SCRAP HAPPY

Heading Home!

2012-01-27T20:45:00.000+02:00

To all my dear friends who have been so supportive and encouraging to me during this hard time, I am happy to tell you that my husband's condition is starting to improve and I'm going to be heading home on Sunday. I would stay longer, and he definitely could use a bit more help, but I've left DD Menucha on her own for 3 weeks and she's starting to get lonely!

I want to thank all of you for your help getting through this. You really made it possible, with your emails, comments, and warm wishes.

The other things that helped me through it: My KINDLE, full of great books. My MP3 player, full of great audiobooks. My Dresden Plate quilt, which I worked on in the early morning hours when the worry wouldn't let me sleep, and which I finally managed to finish hand-quilting. And my Amish Diamond in a Square quilt, which is what I'm hand-quilting now. That will keep me busy while I'm waiting in all those airports on Sunday.

If you look on the right side of my blog, you'll see I've put up a new little link.

I love love love string quilts. They have to be my favorites. I have never participated in a sew-along before, but I could really get excited about this one!

Getting Out of the House

2012-01-25T03:32:00.000+02:00

Well, it wasn't much, but we did get out a bit today. My husband has been so tired and having a hard recovery, but I felt we needed to get moving a little and see some other human beings (besides doctors and MRI technicians) for a change. So first we went to the Walmart and picked up my new eyeglasses (they look the same as the old ones, but with new lenses) and then we went to a new eatery here in town, Dougie's. A regular steak-and-burger joint, but a little more upscale in the decor and really nice wait staff. They just opened up a couple of weeks ago and so far they've been doing really well.

My husband went for a burger with all the trimmings, and I took a chili dog. The family vegetarian, ME, got a chili dog. You have to understand. My husband has for the most part lost his appetite, and I only went to this place because I knew that when he walked in and smelled the food he would perk up and eat a good supper. And if I got something to eat too, well, that would really help him. So I made the ultimate sacrifice and ordered a chili dog. It was the moral imperative.

Ladies' Night Out

2012-01-19T13:32:00.001+02:00

I've been taking care of my husband 24/7 since arriving here in Baltimore, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to learn that there would be a meeting of my old quilt group on Wednesday night. I knew it would do me some good to get out for an hour or two. Barbara picked me up, and we were off! The meeting was at Nehama's house. She is a great quilter. Here she is with her beautiful basket quilt. All batiks. She made TWO of them for gifts for her brother who is getting married.

Nehama is also working on the Civil War Bride Quilt. Her applique is fantastic, and I love her choice of fabrics. Click on the photo to see the wonderful spotty batik she chose for the eggs in the nest!

She's already done some work on the borders.

Cute strawberries, with tiny beads sewn on for seeds.

She sewed on a real piece of crocheted lace as the edging for the tablecloth. If you look carefully at the picture, you can see the bandage on her finger. Nehama had one of those rotary cutter accidents we are always terrified of. Luckily, the ER doctor said that her finger-tip will grow back. She says she is never going to use the rotary cutter again when she's over-tired. And she's buying one of those special gloves that prevent accidents of this sort.

Yoheved is a wonderfully creative quilter. All of her quilts have Biblical themes. Here is her quilted depiction of Noah's ark. She found fantastic fabrics that looked just like rain. And a great water fabric that looks just like waves. She's been stitching the wave fabric in such a way that it will look 3-dimensional. Then she's going to sew something white on the tops of the waves to resemble sea foam.

On the far right of the quilt you can see a tiny rainbow, and Mount Ararat, where the ark came to rest.

I SEW much enjoyed my night out, and came home mentally refreshed. If you have ever cared for a family member around the clock, you know how draining it can be, and how important it is to take a break from time to time. I'm so lucky I was able to spend some quality time last night with old friends. Also that I brought along my hand-quilting project with me from Israel. I spend some time working on it every day. I bought a Kindle from Amazon, and it's become a good companion. I can sit in doctors' offices and read to my heart's content while we wait for our turn. And I have downloaded some good audiobooks onto my trusty MP3, so I'm never bored.
My husband seems to be doing a bit better every day. His breathing is better, his pain seems to be diminishing a bit, and his thinking is generally clearer. Tomorrow we have an appointment with the thoracic surgeon, who will reevaluate the broken ribs and the amount of blood in my husband's lungs. We're hoping for good news!

Missing my Home

2012-01-15T15:04:00.001+02:00

I've been in Baltimore for a week now, and am starting to miss my home in Jerusalem. Especially since the weather here has become bitterly cold, something I haven't experienced in years now. Our winter in Jerusalem is so temperate, we have sun most days and the temperatures are cool but comfortable most of the time. Not so in Baltimore, where the wind is whistling around the house all night and I have to run from the house to the car when we go out, and then from the car to the store/pharmacy/etc. I was looking through my pictures and came across this funny lion statue from Jerusalem. You can find lion statues of all sorts all around the city. I think there was a competition some years back, where various artist were asked to create their own interpretations of the lion, which is the symbol of the city.
I always like this one--with its wings and the bird perched on its head, I think it's kind of funny.

And it reminds me of my home.

Many thanks to all of you who left such wonderful comments with wishes for my husband's recovery. And Lynn, I so much appreciate your offer of assistance! You are set at no-reply blogger, so I couldn't answer you to your e-mail, but I am sooo grateful to you. All the best.

What I'm Working On

2012-01-13T22:26:00.001+02:00

It was impossible to think of a name for today's post. So much has happened in my life recently, that I just fell back on the easiest possible way for a quilter to start writing...to tell you what I'm working on. My Dresden Plate quilt is all bound, and I machine quilted around all the "plates". This quilt has now become a take-along project, and I'm handquilting next to the seams of each "blade". There is a lot of time to do this nowadays. (the hard part to talk about is coming now. hold onto your seat.)

About 10 days ago, I got one of those calls that we always dread. I was at home in Israel, and my husband was calling from Baltimore, where he was on business. He didn't sound very good. I asked him what was wrong, and did someone die? "No", was the answer, "But I was in a car accident yesterday". The long and short of it is, my husband's little Toyota Corolla was hit broadside by a big SUV going really fast. The Toyota was totalled, and my husband was nearly totalled too. I hopped on a plane to the States, and that's where I am now. Luckily my husband is out of the hospital, but our days are spent mostly in doctors' offices, undergoing MORE tests, and talking to more doctors on the phone. It is going to take a while for him to heal from the accident, but it's a miracle he's alive, and the miracle of healing is happening too, one day at a time.
Please do keep us in your prayers.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T18:44:00.000+02:00

Feelin' Scrappy

2011-12-06T20:44:00.000+02:00

When I was at Etty's yesterday, she had out her folder full of patterns she has collected. One of them was the pattern for this quilt from Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville.com. When I saw it, it reminded me that I had this quilt top lying on a shelf. It had been there for a couple of years, don't ask me why. So today I pulled it out, pieced the back together, and put in at least 300 pins to baste it.

This quilt is a good example of a scrappy pattern that can be made with the ugliest fabrics and still come out nice despite them. If you have enough different fabrics, and a cute pattern, those fabrics will just blend into the crowd. For example, a lot of the fabrics in this top are straight out of the 1970s and 1980s. If you liked those calicos from those days, raise your hand. My hand is definitely not raised. I know that Barbara Brackman is now bringing out lines of reproduction 70s and 80s fabrics, but I was there when they happened, and they were pretty awful at the time. At least in my view. What's your opinion on this? Do you remember those old fabrics?

Something to think about...

2011-12-06T20:28:00.000+02:00

This was sent to me by my sister, and I thought I would share it with you.

A Dog's Purpose?
> (from a 6-year-old).
>
> Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish
> Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and
> their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were
> hoping for a miracle.
>
> I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family
> we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the
> euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
>
> As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be
> good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as
> though Shane might learn something from the experience.
>
> The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family
> surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last
> time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few
> minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
>
> The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any
> difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's
> Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter
> than human lives.
>
> Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''
>
> Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next
> stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has
> changed the way I try to live.
>
> He said, ''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good
> life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?''
> The Six-year-old continued,
>
> ''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as
> long.''
>
>
>
> Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
>
> When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
>
> Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
>
> Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure
> Ecstasy.
>
> Take naps.
>
> Stretch before rising.
>
> Run, romp, and play daily.
>
> Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
>
> Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
>
> On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
>
> On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
>
> When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
>
> Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
>
> Be loyal.
>
> Never pretend to be something you're not.
>
> If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
>
> When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle
> them gently.
>
>
>
> There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and
> people who create it.
>
> You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad,
> and focus on the good.
>
> So, love the people who treat you right.
> Think good thoughts for the ones who don't.
> Life is too short to be anything but happy.
> Falling down is part of LIFE...
> Getting back up is LIVING...
>
>
>

Quilts are Everywhere

2011-12-06T06:29:00.000+02:00

Last week, so many ladies showed up for our Bible class/quilt meeting, that Etty decided to move the group to the synagogue across the street from her house. So that was where we met yesterday. I always go by bus from my house in Jerusalem to her house in Beitar, and yesterday was no different. The only difference was that yesterday I arrived tired and nauseous. That was a first for me. The room was a bit cool, and I just kept my winter coat on. The result was that I probably fell asleep during our class and missed out on some of it. Also that I was too tired and ooky-feeling to take any pictures of the lovely room we were using, the fantastic finished quilt Rena brought to show, or any of the lovely ladies who were there. One of them was making jewelry as we listened to the teacher. She makes the most stunning beaded creations. Hopefully next week I will feel up to photographing some of them.

After the class, Etty showed us around the synagogue. The sanctuary was beautiful and peaceful-feeling. But what really caught my attention was this design in the middle of the entryway to the building. I love that star in the center, and how they surrounded it with a round design. You can find great ideas for quilts anywhere!

