The reason is that these make a perfect gift!  They are cozy, decorative, and the size keeps the price relatively affordable!

Here's the latest! First a close-up and then the whole image!  This one uses the scrappy design to feature maroon and browns and blue.



Sunday, April 6, 2014

Looking for a Special Passover Gift?

If you're like me, every year at Pesach and Rosh Hashanah time, you look for new ideas for gifts to bring to your hosts.  Why don't you consider a cozy couch quilt?

The following couch quilts are currently available --






and there are available two "coexistence" couch quilts with Palestinian embroidery --




Saturday, March 29, 2014

A beautiful wedding gift!

Here is another "coexistence quilt" that was commissioned by a Palestinian woman as a wedding gift.  This is a double bed quilt which includes two large pieces of maroon embroidery.  One piece was purchased from the Bedouin women at Desert Embroidery in Laquiya and the other was purchased from a shopkeeper in the Old City of Jerusalem. I was attracted by the combination of two different styles of embroidery.





Saturday, March 15, 2014

Cars and Trucks

Isn't this the cutest little boy crib quilt!  It's so much fun, bright, and bold! 

I purposefully made the squares larger than usual because I didn't want to cut the great pictures.  Note the dark blue fireman fabric used for the border.  Together with the sashing -- white dots on baby blue -- the whole thing gained so much life! 

All the fabrics were purchased at a shop on King George St, downtown Jerusalem.


Thursday, March 13, 2014

Table Runner

This coffee table quilted runner includes a piece of Bedouin embroidery, purchased at the shop called Desert Embroidery in Laquiya.  The choice of surrounding fabrics is meant to complement the embroidery. 

This is part of my line of "coexistence" quilts which represents my desire for drawing attention to my prayer that we will all learn to live together -- Jews and Arabs -- in this land. 


Saturday, February 8, 2014

Play Mat

These infant play mats are quite the popular item!  This is the second one that got "scooped" up this week!  It is made from 4 inch squares of wonderful cotton fabrics, quilted onto a nylon backing for the floor or rug and measures 36" square.


Saturday, February 1, 2014

Playmat for Baby Boy


This quilted playmat measures 33 X 36 inches and features blue fabrics cut into 6 inch squares.  The backing is made from quilted nylon ski jacket material.


Monday, January 27, 2014

Floral Coexistence Quilt

This couch quilt is the latest in our line of "coexistence" quilts!  It features a centerpiece of floral embroidery made by the women at Desert Embroidery, a non-profit organization in the Bedouin town of Laqiya in the northern Negev.  Complementing the embroidery is a quilting element called "building blocks" which are a metaphor for our building a joint future together in this Land.  The quilt measures 44 X 56 inches.


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Check This Out!

A select number of our quilts are available on-line from Etsy.  

Take a look!



Monday, January 20, 2014

Pinwheels

This cute baby quilt is made using a delicious butterfly fabric. It is part of a three-piece set -- carriage quilt, changing pad, and wall hanging (that could also be used as a doll quilt for a big sister).  The quilt is 100% cotton. 


This baby quilt features a cute teddy bear print.


Thursday, January 16, 2014

Whimsical Couch Quilt

This "coexistence" quilt, measuring 44" X 60", includes a piece of Palestinian embroidery made by a woman named Maha from Bethlehem.  The quilt is meant to be a decorative item on your couch, and is quite cuddly and useful when watching TV!  The bright pinks and purples lend a feeling of whimsy!



Sunday, January 12, 2014

It's a Girl!

We made this beautiful crib quilt for Lev and Mor's little baby girl! Mazel tov to the new parents!


Sunday, January 5, 2014

Funky Couch Quilt

This new couch quilt is made up of scrappy squares -- beiges, blues, greens -- florals and circles!!  It measures 42 X 54".

It's funny how making something so light and whimsical brightens the spirit!



Wednesday, January 1, 2014

My Breakfast Table!

I have been making table runners and sets of placemats as gifts for family and friends.  Finally, I decided it was time to make one for my own home!  Here is a large placemat that is made to fit my breakfast table -- which as you can see has a strange shape since it is designed to fit between two decorative cupboards with glass doors.