3″ x 1″
Stitches: whipped stem stitch, whipped running stitch, colonial knot, detached chain stitch
Fabric: Linen
Private Collection
The olive branch represents the olive branch the dove brought to Noah after the flood waters receded. Olives have a rich history in Judaism, and especially around Hannukah. The leaves are chrysoprase beads. Chrysoprase is renowned for its ability to bring clarity and thereby happiness and prosperity.
The tradition shin is dark blue and white silk braided with a silver filament.
It’s small enough to be worn or attached to a door or altar space.
Technorati Tags: mezuzah, chrysoprase, beads, stem stitch
Winter, Autumn, Spring, Summer Click on the links above to go to Flickr and see all kinds of nifty details about my 4 seasons challah cover. I’m thinking of this one as the prototype. It’s a good start, but I’d like to do another and apply some of the things I’ve learned by making this one. I don’t have a full picture of it yet, so I “stitched” the scans together to make this facsimile of the real thing.
Technorati Tags: embroidery, linen, samplers, seasons, judaica, challah cover, chain stitch, french knots
Size: 6″ x 4″ (approx)
Stitches: ribbon stitch, bead stitch, appliqué
Materials: button, glass beads, silk & organza ribbon, linen
Status: Available
This isn’t specifically Judaica, but the inspiration was. I received these beautiful buttons from Raspberry and immediately saw the blue ones as pools of water, which lead me to the well of Miriam.
For this one, it’s not specifically the well of Miriam, but rather the moon reflecting on the water. It’s a bit abstract, and I’m not quite sure it worked. I created this as part of the 6×4 challenge group on Flickr. Like the mezuzah it’s just a size constraint, but it gives me a little more room to work than a tiny mezuzah!
Technorati Tags: embroidery, experiment, moon, water, fiber art, buttons, bead
I know this is a bit off topic, but as I use embroidery as part of my spiritual practice — and it’s my website — indulge me!
I just came across this great new embroidery resource via the In A Minute Ago blog. It’s a complete scan of an old “Fancy Work” book. The book can be distributed for free, because it’s long since passed copyright expiration. Sharon, of In a Minute Ago, also pointed readers to the Antique Pattern Library where she found this great book.
I love books like this because they are a great way for me to connect to my ancestors of blood and spirit. Seeing the stitches they used, how they would have learned them, and using them myself just connects the dots for me. I also love it because it’s part of women’s history. It’s a part that we don’t honor as much because it’s part of what used to be “women’s work.” But that work was astonishing. Just because we have many, many more options doesn’t mean we shouldn’t honor the work of those who came before us.
As the book can be distributed freely, I thought I would pass it along.
Fancy Designs: Ornamenting Oriental Work (pdf)
Technorati Tags: embroidery, patterns, designs, resources, women’s history, fancy work