After the meeting ended, I headed back to Jerusalem and made a stop at our local mall to pick up a winter coat for my 2 year old grandson, Itamar. This mall is always decorated with things appropriate to the season. This time it was decorated in anticipation of the Hanukka holiday, which is coming in a couple of weeks. Look at these cute little draydels!

A closeup of the draydel.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T07:02:00.000+02:00

Mom and Dad

Even though we don't officially have Thanksgiving here in Israel, we have much to be grateful for. I am so thankful for a healthy family, a grandson newly engaged to a lovely young lady, and Mom and Dad, here with us on an extended visit. I am overcome with gratitude for the merciful Hand which allowed my dear daughter-in-law to walk away from a terrible car accident 3 days ago. The car was totalled, and all 5 ladies survived. Truly a miracle from Above. Every time I think about it, I am overcome with tears.
I am grateful for my wonderful bloggy friends, and the quilting ladies in Beitar, who are in many ways my lifeline. So thank you to the One above, and thanks to those here with me below. My life would not be the same without all of you.

The View from my Window

2011-11-18T08:19:00.000+02:00

Winter in Israel is our rainy season. We have 6 months or more without rain, and then WHAM--here it is. Because we have had drought for the last number of years, and we are so dependent on rainfall, it is exciting to everyone here when there is rain. And this year we have been pleasantly surprised; several inches of rain have already fallen, and some snow fell on Mt. Hermon in the north. When I looked out my window yesterday, this was what I saw. Low-lying clouds covering the nearby hilltops.

The buildings on the other side of the valley are hidden by cloud...

I went up on my roof to get a better view, and here's how it looks:

You can see a corner of one of our solar panels. Because we have such abundant sunshine here a good part of the year, most houses are equipped with solar panels to heat the water. In the winter, however, we have to heat the water with electricity.

You can see part of the forest below. The clouds are starting to settle into the valley.

Winter is too cold and dreary for my taste. However, I'm grateful that we are getting some much-needed rain!

What I'm NOT Working On

2011-11-14T12:48:00.000+02:00

Mom and Dad arrived from Florida last week. We have been having a wonderful time with them. They live in one of the Century Village retirement communities, and really miss being with family. They have enjoyed spending time here with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, some of whom were born since the last time they visited. Yesterday we went out for bagels with two of my cousin's daughters-in-law and their children. We could only get one of the six kids to agree to be in a picture. The rest of them (all boys) were happily running around the shopping center together. Mom is on the left, my daughter Menucha on the right (isn't she looking grown up?!). Didn't manage to get a picture of Dad at all. Hopefully next time.

Tried to do a little cleaning up before Mom's arrival. Of course there is no way I will ever get my house clean enough, although she is tactful enough not to say anything. Came upon a couple of charm packs of Barbara Brackman fabric from the Civil War Anthem line. Even though I have plenty of projects already started, I figured what's the harm in starting just one more. I love Tumbler quilts, there's a kind of instant gratification about them. So I cut some blocks and started to arrange them. A dark and light layout seems so natural to these fabrics. It's good to take a picture as you lay out your blocks--now I can see that there are two blocks almost the same right near each other and I can move one of them to somewhere else. There were not very many lights in these charm packs, so I'll add some in from my stash and hope it will come out big enough for a nice autumn-y table runner. Actually, I'm so busy looking after my folks, the table runner will probably be done for next autumn.

Mom brought me some fabric I must have ordered months ago and had forgotten about completely. There were two jelly rolls of April Cornell's Prayer Flag, a very earthy line I fell in love with at first sight. Really reminds me of those wonderful Indian cotton bedspreads from the 60s. I opened one of the jelly rolls up right away and managed to get a couple of blocks pieced. This is the Past and Present block from Scrap Basket Surprises. Believe it or not, I have in mind to make this quilt for myself. I've made quilts for almost everyone in the family, and more than one for some of them, but never made myself a quilt, just for me. So here goes.

To those people who have commented lately on my blog, or sent me nice e-mails, thanks for all your kind words. I hope I'll be able to get back to you when Mom and Dad are settled in a bit better and I'm not so busy with them. In the meantime, please know that I love to hear from you. On days when I feel OVERWHELMED by life, you help me get through and you bring my smile back. I am so grateful.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T13:51:00.000+02:00

Gone AWOL!

2011-10-13T23:52:00.000+02:00

I have been "missing in action" for a while on this blog. Where has the time flown to? Well, for one thing, we have been busy with the holidays. This is an intensive time of year, starting with the Jewish New Year, followed a week later by Yom Kippur, and now we are celebrating the Succot (Tabernacles) holiday.
Our local mall always features seasonal decorations. We were there lately and here is what they put up for the New Year:

Lovely birds with colored hearts, delivering New Year wishes.

Actually we were there because our dentist's office is in the mall. So we got to combine some oral hygiene with a pleasant stroll around the mall, looking at all the shops. (That's DD Menucha going down the escalator. Look, she's got the bag she sewed a couple of weeks ago, hanging from her shoulder!)

You may remember our little kitties from when they fit in the palm of our hands. When we got them, their eyes were barely open. Now they are big. They're still not grown cats, so we call them our "teenagers". They are still great fun to play with. If you throw a toy mouse across the room, Fester (on the left with half-closed eyes) will run to fetch it and bring it back to you, just like a dog would. We have lots of toy mice, but it has to be the ratty BLUE one. It can't be a white one or a grey one. He will make you (me) throw the mouse at least 10 or 20 times before he gets tired of that game.
They both love to sleep on quilty objects, and only 100% cotton will do. Here they are, taking a cat-nap on the Sailboats quilt. As you can see, I had the binding partially sewn down, but they wouldn't let me sew in peace. Wednesday (on the right) has to play with the needle and thread while I'm trying to stitch--so I gave up and let them lie on the quilt instead.

Lots of other quilty projects going on. Most of them are related to finishing up UFOs and WIPs. Trying to diminish stash, however nothing seems to work. :)

One thing I'm doing is trying to use some of my batiks, which I've been collecting for a while. Saw a great Shoo-fly quilt on Malka Dubrawsky's website, Stitch in Dye, and thought that it would be perfect for the batiks lingering on my shelf. Here is Block #1. So simple, fresh, and fun. After the holidays end, I hope to get some more blocks pieced.

Well, that's my report from here, just to bring you up to date a bit. The next week and a half will be spent cooking, feeding LOTS of people, enjoying family, and hopefully taking some day trips during the holiday.
Renee S., I'll try to post a little more often. Thanks for reminding me!

A Finish!

2011-09-25T20:28:00.000+03:00

Sorry for this bad photo. The wind was blowing and kept whipping my Sailboats quilt up and down. But at least it's finished, and I can't wait to give it to that new little baby boy.
Yes, I think it came out pretty darn cute. And no, I'm not making one of these again. This was the last time I made blocks that all matched, and while it was fun making the first one or two, by the time I got to twelve, I was pretty BORED. So please remind me next time, not to make 12 blocks all the same. I now know for sure...I love the scrappy look!

The other good news is, the rainy season has come to Israel! Yesterday morning, we had a nice downpour in Jerusalem, and today we got another bit. It doesn't rain here from early spring until fall (sometimes it doesn't rain until December or January), and we need water very badly here, so when it rains, it is a very happy event.

Last Thursday was the first anniversary of my dear mother-in-law's passing. We gathered at the cemetery to pay our respects and pray. It's hard to believe she has been gone for a whole year. She was such a big part of my life, and the life of everyone in the family. My husband spoke about her and said, the main thing about Mommy was that she loved all of her 100 descendants unconditionally. She never judged any of them, and made each one feel like they were her favorite. Mom, you are never far from my thoughts. You were like a mother to me, and I'm grateful to you every day for your gentle kindness and love. You taught me so much about being a grandmother and a great-grandmother. I hope I can communicate that unconditional love to all of my descendants just as you did.

What I'm working on-and a question

2011-09-21T19:24:00.001+03:00

In my last post, I showed a picture of an almost-finished doll quilt top. The center was made out of pieces I had cut off when I made a different quilt a couple of months ago. Rather than throw them away or waste them, I just sewed the off-cuts together randomly.

I wanted to use a yellow for the outer border, but I think the one I picked is a bit too bright...and doesn't really match those 40's fabrics.

What do you think? Should I un-sew the borders (they're not completely sewed on yet anyway) and continue to search for just the right border fabric? Or should I just charge blindly ahead and keep the borders as they are? I really need some advice here before I get out the handy-dandy seam ripper!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-21T19:09:00.000+03:00

A Sweet Day Trip

2011-09-15T22:28:00.002+03:00

The day was dawning. The view from our window was soft and misty.

By 10:30 we were on the road. On our way to Ofakim, a small development town in the south. Not much time to stop and take pictures, just speeding along. I loved these reeds, growing wild on the side of the road.

We were going to Ofakim, but on the way we had an important stop to make...the Ben & Jerry's outlet store.

All the signs are in Hebrew and English.

Welcome to the store! Moo!

Lots of cow-y picnic tables out front. You and the kids can sit and enjoy your ice cream outside.

So many choices! What should we get? Yes, we ended up buying 8 pints.

A sign near the checkout.

The salesgirl. She was so shy and I had to convince her to smile for the picture.

The Slow Boats to China

2011-09-12T17:02:00.000+03:00

There's nothing like a new baby in the family to make one hurry up and finish a quilt. I pieced these little Sailboat blocks a couple of years ago, and never did anything with them. Well, here they are, finally put together! I'd like to get it quilted and bound by Thursday, when we'll be seeing the new baby and his parents at their home in the south.

If you double-click on the photo, I think you can see that the "sailboat" fabric is red with white stars. The "water" is a lovely blue print, it has circles on it that look like ripples.

I'm really happy about finally finishing this UFO.

Many Thanks

2011-09-09T10:01:00.000+03:00

Thanks to all of you who took time out of your busy day to send such nice wishes on the birth of the new baby.

Although he looks a bit like a redhead, his hair (so far) is actually a very light blonde. Here is the only redheaded descendant I have so far:

Now THAT'S what I call red hair! Woohoo!

