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.

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"!

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! 

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!!

Wherever Inspiration Takes Us!

The biggest project of the last month has been a queen-size coexistence Quilt

My son-in-law hustled a commission for me from his aunt, who lives in the Galilee.  She is an Arab Christian woman who wanted a queen size quilt for her daughter who is getting married this spring.  More importantly, she requested that I integrate a major element of Palestinian embroidery within the quilt.  I ordered the embroidery from the Bedouin women at Desert Embroidery in Laquiya and created this quilt around their inspirational work!

Table Runners

We sold a quilt and a table runner yesterday!  It is so satisfying when other people appreciate the work that we are doing!  One woman especially liked the bold colors.

Here are two new table runners, both integrating Bedouin embroidery -- 

one using purples and pinks,

and another one in green, orange and brown.

Quilting for Peace

In honor of the brave step that the Israeli government took in releasing so many prisoners and bringing Gilad Shalit home --

This quilt is an expression of my hopes for peace.  It was ordered by a friend in Chicago who asked for a coexistence quilt mainly using the color teal.The women in Laquiya offered to make something special but after searching in the market, they couldn't find the right color thread. So,the piece of embroidery that they offered me includes a bit of teal combined with yellow and orange. It turned out to be a pretty combination. This quilt is meant to be a design element on a couch -- the size of a lap quilt. The stacked bricks are made of a pretty floral print that brings out the teal.

Best wishes for a Happy Passover and a Wonderful Easter to all our friends!

Just finished another coexistence quilt which I wanted to share!

Blues and browns were the colors at Hana's wedding -- just 43 years ago!

Click on the image in order to see more detail.

It's Springtime!

The weather is beautiful in Jerusalem. The air is clean, the sky is blue and Pesach cleaning is upon us! I decided that I had to quickly finish this Coexistence Quilt, so that I would have plenty of time to get ready for Pesach! Hope you like this one!

As in previous Coexistence Quilts, I have used the element of stacked bricks to symbolize the building blocks of a joint future together here in Israel.

The quilt is created around a central element which is a unique piece of embroidery made by a Bedouin woman from Laqiya in the northern Negev. These women have gotten together for self-empowerment to create and sell their own embroidery. Their non-profit is called "The Association for the Improvement of the Status of Women: Laqiya" and they run a shop not far from the mosque in Laqiya.

Bedouin Embroidery with Paisley

Last time that I went to Laqiya to buy the embroidered pieces for these "coexistence" quilts, I bought two small matching ones. At the time, I thought I would make a quilt with a matching pillow, but inspiration told me to put the two small pieces together into one quilt. I particularly liked the combination of purple and gold! Click on the image to see it more clearly!

Coexistence Quilts

These "Coexistence" quilts have turned out to be very popular items, which pleases me greatly!

Check out the combination of purple and yellow.

Bold Oranges

My most recent "coexistence quilt" is made with orange fabrics and a soft gray to make it a bit more mellow! The colors were chosen to highlight the central motif which is a piece of Bedouin embroidery, made by the women of Laqiya.

This one is being donated to Kol Haneshama for a "silent" auction to raise money for tzedakah. If you're interested, the auction will take place on Saturday evening, motzei shabbat, March 5th at 7:30 p.m. at Kol Haneshama in Baka.

Click on the image to see it in full detail!

Good news!

The good news is that we are now officially registered for selling our quilts!

Our baby quilts and changing pads are exclusively available at Elina and Roni Barkan's shop in Abu Ghosh, Etz.lenu B'hatzer. The store, located at 5 El-Rashid St. (the main street of Abu Ghosh), 200 meters after the Abu Ghosh restaurant, features all kinds of gifts for little kids, especially beautifully crafted wood items such as children's furniture and rocking chairs.

Here is another example of a "coexistence quilt", which incorporates embroidery by the Bedouin women of Laqiya.

Palestinian Embroidery

As you can see, I have been having fun with these coexistence quilts. This one includes a central piece of Bedouin embroidery, surrounded by some very strong and colorful quilted elements.

Blues and Browns

Here is another "coexistence quilt" using blues and browns which seem to go together so beautifully! Again I used a center block of Bedouin embroidery combined with an element of "stacked bricks" as a metaphor for the building blocks of our future together. Click on the image to see it more clearly!

Coexistence Quilts

For a long time, I have been feeling that I would like to combine two parts of my life -- my quilting and my belief in and dedication to peaceful coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis.

Out of that feeling came this quilt -- which combines Palestinian embroidery and my own creative elements. I used stacked bricks because I thought they go nicely with the embroidery and also because of the appropriate symbolism -- the building blocks of a future together. This is a decorative quilt, meant to be a bed spread or to decorate a guest room.

This quilt represents an enormous investment of time and energy in both the creative work of embroidering and quilting.

Global Quilt Project

Global Quilt Project

Helping our neighbors in Central Africa Republic

I received an e-mail asking me to participate in a Global Quilt Project in order to raise funds for toilet facilities in a village in the Central Africa Republic. If you are interested in participating, please take a look at the website of Global Change.

They are requesting one completed square from each participant -- either a 12" square or a 9 1/2" square. Donated squares should be mailed by the end of August to:
Amy Allen
Global Change, Inc
854 Blue Sage Street #102
Celebration, Florida 34747
USA

Pictured here is the square that I created as my contribution. I took the idea of stacked bricks from The Border Workbook, by Janet Kime, 2006.