Saturday, September 27, 2014

Shanah Tovah

Dear Quilters and Friends,

As we approach Rosh HaShanah, we are all still carrying the weight of this summer, the summer that began with 3 precious boys being kidnapped.

Rachelle Fraenkel, the mother of one of our boys, spoke in a moving video to help us focus on what's important this Rosh HaShanah, and the whole year.

May her call for unity help create a lasting achdut in all of Israel, and increase peace in the world.






Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Photo Shoot!

We wanted to take a photo of each and every block, and we were thrilled and touched when a local professional photographer Yael Luba volunteered her time and skills towards our project. (These photos of Yael were taken by me, obviously!)





I had the pleasure of assisting, and we had a lot of fun. Yael was amazed by the range of blocks, and we talked about art and creativity and healing.

Yael, thank you so much for making our circle of achdut bigger.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Getting Bigger...

After we trimmed the larger blocks, we had to address the blocks that were too small.

Sometimes, it was as easy as adding a simple border.
Sometimes, it required advanced engineering!

Before

After
Every time, we considered the design of the block, and selected fabric and design so that looked as if it had been there all along.

Before



After (with decorative masking tape!)
 
Some of your blocks may not look exactly the way you sent it to us, because we added a narrow border, or even replaced a border, and, of course, we always added new fabric.

But rest assured, we only made changes when we had to make the block larger, and were careful to maintain the natural, beautiful design of each block.

Before
After
Thank you for trusting us with your work.
We love your blocks and can't wait to piece the tops.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Achieving Block Perfection

Each and every block we received was already perfect, because they were made with love and care.

However, not every block was exactly the right size...

We got busy trimming of the tiniest edges to make each block just right.

Masking tape is our Best Friend! We label each block according to when it arrived, and with your name, and most recently with its exact position in a quilt. Sometime, the labels need replacing...


We are having great fun getting the blocks ready to be photographed professionally, before we piece them. More on the "too small" blocks soon...


Monday, September 8, 2014

Our final, final block!

Thank you for your efforts in getting this block to us - we are so happy to include another quilter in this project.

Sahra, Jerusalem  שרה, ירושלים

Sunday, September 7, 2014

A Whole New Beginning

We reached a new stage in this project: we had all our blocks and it was time to create the quilt tops.

First things first: the washed floor!


This collection of blocks is precious and irreplaceable; each block we picked up, we remembered who sewed it, and it made us smile. Setting them out to create quilts for 3 bereaved families was very emotional, and felt like a huge responsibility.

But what we saw when we made our first attempt was this: the great beauty of these quilts. They look like they were made by lots of different people.

This is what UNITY looks like.


Saturday, September 6, 2014

The Joys of Ironing! (Really!)

It's time to move to the next stage of our quilts... ironing and checking the size of each block, and creating the layout of the quilts themselves.

While we have enjoyed meeting each and every block that arrived, ironing them one by one has offered us the luxury of seeing your wonderful work up close. Check out these beautiful seams!



 

Friday, September 5, 2014

Maybe Our Last Blocks...

These 2 blocks may be the final ones we receive for these quilts... and they represent everything that is good about all our blocks: they were made with great care and love.

Carol, Raanana  קרול, רעננה

Susan, California  סוזן, קליפורניה
Thank you.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Energy Blocks

Last week we received these wonderful blocks from the UK, that will add so much movement and energy to the quilts:

Ruth, London  רות, לונדון

Ruth, London  רות, לונדון

Nita, London  ניטה, לונדון
Nita, London  ניטה, לונדון

Nita, London  ניטה, לונדון
Thank you for lending your skills and creativity to our project.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Modern Style

Thank you, fabulous quilters, for adding some modern designs to these special quilts!

Zahavah  זהבה

Yehudit, Ramat HaSharon  יהודית, רמת השרון

Aliza, Kfar Saba  עליזה, כפר סבא

Elisheva, Beit Shemesh  אלישבע, בית שמש

Stitching Friends

When friends plan together, wonderful things happen...

Irit, Ra'anana  אירית, רעננה

Rachel, Hertzeliyah  רחל, הרצליה
Thank you for your beautiful and meaningful handwork.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Remembering Our Boys

Thank you to the fabulous quilters who created these amazing blocks of three. We found them very moving.

Carmela, Moshav Tzofit  כרמלה, מושב צופית

Ednah, Kfar Saba  עדנה, כפר סבא

Meri, Hertzeliya  מרי, הרצליה
Sarah, Moshav Sdeh Chemed  שרה, מושב שדה חמד

Rivkah, Hod HaSharon  רבקה, הוד השרון

Michal, Kfar Maleli  מיכל, כפר מללי

Blocks with Applique

More blocks arrived this week that were sent right at the edge of the deadline - and boy are we glad to get them! Yet more examples of the wide range of skills all you quilters are bringing to this project: hand and machine applique, beautiful stitch work, surface design... it's just wonderful.

Ellen, London  אלן, לונדון

Yehudit, Ramat HaSharon  יהודית, רמת השרון

Daphnah, Kfar Saba  דפנה, כפר סבא
Thank you.

Friday, August 22, 2014

The Power of Naming

Thank you to the very special people who had this idea.

(Two quilters were involved in creating each block; we have listed them separately for clarity.)

Amy, Katzrin איימי, קצרין

Tzipah, Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi  ציפה, קיבוץ טירת-צבי



Gil-Ad, Naftali, Eyal - we will never forget you. We will remember your names and your faces always.

More Log Cabins

These blocks were made by a 9 year old girl. That makes THREE 9 year olds who have made blocks for our quilts. Three kids who are learning about the healing power of quilts. It lifts our spirits.

Moriyah (age 9), Bet Shemesh  מוריה (בת 9), בית שמש
 
Moriyah (age 9), Bet Shemesh  מוריה (בת 9), בית שמש

Thursday, August 21, 2014

3 is a Magic Number

Several quilters sent us 3 blocks this week - thank you so much. We will use one in each quilt.

Lisa, Highland Park   ליסה, היילנד פרק

Ramona, Raanana  רמונה, רעננה

Felisa, Edison  פליסה, אדיסון


PS I couldn't resist! The title is a song from "Schoolhouse Rock" :)

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

A Striking Star

We received this beautiful block, and know how gorgeous it will look when joined together with other lovingly made blocks from all over the world.

Tzvia, Kochav Ya'ir  צביה, כוכב יאיר

Thank you. What a circle of achdut we are building.

Lovely Blocks from Far Away

As usual, we are touched by the care and effort that has gone into making blocks that are elegant and meaningful.

Roz, Montreal  רוז, מונטראל
 



Roz, Montreal  רוז, מונטראל




Sharon, Montreal  שרון, מונטראל


Sharon, Montreal  שרון, מונטראל

Thank you.