Menucha ~~wanted~~ needed a new bag for school this year. And she wanted to make it herself. So we went to the fabric store together and picked out some nice fabric. This was the result:

She's so pleased with how it came out, now she wants to tackle something a little more challenging. You know, with pockets and other doodads. I guess another fabric-hunting trip is coming up. :)

Hope you have a great weekend!

Happy Birth Day!

2011-09-08T21:45:00.000+03:00

The newest addition to the family.

With the proud father. Seems like only yesterday he was a baby.

Great pair of lungs!

Happy News!

2011-09-08T12:26:00.000+03:00

This morning we woke up to the news that a new arrival had made his appearance during the night: a second little great-grandson! I hope to get some pictures of him later on today, when we go to the hospital to visit mom and baby. We are feeling so blessed that he was born healthy, and that his mother had an easy time with his birth.

Back to School

2011-09-04T07:19:00.000+03:00

The temperatures are falling (only 86 degrees today, instead of the 90s, which we've had for a while). Menucha is back to school, and we are starting to get our extra-curricular schedule together for the year: dance lessons, volunteer work, etc.
While I love the fall, I'm sorry to say goodbye to this:

Menucha and I went to the beach together 3 times in 8 days. I never knew I loved the ocean so much...but now I do.

Rena's Quilt

2011-09-04T07:14:00.001+03:00

I just have to share with you the amazing quilt Rena brought in to our quilt meeting in Beitar. The brightness of the colors and the beauty of the piecing put me in shock right away, but a good kind of shock; I couldn't believe what I was seeing! The outer borders still need sewing, but I think this is one of the nicest quilts I have seen in a while. I love her fabrics--that blue background is all batiks, my favorite. Rena, thanks so much for bringing this to show. It is great watching you evolve into a fabulous quilter!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T15:21:00.000+03:00

Little Stitches

2011-08-26T17:23:00.000+03:00

Before Menucha and I went to the beach, I figured I'd better take along a little sewing for while I would be sitting on the sand doing nothing, watching her swim. So I put together this little doll quilt to keep me busy.
Little did I know that I would love the water so much. Not one stitch was put in.
Maybe when we go to the orthodontist next week...

Back from the Beach

2011-08-26T06:47:00.000+03:00

We have lived in Israel for 14 years now, but always went back to the States in the summer for my husband's work. This was our first summer spent entirely in Israel (with the exception of Menucha, who went to Houston). This week we finally caught on to what other Israelis already know--in the summer, we go to the beach!
A special bus was chartered to go from our neighborhood to the beach in Bat Yam, a suburb of Tel Aviv. We went for the first time on Tuesday. The bus left Jerusalem at 12:30 and we arrived at 1:30 in Bat Yam. We had a glorious 3 hours at the beach. I took Menucha and also Temima, my 11 year old granddaughter. I'd forgotten how wonderful the ocean is, and spent most of the time playing in the waves with Temima. We arrived home tired and covered with sand, but extraordinarily happy.
Menucha enjoyed herself so much, she asked to go back again on Thursday, which we did. Now I feel like we had a real summer.

Seeing Stars

2011-08-25T10:09:00.002+03:00

After what felt like weeks of CUTTING UP SHIRTS...

and sewing the pieces BACK TOGETHER...

I'm finally SEEING STARS!

City of David

2011-08-19T11:17:00.002+03:00

Now that Menucha is home and almost over her jet-lag, our summer has begun in earnest. On Wednesday, I took her to buy her school supplies. Glad to have that over with! Yesterday we went on a tour of what is known as the "City of David", or in Hebrew, "Ir David". The City of David is the area believed to have been the home of King David, over three thousand years ago, and the site of the original settlement of Jerusalem. It is not far from the site of the Temple Mount.

Menucha's friend, Chani, came along with us. Never take a teenager anywhere without a friend.

The entrance to the site is marked by a beautiful sculpture of a harp, the symbol of the City of David.

Part of the wall of the Old City is visible from the City of David. This was the wall which surrounded the Temple. The lowest stones (click on picture to see them more clearly) are the most ancient and the largest. The smaller stones higher up are from more recent times.

We followed our tour guide to see all the amazing archaeological excavations. Much has been found from over 3,000 years ago, including parts of houses, a fortress, and an ancient toilet (sorry, I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of that one). But the highlight of the 3-hour tour was the descent into the ancient water tunnel of King Hezekiah. In anticipation of a siege by the Babylonians, a tunnel was chiseled through the rock to bring water from the Gihon spring to the people inside the wall of Jerusalem. The water is still running through it today. It is icy cold and crystal clear. We walked through the narrow tunnel in the freezing water for 45 minutes. After a couple of minutes, my feet adjusted to the temperature of the water, which was shin-height most of the time, but up to my knees in some places. The tunnel is like a very narrow cavern, with water dripping from the ceiling in some spots. In some places we had to bend our heads to pass through. People with claustrophobia were warned not to go through this part of the tour. I had a hard time taking pictures inside the tunnel, as it was pitch black inside. The only light was from our flashlights. Without a flashlight, it would be difficult to walk through the tunnel, so we were all equipped in advance.

Here's our group...going down into the tunnel.

After we came out of the water, we sat and dried off a bit in a large man-made room.

At the exit from the tunnel, the water continues into this lovely pool.

The water from the tunnel used to end up in a beautiful pool called the Shiloach, a part of which is visible today. But archaeologists can't uncover the whole thing, as part of it is in privately owned property. Hopefully one day they will have access to it, and we will be able to see it all.

When we got home, my son and his three little boys came over to visit for a while. The baby played with toys on the floor, Ariel the oldest ran after the cats, and Itamar, the middle child, headed straight for the Little Tikes car, same as always.

The Party is Over

2011-08-14T11:34:00.000+03:00

Miss Menucha is back from the States, and now our six-week "vacation" is over. She had a great time in Houston, enjoyed her work as a junior counselor in camp, and now we have to find ways to occupy her until school starts. Right now she's still quite jet-lagged, so I am taking advantage of the quiet hours to get some transcription done. Will have to juggle Menucha, work, and (maybe, just maybe) some sewing.

Over the last couple of weeks, I pulled out all the thrifted shirts I have been collecting, cut them up, ironed them, and decided on what to do with them. Here is block #1, almost finished. Have planned out two or three quilts, and when I have the tops made I will stop collecting shirts for the time being. Boy do they take up a lot of space! As if I wasn't already pretty embarrassed about my stash, the shirt collection really throws it over the top.

I think I am heading into another year of austerity, and trying to use up the fabric I have. I was pretty good this summer. Even though Menucha was in Houston, and would have brought back whatever fabric I wanted, I managed to limit it to one charm pack (all right, TWO) of Civil War reproduction fabric. And two packages of batting, on sale at Joann's online. That was it. I have one UFO basted and ready for quilting, and am trying to work down my pile of flimsies to zero this year. A nice fantasy, right? Sometimes some honesty is required, and looking the stash straight in the face and admitting--it's time to use some of this up! And it's time to finish up these UFOs! I'm really trying. And I'm trying to be sure to enjoy the process, whenever I get the chance to sit down at the machine. After all, that's really what it's about, pursuing an interest that one enjoys and loves.

Living with Nature

2011-07-28T18:11:00.000+03:00

As you know, my house overlooks a beautiful forest and an amazing view of the Judean hills. The forest is full of wildlife--gazelles, foxes, turtles, porcupines, falcons, owls, wild dogs, snakes, lizards, and deadly scorpions, just to name some of the creatures we have seen over the years.

Well, I guess sometimes the wildlife feels like it needs to get in out of the heat and into a nice, cool house. This little fellow decided, over a month ago, that our house was just what the doctor ordered. So for the last month, we have been seeing him here and there in the house, but we've never been able to catch him, elusive little guy. I know the kittens have been following his movements with interest--they like anything that moves--but they weren't able to catch him either. This morning, I FINALLY found him and was able to shoo him back out where he belongs.
Bye, little guy. It's been fun.

Autmn in July

2011-07-27T19:59:00.000+03:00

Almost finished with this one, just have to finish sewing down the binding (I love that part). This was made with a charm pack or two of a beautiful fabric line called Tranquility. Each fabric from this line was something special. This will be a nice quilt to drape over the couch (brown leather) when the weather gets cooler. It was made using the Disappearing Nine Patch pattern. Easy peasy, but a nice look. The borders and cornerstones are a pretty chocolate color.

My Heart is Singing!

2011-07-27T11:46:00.000+03:00

What a nice day this has been so far. I went to the post office this morning to pick up this>>>

I don't know how I made it home without opening it up on the way. I knew that inside was this>>>

It came all the way from the wonderful Andi in Australia. Thanks so much,
Andi. I love these bright and beautiful fabrics, and can't wait to cut into them!

Little Kitties

2011-07-20T16:45:00.000+03:00

Wednesday...

Gomez...who turned out to be Gomeza. :)

Fester...

Menucha named them for the members of the Addams Family. We had a Morticia too, but she succumbed to a kitty lung disorder when she was very little.
We do love all our little kitties!

Quilts and Other Beauty

2011-07-17T21:31:00.000+03:00

This was taken at our quilt meeting in Beitar last week. Shifra worked on this Attic Windows quilt for quite a while, collecting fabrics until she finally had just the right ones. The brown fabric you can see framing the "windows" was found at one of the vendors' tables when we attended the retreat of the Israel Quilters' Association. didn't it come out perfect? And look at those borders--so unusual!

My husband and I attended a wedding near Tel Aviv last week. It was quite a bit fancier than the weddings we are accustomed to in Jerusalem. The hall was VERY fancy, with waterfalls and little bridges, and colored lights, and lots of palm trees growing inside. But the part I liked the best was this beautiful mosaic floor in the entrance to the ballroom where the meal was served. I love the pomegranates, which a common motif in Israeli art. Don't you think this design could be adapted into a lovely quilt one day?

