|
Tallis Stories |
|
My initial concept for this tallis was that the panels would be quilted -- but this went by the wayside fairly quickly as I realized that adding embroidery would give me a level of detail I couldn't hope for by pieced quilting. I used batiks and cotton fabrics for the backgrounds, then hand- and machine-embroidered the details. The osprey and blue heron were done free-hand, based on pictures taken by a fellow leukemia patient and photographer who had recently undergone a bone marrow transplant. I sent him pictures of Joel’s tallis about six weeks after transplant and he shared them with many of his friends and colleagues. The osprey’s name is Luther, named for the Lutheran church steeple where he perched. My friend gained the bird's confidence over many months, plying Luther with food so he could approach the bird. The side with the sun and birds reflects Joel’s long-standing interest in the Chesapeake Bay – there’s elodea (a water plant he studied for Science Fair), water grasses (which he planted), oysters and blue crabs (yes, they’re treyf, but he studied them over a couple of summers at various environmental studies camps) and a Maryland terrapin (a subtle way of saying “Go Terps!”). The “nighttime” side is Jerusalem; Joel’s Hebrew name is in the stars, the Torah represents his studies and preparation with his Hebrew tutor and mentor, and the city represents his interests in history and government. |
|
Joel’s Tallis |
|
My Tallis |
|
This was an early experiment with “crazy quilting,” in which pieces of fabric are randomly assembled and the seams are hand embroidered. Now I know why it’s called crazy quilting – it takes forever to complete… On one side is a representation of Shabbat – the Jewish Sabbath -- with candles, a loaf of challah, a Kiddush cup and flowers. On the other side is an interpretation of Kohelet, or Ecclesiates – “to everything there is a season…” The outside border of this panel is a sukkah (an outdoor structure built in the fall to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot), and I have incorporated the seven fruits of Israel (dates, olives, figs, wheat, barley, grapes, and honey). Some of the seams are decorated in matzah, hamentaschen, pomegranates, menorahs, etc. The collar and Hebrew lettering are the results of playing around with my Mother’s Day gift – specialized embroidery software for my sewing machine. |
|
Kathy’s Tallis |
|
This tallis was made for a woman who was reading Haftorah for the first time at her congregation in New York. She chose a periwinkle blue and white to represent Israel and seven stripes to represent the Fathers and Mothers — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara, Rachel, Rebecca and Leah. Her atarah (crown, or collar) on her tallis is taken from the last verse of her Haftorah: “...What does G-d require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your G-d?” (Micah 6:8). |
|
To contact me: |
|
Blue heron |
|
Luther the osprey |
|
The Jerusalem and Chesapeake sides of Joel’s tallis |