Happy Birthday, Dear Hubby

2011-07-17T19:57:00.001+03:00

Today was my husband's birthday. Not the big 7-0, but getting there! To celebrate, we went for lunch to one of our favorite little restaurants, Latteccini.

The Specials of the Day, in Hebrew and English:

By the time I got out the camera to take a picture of my Sweet Potato Croquettes with Feta Centers, they were almost all gone.

My husband's Honey Dijon Salmon disappeared pretty rapidly. There was nothing left to take a picture of.
My quinoa salad came looking rather mountainous when it arrived. It tasted good, but there was no way I could finish that huge pile...

I don't know how we found room for dessert, but where there's a will there's a way. My husband, ever the chocaholic, chose the chocolate souffle. I love the melted chocolate center.

And I always adore a creme brulee, with the delicate crust of caramelized sugar crackling on the top.

After lunch, we headed over to the Rose Garden, next to the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament). At the entrance, there are beautiful pink flowers and a sculpture in the center.

A lovely little lake right in the center of the gardens.

No public garden would be complete without a Japanese Garden. This was no exception. Look at this--can you see the Jewish Star near the top?

A gift from some Japanese people. I can't remember what it says now, but it was something very beautiful.

Another view of the lovely lake.

Some sculptures...don't ask me what these are supposed to be...

The giant Menorah opposite the Knesset building. This was a gift from Britain, made in 1956.

Happy Birthday, dear, and thank you for a great day!

I can't believe I won!

2011-07-14T06:55:00.000+03:00

Andi is a wonderful quilter from Australia whose blog, Patch Andi, I adore. She makes the most amazing bright and modern quilts, is a quilting teacher, and has made some very special Judaic quilts--a chuppah, a beautiful quilt for her temple, and wonderful baby quilts with babies' names appliqued on in Hebrew letters. Recently she had a giveaway in which she asked what type of fabric the recipients would like. Imagine--a giveaway where you can pick the prize! Well, here are the fabrics that matched the description of what I would like, and soon they'll be on their way to my mailbox!

Thanks, Andi, I can't wait to see and touch these lovelies in real life!

2011-07-07T10:33:00.000+03:00

I had an amazing week. This was the week of the annual retreat of the Israel Quilters Association. For the second time the retreat was held in Jerusalem, making it easy for me to attend. For great pictures of the retreat and the vendors who were in attendance, visit Etty over at the Quilters Corner. The first day started out with a tour in the Old City of Jerusalem. As we entered the Old City, we noticed this man who was probably on his break from work...

We had a nice view of the Tower of David...

We were going to a guided tour of the Hurva Synagogue. This arch was erected years ago, and stood as a reminder of the original synagogue, which had been destroyed many times over. The last time it was destroyed was in 1948.

The arch which served as a reminder of the destroyed synagogue

The Hurva Synagogue

This beautiful new synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem was recently completed. It is an exact replica of an ancient synagogue which was repeatedly destroyed over the course of hundreds of years. Can you see the arch on the side of the building? The commemorative arch I showed you a picture of was made to look like the arch on the side of the synagogue. We took a tour of the building, which is magnificent inside and has a gorgeous view from the top of the domed roof. My batteries ran out in the middle of the tour, so I don't have any pictures from the inside. What a shame, as it is so lovely, with murals on the walls and a soaring ceiling. Don't worry, I'm going to go back for another tour, with my husband and some fresh batteries. Then I'll be able to show you the whole thing.

The Western Wall

Shula, one of my quilting friends. Look at her adorable bag! All the fabrics are connected with sewing. I love those little sewing machines on the front!

My friend Sara and I took a class in Hawaiian quilting. Our teacher, Darlene, was excellent. By the end of the day, we had our designs all cut out and basted to the background. I'm think I'll add some more designs around the sides, as there's plenty of room. I don't know that it came out looking that Hawaiian--it's more of a mandala, I guess. But it looks okay to me. You can see it on the right side of the photo.

Quilts on the line. The one on the right is my Hawaiian quilt.

Tessellating Pinwheels-finished!

And something new...these are some scraps left over from my Dresden Plates quilt. I decided not to throw them away, but to make a little string quilt out of them. Isn't it going to be cute?

Grandchildren Update

2011-07-06T20:37:00.000+03:00

My transcription course finally ended today. What a relief that it is over at last.
What with so much going on, and a broken camera to boot, there has been little blogging. However, I found an old (but working) camera of Menucha's in her room and hope to be back in business soon. In the meantime, here are some pictures of grandchildren my daughter sent today from Houston. Hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.

Don't you love those blue eyes?

Tomorrow, I hope to have some quilt pics for you.

Just Checking In

2011-06-14T22:22:00.000+03:00

In case you're worried I have fallen off the side of the planet somehow...

I've just been really busy....

I put together my Dresden Plate blocks in the most basic setting. I had big plans for doing something really unusual with these, but in the end decided to just keep it simple. I'll do some quick meander quilting, then I have some darling fabric for the binding--red with white polka dots. Don't you just love dots?
Here's the other thing that I've been busy with. Someone brought us 4 motherless kittens. We think they were about 3-4 weeks old, as their eyes were already open. So for the last week and a half, we've been feeding them kitten formula with a syringe. Every 2-3 hours, even at night. Well, luckily DD Menucha has been taking the night shift. And while I go to my class in the morning, my DH has been feeding them. This is a big thing for him--he's not really an animal lover. But those kitties sure do love him! They think he's their mommy and they follow him around all over the place. :)

Menucha has named the kittens after members of the Addams Family: Gomez, Morticia, Fester, and Wednesday. This has made it easier to tell them apart, and it also gives us something to laugh about when they are all crying at once to be fed!

*****
Yes, I said something about going to a class. I am taking a course in Transcription, 3 days a week. It's pretty intensive and I'm learning a lot. Hopefully I will have a job with the company after the course is completed. The good thing about it is I would be able to work at home, which is the best for me. The bad thing about it is...less time to quilt. But maybe I would have more money for fabric...hmmm.

Ready for Quilting

2011-06-02T22:57:00.000+03:00

Got the borders on to this little quilt this morning. It's all layered and basted, ready for quilting.

Considered hand quilting it, but in the end I think it will be best to machine quilt. If I can find the time. We have lots of company coming for the weekend. A lot of cooking coming up, and hopefully some good eating!

Five Minute Coaster

2011-06-02T12:15:00.000+03:00

Easy peasy. 5 minutes, for real. Anybody curious?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-01T08:56:00.000+03:00

Our Special Project

2011-05-29T20:28:00.000+03:00

Before my daughter came with her family from Houston, I ordered a little quilt kit from my friend Sharon over at Daisy Cottage Quilting. I {heart} Sharon. She is the most fun lady I know, not to mention (can't leave this out!) a fellow St. Louisan. We St. Louie gals have to stick together, right?

Anyhoo, getting back to the little kit. I got a bug in my head that I would teach my oldest granddaughter Rivky how to quilt. After all, she would be here with me for a month. So why not? Well, it's true that I had taught the girls how to hand-sew last year, and we made some adorable little felt purses. But this time I had my work cut out for me. Because I was going to teach Rivky everything: how to use the sewing machine, how to cut the fabric, how to put the layers together, how to do the binding. Well, some of that did happen. However we were so busy doing other fun stuff that I didn't get a chance to teach her everything in the syllabus. But she did learn a whole lot and here she is with her little quilt. Isn't it just the cutest thing?

We had such a great time working on the little quilt. After Rivky left, I really missed our time together. So I decided to use the leftover fabric to make some mug rugs for my BFF's Etty and Sara. Didn't they come out darling? I love that fabric. It's Flower Sugar by Lucien. Wish I had some more of it. I could just use it for the rest of my life and be happy.

Hope you like your mug rugs, ladies. They were the first ones I ever made and now I'm hooked!

On My Design Floor

2011-05-24T08:47:00.000+03:00

It feels like the last couple of months have gone by in a whirl. Lots of family and friends, and not much time for sewing. Just "stealing" a couple of minutes here and there to put in a stitch or two. A portable project has been best for this, tucked away in my purse for those moments when we are waiting at a doctor's office or the post office. So it's nice to see this little project start to take shape. Out of nowhere, eight blocks have materialized!

Only four more blocks to go. I ran out of the white-on-white fabric I was using for the background, so I ordered some more from our local quilt shop, Pissott. The lovely owner, Nurit, sent the fabric out last week, and I have to go to the post office today to pick it up.

The fabric line I used for the blades is Everything But the Kitchen Sink, by RJR. I used 5" charm squares. I love the retro feel of the fabrics. Since I have a lot of charm squares left, I think I'll use them to make a piano keys border.

A Little Experiment

2011-05-23T18:53:00.002+03:00

When my daughter came from Houston last month, one of the things she brought me was this:

I had seen the Lil' Twister appearing on lots of blogs and was really curious to see how it works. So today I found a little charm pack of Strawberry Shortcake fabric and decided to give it a whirl.

I couldn't believe how well it works. In a very short time I had the cutest little quilt top with lots of little whirlygigs. The only thing I would do differently next time (and there will be a next time, now that I know how easy it is!) is to aim for a lot more contrast.

Have you used the Lil' Twister? Isn't it fun?

My Babies

2011-05-09T19:17:00.000+03:00

My daughter was here with us for a month, with her husband and five children. I worked like mad of course, cooking and doing laundry, thinking of fun places to go every day.

It took a month to prepare for their visit, and for the Passover holiday. I painted and furnished the apartment they would stay in.

For a month, I don't think I sewed a single stitch. Instead I ran after this little one--and can he ever go fast!

A week ago they went back to Houston. It took a week to get my house back in order (and I don't think I'm finished yet!). I went back to studying for my last college course (the dreaded College Mathematics). I made two little mug rugs for my best, best friends (pictures to follow). All the toys and games are back where they belong. I only have to do laundry and cook for three. So life feels like it's getting back to normal.
And while that is good, and while it is a relief to get to rest a little, still... I miss my babies and wish they were here. (sniffle)

WHO I've been busy with...

2011-04-13T10:25:00.000+03:00

My son took this picture last night, of all my grandchildren together. Sorry it came out so small, but here they are.

This is why I haven't posted to my blog for an entire month. They have been keeping me very, very busy! In a really good way. :)

My Houston grandchildren will be here (with their parents) for another 2 1/2 weeks. So I will probably not be back on this blog until
after they leave. See you then!

Blue Skies

2011-03-13T20:56:00.000+02:00

I walked to my friend's house this morning. The sky was blue, birds were chirping, trees were flowering...

My friend had some flowers on her porch that I had never seen before. In yellow...

and in orange...

Ordinarily my heart would be singing from the beauty of the day, the vision of the flowers, the sound of bird calls in the
trees. But my heart is heavy...thinking of those who are suffering from the devastating natural disaster in Japan...and of the tragedy here in Israel, where a lovely young family was heartlessly murdered by terrorists... an innocent young couple and three of their children, including a three month old baby. Sometimes the world is a hard place to understand.
I took this picture this morning also. You can see the "rakefet", one of Israel's delicate wildflowers, growing right between the stones of a wall. I thought about this as I took the picture. Somehow it reminded me of humanity, and our tenacious ability to survive, to grow, and to blossom, even in the face of unbearable tragedy.
I pray that we will all be given the strength to survive, to grow, and blossom, no matter what our challenges are in life.

Take a Walk With Us

2011-03-08T23:29:00.001+02:00

Would you like to take a little walk with me and DD Menucha? Last week we hiked in the valley below our house. There were wildflowers everywhere...

Beautiful red anemones opening up their petals in the warm sunshine...

Everything green and sparkling...

And look at this--can you imagine walking through it? The smell of all these flowers was just heavenly. This is a field next
to someone's house. You can see a scarecrow in the distance, wearing a blue shirt. One of the trees still has last year's oranges hanging on.

Well, after I showed you all these nice pictures to prove that it's really spring here, my neighbor just told me that it may snow here tomorrow. After a winter where it didn't snow ONCE here in Jerusalem. Well, I know it's really spring anyway. How? Because I have already begun my SPRING CLEANING! :)

Vintage Doll Quilt

2011-03-07T06:41:00.000+02:00

While I was making the little Shoo Fly doll quilt last week, I was transported back in time to 1980, to my very first doll quilt.
I still have it today. It was made with whatever fabrics were on hand. Calico was the big thing back then!

A Little Finish

2011-03-04T11:27:00.000+02:00

I started this little doll quilt last Sunday and it was fast and easy. The pattern was from Kathleen Tracy's darling book, American Doll Quilts.

The whole thing was made from scraps, and the blue and white gingham border was made from a thrifted shirt I happened to have that worked perfectly.

I made a single-fold binding, which I haven't done in ages, but it was just right for this little piece. As I was spraying the quilt markings with water to make them disappear, one of the red fabrics began to run, an ominous sign indeed. A quick wash in the machine with some Color Catchers, and the problem was solved.

One thing I must add: as I was quilting this the other night, with a soothing cup of Sleepytime tea next to me, I realized must how much I love hand quilting. It never fails to calm, to produce a sense of serenity, and to draw me back to a less-hectic era. What a blessing this art is!

Wishing you all a peaceful weekend. Shabbat Shalom!

A Picture being worth a Thousand Words...

2011-03-01T16:00:00.000+02:00

Guess what has sprung?

What I Am Working On

2011-02-24T13:09:00.001+02:00

You know how you just get overwhelmed by scraps sometimes? How they just ADD UP? Well that's what's happening to me. My stash is overflowing its banks (no picture of this, sorry!) and it's time to take drastic action. So here I am, making my third String With Red Center quilt. The first one was made for my granddaughter Rivky, and the second one was a baby quilt that stays in my house for when babies come to visit. I guess the time has come to make one for me...unless one of my other grandchildren claims it for their own. Which could happen. I have a ton of 1930's and 1940's reproduction fabrics, and I hope this will help to tame my collection a bit. Although I have made 36 blocks already, and it doesn't look like the pile has gone down at all. :)

On the weather front: I know lots of you out there are still struggling with snow and ice and freezing temps, but here we are having a nice warming spell. Hope that means Spring is around the corner.

My neighbor's almond tree is in full bloom.

Some nice Spring-y sculpture spotted at the entrance to our neighborhood.

While at the nearby shopping mall, the winter decorations are still hanging. Not for much longer though!

Fun Day in Beitar

2011-02-15T21:50:00.000+02:00

What a good time I had today! I went to a potluck lunch with all the ladies in Beitar. Some of them were from our quilt group, and some were ladies I had never met before. The company was great, the food was delicious, and I got away from my Math book! Not only that, but my neighbor Bonnie, who is a fellow quilter, came to the potluck with me, so I had a nice traveling companion. What could be better than that?

Yes, I had my camera with me and forgot to take pictures of all the scrumptious food. It was all colorful and beautifully prepared. I especially loved the salads (even the one I brought) and the great marinated fava beans that Sara brought (I think that's what they are called). I also brought my famous Spiced Pumpkin Bread, which disappeared pretty quickly. A number of people asked for the recipe, so here it is:

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup canola oil

1 15 oz. can pumpkin (I prefer Libbey's)

1/2 cup raisins

Now this is so easy. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a "well" in the center.

In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients. Then add them to the dry ingredients. Mix well. Add in the raisins.

You can do this by hand or with a mixer.

Spray two loaf pans with Pam. Divide batter between them. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on racks.

These freeze really well.

Enjoy!

Long Time No See

2011-02-14T13:37:00.000+02:00

I know some of you have wondered where I have been, and why I have been so quiet of late. Well, part of the reason is that I have had my head in the books and my nose to the

I think I spent the whole last month STUDYING! This morning I took my test in Introductory Sociology, and now I have only one more course left to finish my B.A.
If you don't already know, I went back to school last December to try to finish my education...at age 55. It's a little scary to sit in a classroom with 20 year olds, I have to say. And more than a little challenging to go back to school after 35 years. But with a lot of encouragement from my family...and a whole lot of prayer...it is really happening.

I've been Hibernating!

2011-02-10T09:07:00.000+02:00

The winter has only recently begun here in earnest, but I already feel like I am ready for it to end. I like warm weather!
The house has gotten much colder in the night. I turn the heater in Menucha's room on in the morning before she gets up, so she will awake to a nice, warm room. There is a lot of hot cocoa drinking going on! There is little chance of snow here, but we did get a couple of days of rain this week. On Monday, as I was on the bus going home from Beitar, I was surprised to see a large barrage of hail! That almost never happens here.

Because Jerusalem is considered to be in the "mountains", we do get colder temperatures than other parts of the country. Every couple of years we get a bit of snow, not much by North American standards, but we take what we can get!

Looking out over the forest from my window this morning, I saw a flock of these:

They are called bee-eaters. I've shown pictures of them here before, but it's worth showing again. Their colors are just so amazing. I wonder if their appearance is a sign of Spring. *Sigh*. I can't wait.

2011-01-30T09:38:00.000+02:00

I received such a nice comment today from Yael. Yael, please write me again, and send me your email address. Your email is set at No-reply, so I can't answer your comment, but I would love to correspond with you some more. It's always exciting to meet a fellow Jewish quilter!

Cure for the Winter "Blahs"

2011-01-28T08:22:00.001+02:00

Even though it hasn't been much of a winter here, I am still longing for warmer weather and can't wait for spring to come along.
On these grey days, everything seems so blah. Lucky me, I remembered a little quilt top that was sitting in the pile of unquilted tops, just waiting for a grey and cheerless day! Can't be gloomy with a riot of color like this and with the sewing machine humming away. A cup of hot cocoa, some yummy pumpkin bread warm from the oven and loaded with raisins and nutmeg, and the blahs are banished!

Next up on the To-Do List:

Another finish!

2011-01-24T16:55:00.000+02:00

This was started before my trip to Florida. I finally got a chance to finish piecing all the blocks together and then I stippled the whole thing. The blocks were made with a jelly roll of Pretty Please by Jennifer Pagianelli (I'm sure I spelled that one wrong :).
The border was from a different fabric line, I can't remember which one right this minute. (watch, it will come to me in the middle of the night.) I saw the technique for making this on a video tutorial from Missouriquiltco.com. It's called Summer in the Park. Doesn't it look fresh and summery?

The quilt will be for our grandson's wife, Adina. She is a really lovely young lady, and always has such a fresh-faced look. As soon as I saw this pattern, I knew it was just right for her.

Sunset Viewed from the Mountaintop

2011-01-13T20:43:00.000+02:00

Herodian

2011-01-13T20:40:00.000+02:00

Herodian is a mountain fortress built by the king Herod about 2000 years ago. He actually dumped tons and tons of dirt on the top of an existing mountain to make it taller and flat on the top. Towers were built on the top, and other structures such as a bath house and sauna.
The inside of the mountain was hollowed out to create storage areas.

It is like a rabbit's warren inside, with all kinds of twisting pathways and cavern-like rooms.

Huge cisterns were dug, to store water which was brought from many miles away, as there is no natural water source nearby.
Here is a view of one of them. A servant would have come down the steps with a pitcher, and dipped it in to the water.

Herod was fond of entertaining the Roman officers who were in Israel at that time. He made a sauna for them, and even
created a swimming pool. Here is a picture of what remains of the pool. You can still see where a fountain would have been
in the middle. Imagine the feats of engineering it must have taken to bring enough water from afar to fill this large of a pool!

Day Trip, Part 2

2011-01-12T11:41:00.001+02:00

The second part of our trip was to a very special village. This is a place where 13-18 year old boys who are "in trouble"--out on the streets, involved with drugs and crime, from broken homes, etc. can come to live. The village, whose name "S'dei Bar" means "Wild Fields" has taken these boys off the streets, created a warm and loving home for them, and rehabilitated them completely. Instead of the boys going to juvenile detention centers, they are given education (school in the morning) and occupation (they work in the goat farm and dairy) and lots of guidance. Many of them go on to join the Israeli army, which means they have become a real part of society again. Some of them have gone on to become pilots in the Israeli Air Force, which is amazing. Because they were able to earn their high school diplomas at the village, they can go on to university and earn higher degrees of learning.
The dairy produces fantastic goat's milk yogurts in all different flavors--passion fruit, mixed berry, strawberry, etc. They also make a variety of wonderful goat's milk cheeses. Believe me, I did not think I would like any of this stuff. But they gave us free samples of everything, and it was all delicious.

This sign at the entrance to the dairy says, "Welcome to S'dei Bar. Goat's milk cheeses in the heart of the desert."

There is a little sitting area, and a store, where guests can enjoy hot drinks and goat's milk yogurts.

Here are some of the 150 goats of the farm. The boys who live here are responsible for their care. They go to their high school classes in the morning, and care for the goats in the afternoons. The goats have to be milked twice a day, at 6:00 a.m. and at 6:00 p.m. The milk has to be made into cheese and yogurt. The boys do it all. Isn't this better than being in jail or a juvenile detention center?

Another interesting industry that has been developed in the village is the manufacture of large pellets which can be used instead of wood logs for heating the house. Many of the olives grown in Israel, and especially in the Tekoa area, are used for producing olive oil. There is a lot of waste left over from the the process of pressing the olives. The broken olives are considered an environmental hazard and extremely toxic. The village figured out a way to compact the leftover olive pieces into pellets. They burn well, produce excellent heat, and are non-polluting. They're cheaper than wood, and using them conserves trees. Not only that, but the ash left over from burning them makes an excellent fertilizer! Now the village is working on a process to shape the broken olives into briquettes, which can be used instead of charcoal briquettes for grilling. Since everyone in this little country loves to barbeque, this is guaranteed to be a best-seller!

Next post: the last stop on our trip, the mountain palace of Herod, known as Herodion.

A Hike in Three Parts

2011-01-12T11:23:00.000+02:00

When my sister-in-law Linda invited me to go along with her on a full-day trip, I was reluctant to go. The DH has been unwell for a month now, and it is really hard for me to leave him. But after a month of almost non-stop caregiving, I really needed a break. So I decided to go.
Linda works at a girls' school in Jerusalem. When the school takes the girls on trips, she can go along and even take a guest of her own. Lucky me, I was the one she chose.
Our tour guide was one of the best in the country, Shonnie Taragin. We visited three places. First was the village of Tekoa, in the area where the prophet Amos lived. Here is Shonnie reading to us from the Book of Amos.

The area around Tekoa is hilly and rugged. There are caves all along the hillsides, created by water and wind erosion over the years.
A group of Christian monks used to live in these caves in the 5th century. They had a practice of silence during the week, but on Sunday they would gather together to share their meals, commune, and sing. Then they would return to their individual caves and their silence, until the following Sunday.

The valley between the hills is called a "wadi". I'm not sure of the exact translation, but I understand a wadi to be a river bed that is dry most of the year, but when the rain from the mountains runs down to the bottom of the valley in the rainy season, it forms a river there. Technically, I guess the bottom of the valley behind my house could be considered a wadi, as when there is a heavy rainfall, a lovely stream is created in the middle. In this picture you can clearly see the dry riverbed between the hills of Tekoa.

Debbie's Giveaway

2011-01-09T19:43:00.000+02:00

My friend Debbie is having a giveaway on her blog, Jerusalem Notes: Fiberworks by Debbie. Just go to her blog and leave a comment (plus another one on your blog, if you have one) and be entered to win one of three prizes. They all involve subscriptions to The Quilt Show. I don't know if you have seen it before, with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson, but it is the nicest online quilting program, and they have all the great quilters on there. I really hope I win!

First finish for the new year!

2011-01-07T08:53:00.001+02:00

With everything that is going on here, it is lucky I can get in any sewing time at all.
But I managed to get this little quilt quilted and bound. It has been too cloudy to go outside and take pictures, so I just
hung it from the bannister and took a quick shot.
I made a scrappy binding for it, and worked on sewing the binding down while we were waiting in doctors' offices. There has been a lot of that lately, so it wasn't hard to get the binding done.

It's been a While

2011-01-06T23:58:00.000+02:00

Things here have been pretty crazy, and I know I've really been out of touch.
But everyone has been sick...my grandchildren, my husband. I have been playing full-time nurse since I got back from the States. And it's not over yet.

I do have a quilt finish to show, but it will have to wait another day, until I can post a picture of it. Until then, I hope you will enjoy this picture of two of my Houston grandchildren as much as I did!

Here in Florida

2010-12-16T22:33:00.000+02:00

Here I am, in the good old U.S. of A. Visiting with my parents in beautiful South Florida. The weather was quite cold for the first couple of days after I got here, but now it is warming up nicely and actually starting to feel like Florida.
Yesterday we ate at a nice restaurant called European Cafe, in Boca Raton. We enjoyed lunch with my daughter's in-laws, who we are quite close with. I did forget to take pictures yesterday, even though the camera was right in my purse. I had a wonderful panini with portabello mushrooms; was that ever delicious! From there we drove to a really great quilt shop that was only about 10-15 minutes away, called Sunshine Sewing. This was my first time there, and do they ever have beautiful fabric. If you are ever in the area, you should stop in. Faye Nicoll and her husband own and manage the store together. What a nice "mom and pop" feel the store has! Faye has designed some beautiful Judaic quilts, and samples are hanging all around the shop. She has used lots of Kaffe Fassett fabrics, and the machine quilting and embellishment are stunning! She has lots of kits for sale, so you can make her designs. There are also nice Judaic quilt hangers for sale. All of these things (and more) are available on her web site. Check them out!

Special regards to you ladies in Beitar. I'm thinking of you! Haven't had any time to check my Reader, so Etty if you have posted anything, I will have to get caught up when I get home. Am keeping busy enjoying my visit with Mom & Dad. Send hugs to the group from me!

From Cousin Betsy

2010-12-02T19:05:00.001+02:00

A little humor:

Lotsa Love...

2010-11-30T20:21:00.000+02:00

My DH was up the hill visiting his daughter and her family. When he came home, this was what he brought:
This was the quilt I made for oldest granddaughter Aviva when she was born, 16 years ago. It used to be pink. It has been used every day for 16 years, by one granddaughter or another. I see two of the seams on the front have popped

and look what happened to the back.

Surprisingly, the eyelet lace all around it is intact, and even pretty white.
Not so surprisingly, I have started a new quilt for my granddaughter. I think she'll like it.

Happiness is...

2010-11-29T21:18:00.000+02:00

...a special visit from some special quilting friends.

They came all the way from Washington State to tour our beautiful Land of Israel.

As soon as I met them I felt I had known them for years.

We spent a wonderful morning together viewing a quilt exhibit and hitting the fabric store.

They brought me a lovely collection of fabrics for a gift, even though I had told them I didn't need anything.

Evelyn, thank you so much for everything! I was so glad to meet you at last, and hope we will get to meet again soon--in Houston? Wouldn't that be the greatest?

Our New Baby...

2010-11-25T21:32:00.000+02:00

...is here. Our new little grandson was born just after 12:00 this afternoon. I haven't seen him yet (I've been put in charge of his two older brothers), but you can bet some more photos are coming when I do get to see him. (My son took this one. He also shot a video of the nurse checking the baby right after he was born. You could see her making sure all the parts were there. Fingers: check. Toes: check. etc., etc. I cried all the way through that part, I'll tell you that. It is such a miracle when a baby is born with everything where it should be. We don't have Thanksgiving here in Israel, but I am feeling so much gratitude for the miracle of a healthy baby.
Thank you, Lord.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-24T17:21:00.000+02:00

Rerun from yesterday

2010-11-23T22:44:00.001+02:00

Yesterday I posted these pictures, but they didn't show up in my blog. So today I am posting them again for those of you who couldn't see them.
I was walking around downtown Jerusalem and passed by an old house with a walkway that was paved with these tiles. Kind of like elongated baby blocks, no?

Either they ran out of tiles, or some of them needed to be replaced. So look what they used--love that Liberated look. Especially the checkerboard.

Love love love spirals. I don't know why. Love how this one was put up on the fence, in a frame.

And lastly, we had been talking about Flying Geese in our quilt group in the morning. When I got home, I was feeling inspired. Had always made those Flying Geese blocks with the little square you sew on the corners. This time I decided to finally try the method I had been reading about all over the place--a quick piecing method that makes 4 blocks at once and no waste! You quilters who make the Flying Geese with the corner square method know how much waste that one makes. Well, the only waste left over from making my 36 Flying Geese blocks was a little teensy microscopic pile of "dog-ears". I'll take a photo to show you tomorrow. Too tired tonight. I went with Menucha and my sister and her son to see the new Harry Potter movie, and we came home late. I'll also take a photo of What I Made from the Flying Geese blocks. Something I never thought I would make. 8-)

Good night, all!

500!!!!!!

2010-11-18T16:48:00.000+02:00

Yes, I finally reached the magic number--500 posts. The last 5 took forever, as so many things were going on in my life.
Now I'm waiting for the next exciting event--a new grandbaby, expected any day now. :) And here is his/her quilt top, all pieced and ready for quilting. I think I'll put a red binding around it, and that will be enough. No borders needed. I have really come to like quilts without borders. Oooh, what a great name, Quilts without Borders. A new blog name, perhaps?

Now I have to think about a giveaway for the quilting ladies in Beitar. Yay!

On My Design Floor

2010-11-11T12:18:00.003+02:00

Yesterday I woke up at 5:30, suddenly realizing I hadn't paid the credit card bills (there are 5 of them). Ran screaming down the steps to my computer (I pay my bills online) and hurried to check how bad the situation was. Had to hold my breath while the computer was booting up (takes forever, takes forever), and then I saw it...I had paid them all at the end of October. Just like I was supposed to. Guess I had had one of those anxiety dreams.

Then in the afternoon, I spent some time with my little grandsons at the park. (Forgot the camera, remembered the chocolate bars.) While I was admiring how sweet and smart they are, and how cute too, I suddenly remembered that their mother is expecting...and due any day now...and no baby quilt in sight! How could I have overlooked this? So quick as could be, after supper I pulled out my 1930's charm squares and got to work. It's looking nice so far, isn't it?

Words of Appreciation

2010-11-01T23:39:00.000+02:00

Many thanks to all the dear people who have written me their kind thoughts on our recent loss.
Losing a dear one is difficult no matter where you are in the world, but even the smallest gesture from another person helps to ease the pain. So please know that even though I can't reply to all of you individually, I appreciate your support and kindness more than words can express.

Hugs,
Susan

What I've Been Working On

2010-11-01T10:08:00.001+02:00

Well, it hasn't been too much. We have been so busy over the last couple of months, caring for my mother-in-law until her death, and then the difficult process of sorting through all of her personal effects. A person can collect a lot of personal effects in 94 years! My sisters-in-law and I worked for weeks to clean out the apartment, dividing up the furniture, jewelry, her artwork, etc. Mommy had never done any handicrafts before she moved into the assisted living; then she discovered that she loved making pottery, jewelry, and ceramics. She painted with watercolors, fashioned pictures from clay, and even make projects out of felt. The assisted living offered lots of craft classes, and she took them all. So now most of her ceramics and paintings are in my house (yes, the house I am constantly trying to declutter). We are going to have to get a bigger house just to hold her stuff. :)

I did manage to finish quilting this lovely Orange Peel quilt. The pattern was from Kathleen Tracy's book, "Remembering Adelia".

Because it has been such an intensely emotional time (a week after my MIL's passing, our second grandson got married), I have been happiest doing some hand-stitching. I finally pieced the Civil War Baskets quilt from "Remembering Adelia". The simple act of sewing the basket handles on by hand was very soothing, in the spare minutes I could find to work on them. I will quilt it by hand too, which I love doing. My stitches aren't perfect, and probably never will be, but I love putting thousands of tiny stitches into something and seeing the beauty that results. And I love the "homey-ness" of these baskets made from civil war reproduction fabrics.

Beautiful Jerusalem

2010-10-07T21:43:00.001+02:00

Today we were on the Mount of Olives, praying at my dear mother-in-law's grave. The view from the mountain is spectacular, and I had time to snap a couple of shots.

Running horizontal across the center of the the picture you can see the wall surrounding the Old City of Jerusalem. The gold domed structure on the left is the one of the two mosques located on the Temple Mount. Somewhere behind that mosque is the Western Wall, which used to be known as the Wailing Wall. To get an idea of the scale of things here, you can see a car going along the road, a little below the exact middle of the picture. Look how tiny the car looks next to the high wall.
You may not find it interesting that there are clouds in the distance, but I do--there are no clouds in the sky here in the summer, but now it is Fall, and the rainy season is coming. So now we are starting to have some clouds!

My Sweet Mother-in-Law

2010-10-03T09:38:00.000+02:00

This was the last picture I took of my mother-in-law. She was holding her newborn great-grandson. Mommy lived to hold her great-great-grandson in her arms last January. She was the sweetest woman I knew, my mother-in-law for twenty years. In all that time, we never had a disagreement. After my father-in-law's bypass surgery, they stayed in my house in Baltimore for 3 months. She and I cooked together in my tiny kitchen for 3 months and got along perfectly all the time, even though she was an experienced cook and I really wasn't.

My mother-in-law, Toby Lewis, passed away on Wednesday night, leaving behind over 100 descendents. May her memory be for a blessing.

I have been so busy!

2010-09-14T10:17:00.000+02:00

I have been so busy these last few weeks, I don't even know what I've been busy with! I just know a lot has been going on, and there has been no time for even the tiniest little blog post. I apologize to anyone who has been looking out for updates from me, and hope that after the Jewish holidays end there will be more time to catch up, both on blog reading and on writing.

In the meantime, I wish for all of you a healthy, sweet New Year.

Secret Message to all Beitar Quilters

2010-09-03T17:40:00.000+03:00

Shhhh! Don't tell! This is my 495th post. You know what that means, right? Yes, another giveaway coming up. Just for you. Stay tuned.

A Lovely Squishie

2010-09-03T17:23:00.000+03:00

When you live overseas, sometimes it takes a long time for things to get here. Take this darling little giftie my DH just brought. I won this in a giveaway MONTHS ago. But it sure was worth the wait. I never won anything in a giveaway before, so this is doubly exciting.
Here is the adorable card. It's a picture of wonderful quilt.

And here is what I won: some great hand-dyed fabric from one of my favorite bloggers and people, Kristin at Knit One Quilt Too.

The fabrics were in two piles, one for warm colors and one for cool colors. I just love them all, and will save them until I decide on the perfect project. Thanks, Kristin! You sent them to me such a long time ago, you've probably forgotten about it already, but they're here with me, safe and sound.

Little Bits of Happiness

2010-09-03T16:41:00.000+03:00

My husband just got back from the States, and yippee! He brought back some supplies!
Batting. Of course, batting. We cannot live without batting.

New machine quilting gloves. One pair to replace mine that are pretty worn out from use, and one pair for my quilting student. And one pair for...let's just say it's a secret for now. And more curved safety pins. To add to the thousand I already have. If you ever saw how I baste a quilt, you would know why I need more. I don't take any chances.

Some charm squares for a project I'm so excited about. More about that later. :)

Three More Beauties!

2010-09-03T11:57:00.000+03:00

Again, some more of Debbie's quilts.
Stack 'n' Whack stars:

Some cozy floral teacups:

And a rainbow of hand-dyed fans:

What a Busy Week!

2010-09-03T11:19:00.000+03:00

This was a busy week. But Monday was definitely the highlight. Our group, the Zahava Quilters from Beitar, took a field trip to Debbie's house in Jerusalem. Debbie is an amazingly talented and prolific quilter, and had so many wonderful projects to show us. You can see a lot of them on Etty's blog, Quilter's Corner.
Here are a couple of my favorites, Dear Jane, and a lovely paper-pieced mini quilt. I love those Dear Jane quilts, but am content to look at the ones other people are making--this quilt is definitely not in my future!
More of Debbie's quilts in my next post.

And Monday was also the unveiling of the Big Secret we had been keeping under wraps since April...a Friendship quilt made for Etty, our lovely hostess, who opens her home and her heart to us every single week. She has taught most of the ladies in the group to quilt, and she was the one who invited me to the meetings. Our love and appreciation of her are very real.
Everyone made a block (well, I had to make three so it would come out square) and we all signed our names and wrote little sentiments in the centers. Etty's husband told us when her birthday would be, so we timed the giving of the quilt with that. I can't believe he didn't let the cat out of the bag, but it looks like he didn't--she was really surprised! Etty, enjoy your quilt, and use in the best of health!

More great pictures of Etty and her quilt on Debbie's blog, Jerusalem Fiber Notes.

Guess Who's Back!

2010-08-24T08:02:00.000+03:00

After I waited in the Arrivals hall for what felt like hours,

Menucha finally appeared. She had been travelling for more than 24 hours, going first from Indiana to Chicago by train, and then going on two planes, both of which were delayed. But she was in good spirits, and seemed none the worse for wear.

In the shuttle van going home from the airport, she showed me the 150 photos she took at camp. And I got to hear the hundreds of camp cheers she had learned. When we got home, she had to show me some of the dances she had done, and still MORE camp cheers!
Menucha, I'm so happy to have you home, safe and sound!

Itamar's Quilt

2010-08-23T07:13:00.001+03:00

Some of you may remember when my grandson, Baby Itamar,

was born somewhere back in January. When he was born, I made some Sailboat blocks for his quilt.

But then I got stuck, and had some trouble deciding how to put the blocks together. And then some of the red fabric RAN. (not the star fabric I used for the boats, a red-and-white gingham I was using for the sashing.) So that project was dropped. Like a Hot Potato!

Poor Baby Itamar. No quilt. From what I heard, Big Brother Ariel was being very nice about sharing his quilt with Baby Brother.
But still. Itamar needed a quilt. The grandmotherly guilt was kicking in big time! Then one day last week I was re-organizing my fabric stash, and came upon a lovely bunch of 4 1/2" squares. Perfect. After asking his parents whether Itamar would be offended by the presence of pink in his quilt, I proceeded to put them together...and now Itamar has a quilt of his own!

By the way, I learned to do two new things on this quilt. Rather than bring the binding around to the back and sewing it down by hand, as I usually do and have done for years, I attached the binding completely by machine. I hope no one will look too closely. But it did work. I used a method of sewing it so the stitches are invisible on the front. They only show in the back.
The other thing I did on this quilt--and I sure did surprise myself with that one--was to quilt some spirals here and there. I have wanted to branch out and learn to free-motion quilt spirals one of these days. And suddenly, I was doing it. There they were! (forgot to take a picture of them, sorry) For some of you out there, this may not be a big deal. But for someone like me, who has had to struggle with Fear of Free-Motion, this was MAJOR. I foresee a lot of spirals in my free-motion future--and loops. And flowers.
Oooh. There is going to be no stopping me!

Just a Pile of Scraps

2010-08-13T15:12:00.001+03:00

I keep looking at that little quilt hanging on my wall, the one from my previous post. It was just made from a pile of random 4 1/2" squares, but it's so colorful and happy. Every time I walk by it, I just have to smile. Makes me remember how much I love scrap quilts. I don't think I could ever go back to making the other kind.
On another subject, Blogger tells me I'm almost at 500 posts. 500?? How did THAT happen?
Am thinking of changing the name of my blog in honor of the occasion. And maybe...just maybe...a giveaway.
Have a great weekend- have fun and be safe wherever you are!

Leaders & Enders Project

2010-08-13T14:58:00.000+03:00

By now I think everyone has heard about Bonnie Hunter's "leaders & enders" method of piecing. This quilt top was pieced like that. I was working on piecing a different quilt. At the end of every seam, instead of cutting the thread I would just slip in a couple of these 4 1/2" squares under the needle. After sewing them together, I sewed another seam on my first quilt top. Just kept alternating between one quilt and the other. In this way, there was always something under the needle, I saved time and thread, and got two quilt tops pieced at the same time. Now I just have to put the borders on this one, and the
top will be done.
This was a really fun way of doing things, and I feel like I got two quilts for the price of one!

Borders On!

2010-08-10T13:00:00.001+03:00

While the center of this little quilt was done a while ago, it has taken a while to decide on the borders. I actually found the fabric Kathleen Tracy used in her original quilt, at a quilt shop in Australia, $22 Australian for a meter of fabric and $15.20 for shipping. Thought about it for a bit, actually considered doing it, and then finally came to my senses. There was no WAY I was going to pay that much for a yard of fabric.

So I let go of the idea. And went through my stash. And found fabric that was just fine for the borders. I even decided not to make the corner squares on the outside border, as was done in the original pattern. It looked fine to me just like this, with a nice warm brown all the way around. What do you think? Any opinions?

A Sweet Finish!

2010-08-05T17:16:00.001+03:00

This afternoon I finally got the binding sewed down on my Tumblers quilt. The pattern for this came from Amanda Jean, of crazymomquilts. I used the same fabric as her--4 charm packs of Sweet by Moda. I love this quilt, even though it did take me out of my comfort zone, color-wise. Have never been a big fan of orange, and orange + green is a little much for me. Why does it always remind me of 7-Eleven? Well, I do like the combination of aqua and red, and this was the first time I actually made something with those colors. I especially like those little birds, can you see them in there?

This quilt was so fast and easy to piece, and the quilting took no time at all. Just nice straight lines. In fact, I think sewing down the binding took longer than piecing the top did! Especially because it was a little hot here to be sitting with a quilt on one's lap--it's been 100 degrees all week long, and we don't have central air. But it's done, and I'm really feeling good about that.
I have been trying to turn over a new leaf and become what I call a Finisher, i.e. someone who starts a project and really finishes it. Have been working the whole last year to finish up a lot of my UFO's, and really succeeded on a lot of them. And I'm trying very hard to stay away from starting any new projects. Easier said than done. I hope one day to have no UFO's hidden in their little baskets anymore. I'll just get an idea for a quilt, buy the fabric, make the quilt, and go on to another one. What a nice dream.
In the meantime, I have been attacking the huge pile of thrifted men's shirts, and cutting them up into usable fabric. Am trying to take apart one shirt a day, but so far it doesn't seem to even be making a dent. I can't show a picture of that. It's just a big messy pile, and too embarrassing to show pictures of. The other thing I have been collecting is girls' flowered cotton dresses. I have been cutting them up, and am planning to just make a simple quilt of 4-inch squares. Have to decide if I have enough dresses yet.
It's late afternoon, and it's finally starting to cool down a bit here. I saw on the weather report that temps reached 111 in the Jordan River Valley, just down the hill a little from us. Can't even imagine 111 degrees--can you? Okay, time to take another ice cream break. Be back soon. Hope you are staying cool wherever you are!

2010-08-02T21:38:00.000+03:00

This beautiful Dresden Plate was spotted at the quilt meeting this morning at Etty's house. Made by Esther, who for some reason was hiding behind the block and wouldn't come out! But doesn't this have the loveliest vintage look? I really love the flowered fabric she used for the center. Doesn't it really make the whole thing beautiful? I have always seen either solid circles in the center, or fabric with dots (like in the Dresden Plate in the Material Obsession II). This is the first time I saw a flower fabric used, and I love it!

If you double-click on the photo, you can see that the background is some very pretty pre-quilted fabric. I never saw that either. Well, I do love seeing new things. And I learn something new every day.

Art is Everywhere

2010-08-02T21:33:00.000+03:00

On my way home from the quilt meeting in Betar, I passed by a nice playground. There are little parks like this one all over Israel. We are a very kid- and family-oriented society. But what really caught my eye about this one was the fence around it... it reminds me of the Double Hourglass quilt I made a couple of months ago...and I love the color of the paint. Would have taken some more pictures to show you, but I had to run for the bus...

I WON!

2010-08-01T08:50:00.001+03:00

Recently I stopped entering blog giveaways, having decided that I don't win anyways so why bother?
But maybe I should reconsider that decision--last night I found out that for the very first time I WON!
Kristin over at Knit One Quilt Too was giving away some of her hand-dyed fabrics, and I just had to leave a comment and enter the giveaway. Those fabrics were so gorgeous, I just couldn't pass up the chance. And wouldn't you know it, some of them are going to be mine, all MINE! Wonder which of these will end up in my mailbox... I can't wait to see!

I Can't Believe It!

2010-07-29T10:57:00.000+03:00

I can't believe it. My Baby is gone. Little Menucha has spread her wings and taken off on her own Adventure. After a week of shopping furiously to try to get everything on her camp list, days of sewing and ironing on labels to all of her possessions (culminating in a fine new burn on my arm), she finally left for camp last night. Since she was travelling as an Unaccompanied Minor, a Continental representative took charge of her at the airport, and I had to say goodbye to her at Security. Had myself a little cry, sat and sewed on a quilt binding in a waiting area in the airport until the plane had definitely taken off, and went home.
What a quiet house it is this morning! This is the first time Menucha has gone away from home in all of her nearly 14 years, and it is strange to be without her.
But I will try to have some fun while she is gone ;-).

Okay, a correction is in order. As you can see, the original Karen K. Stone pattern (here's a picture of it) was called Lady Liberty goes to Hawaii, not California, as I said in my post the other day.

I am making my version in such bright colors, I called it Lady Liberty goes to California. I like it both ways, really. After looking at the pattern instructions, I saw that it called for 125 different fabrics. Have the feeling that that's why I quit after 16 blocks...I just didn't have that many fabrics, and when I started this I wasn't able to afford to buy enough fat quarters to do it up properly. I like a small version anyways. Will just have to decide on some cute borders.

Have a bright and sunny day!

Lady Liberty Mystery

2010-07-27T10:49:00.001+03:00

I was looking through some my bins the other day, and discovered...these...

Sixteen blocks I must have pieced about 7 years ago, made with Karen Stone's pattern, Lady Liberty Goes to California. It was really easy to make those spikes with the foundation papers. They came out with perfect points every time. And even the curved parts weren't too bad.
Why didn't I make the rest of the blocks? Did I run out of fabric? Or out of patience? I guess I'll never know, but maybe I should square these up and sew them together. Then I'll see if I have some fabric to use for borders.
I really like these fabrics. This was the first time I had used brights, and it opened up a whole new world for me. In fact Karen Stone's original quilt was made with darker colors, and old-fashioned prints, and I like it in brights a lot better. A different look, I guess. That's one of the things I like about quilting. You can take the same pattern and make it in different fabrics, and you have a whole different quilt. I like it that every quilter can express herself in her own way.

Making Progress

2010-07-26T00:01:00.000+03:00

The summer is speeding by. Have been busy getting my sweet daughter ready to go to sleep-away camp. This will be her first time going away from home. And possibly the first time in 13 (all right, almost 14) years that her father and I will be alone. Hopefully we will find time for a little getaway, just the two of us. I'll let you know if it happens. :-)

Here she is, after a long afternoon of shopping for clothes to take to camp. The camp list is sooo long. Sometimes it feels like we will never get all the things she needs. But she seems cheerful nonetheless.

After the shopping trip, we went to watch my nephew perform in his play for drama camp. He had the lead role, and definitely stole the show.

You knew there had to be some sewing going on here somewhere, didn't you? Even though it has been hard to sit for very long, on account of my back still being a little tender, I have managed to get some piecing done.
This is a quilt made from a pattern by Amanda Jean over at CrazyMomQuilts. The tutorial was on one of my favorite websites, Moda Bake Shop. It's so easy to make this one. It just takes 4 charm packs (I used SWEET, just like she did) to make the top, and the template for the tumbler shape is cut right out of the cardboard that comes with the charm squares. Isn't that the best?
First it was short...

Then it got longer...

And now I have half of the quilting done. I'll take some more pictures when the quilting is all finished. The backing is white with red dots, and the binding will be red with white dots. It's exactly baby size. A super cute quilt!

More Beautiful Ironwork

2010-07-23T06:34:00.001+03:00

There is art all over Jerusalem. Every neighborhood has its outdoor sculptures. And every house has its own particular beauty. Even purely practical things, like a fence around a yard, can be fashioned with creativity, delighting the senses.

Yesterday we saw a yard surrounded by this...

and in a different neighborhood, an entranceway to an upscale house that looked like this...

The theme from the front gate was continued in the ironwork on the wall around the garden.

A Short Walk

2010-07-20T09:46:00.002+03:00

A short walk to the health clinic this morning yielded these chance views: Some beautiful blue flowers on a fence...

An amazing white flower with long purple spikes growing out of a wall...

And three sweet young children, sitting in the window and singing. In Israel, our windows are large, probably to let in ventilation because central air conditioning is a rarity, and also to let in the abundance of light, which we love. Because the windows are so big, each one must be covered by iron bars, so children won't fall out. This gives a lovely place for them to sit and watch the world go by.

This little scene brought tears to my eyes. Today is the 9th day of the Jewish month of Av, a very solemn day for the Jewish people, as we recall the tragic events of our history--the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the exile of the Jews from Israel, the Holocaust in Europe, and other sad occurences. How many times our foes attempted to wipe us out! But here, in this window, is a sign of hope, of optimism for the future...children, a new generation, singing in the window.