Israel / Holyland Archives | Page 2 of 3

Taking the long, windy path…

There is a path in the town where I live in Beit Shemesh, Israel that runs quite a long way. This time of year it is very pretty with lots of blooming, particularly almond blossoms. I was inspired while strolling there and decided to work something up with that path in mind. This is still a work in progress, but it’s a nice beginning, I think.

I am thinking about how to best quilt it: maybe cobblestones? maybe ridges? I’m not sure. Also I’ve asked my friend Phyllis Cullen what she thinks about the shadows on the path. In a class I took with Phyllis last year, I remember she said the bottom of the path should be darker than the top so the path doesn’t appear to stand up.

More to come! Meanwhile, what do you think?

March 2, 2011 By admin

0 In Israel / Holyland/ Landscapes

Scenes from Holy Land: Sea of Galilee landscape quilt

Scenes from the Holy Land: Sea of Galilee is my rendition of the shores of lake Kinneret, located in the Galilee in Northern Israel. The Sea of Galilee is our main source of water and due to a severe drought water levels have been a great concern over the past few years.

This is the first of a series of Kinneret quilts I am planning. I think this part of the country is beautiful and I have tried to convey this in my quilt. I hope you too can appreciate the countryside by peering into the waters of my work. I used numerous fabrics to depict the rocks and mountains.

Dimensions: 19″w x 15″h / 48cm x 38.5cm

Available at my Etsy shop. Visit soon!

February 22, 2011 By admin

0 In Israel / Holyland/ Quilting Guilds/ Quilting Techniques

Etsy Quiltsy team: Traveling quilt blocks

The Quiltsy Team on Etsy has organized a round robin quilt. This time the blocks come from all over the world, including Canada, Australia, Israel and many parts of the US. The pattern is log cabin and the color range is blues, greens and purples. Each time someone posts a block, she sends a photo with the block within a scene indigenous to her home. All the posts appear in the Quiltsy Blog.I took a photo of my block on a windy day while standing in front of the ancient wall at Tel Tzora, Israel, famous for Samson and Delilah, which is just a few minutes from our house.
Wikipedia writes: “Samson is believed to have been buried in Tel Tzora in Israel overlooking the Sorek valley. There reside two large gravestones of Samson and his father Manoah. Nearby stands Manoah’s altar (Judges 13:19-24). It is located between the cities of Tzorah and Eshtaol.”

February 17, 2011 By admin

0 In Israel / Holyland

It’s raining… passion fruit!

It’s finally raining in the Land. We have had three glorious days of stormy weather from north to south and the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) is finally getting a sip.

I went out to the garden and found the passion fruit vine had shed it’s fruit — almost as if it was raining fruit. I filled two baskets. That should be enough for awhile since I am the only one in our family who likes them. Anyone have some good recipes for them? I usually eat them straight up.

They might make a nice subject for a quilt. I’ll have to mull that one over.

Enjoy the rain!
Cindy

February 1, 2011 By admin

2 In Israel / Holyland/ News

At the risk of being political… Israeli paratrooper killed

This post isn’t about quilting. This post, at the risk of being political, is about an Israeli paratrooper named Nadav Rotenberg, who was killed by IDF mortar fire on Friday night. He was defending our border with Gaza where Hamas terrorists attempt to target IDF troops on patrol on a daily basis. He became another Gaza casualty.

Two years ago, Israel led a defensive measure, Cast Lead, against these mortar attacks from Gaza. There was a slow down in the number of attacks and Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians but it never became quiet on this border. Lately the number of rockets flying into Israel have been on the rise.
If this situation existed between the US and Canada, do you think it would continue? And if we did miraculously manage a peace plan with Fatah, do you think Hamas in Gaza would honor that peace and the rockets would stop? (For more information, see http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=202739.)

A reality I deal with daily is that my son is also a paratrooper. Any of our sons in combat could have been Nadav Rotenberg this weekend. Any of us mothers could have received this dreaded news. Is that what our 19-year-old sons should have to face so we can all live in some level of serenity? Is this what the mothers of our 19-year-old sons should have to fear?

January 9, 2011 By admin

1 In Israel / Holyland/ Landscapes

Forest collection: By the lake

I visited Northern Israel over Sukkot and was inspired by scenes around the Jordan River. The view was breathtaking. I decided to create one of the scenes in fabric. It’s an impressionistic rendering, but I think you will agree you can wade through the water to the edge of the trees. I used cotton fabric to create this quilt art. The batting is cotton as well. If you are interested in purchasing it, contact me here or via my Etsy shop, where you will see other pieces of mine that are also up for sale.
Here is a photo of “By the Lake”.
Enjoy!

November 28, 2010 By admin

2 In Israel / Holyland/ Landscapes/ Works in Progress

Landscape art quilt, final basis is done

I have finally reached a point where the basis for this landscape art quilt is done. The design is my interpretation of the photo. I think you can see the two banks connected by a bridge. That’s what I was going for. The images are appliqued. The overall look will still change a lot once I start thread painting using free motion machine quilting techniques.

October 16, 2010 By admin

0 In Israel / Holyland/ Landscapes/ Works in Progress

Landscape art quilt, continued, and continued. Are you bored yet?

I had a great time at the fabric shop finding the right fabrics for my stone walls. It always energizes to visit the shop and be surrounded by beautiful fabrics. It’s like a candy store!

This project has been an education in proportion and perspective. The land and slopes are now in place. I need to add the foliage.If I did it right, you can sense the 3D quality. I really like the effect under the bridge. It looks like another land I would like to visit.

Here’s the latest version.

October 15, 2010 By admin

0 In Israel / Holyland/ Landscapes/ Works in Progress

Landscape art quilt, continued some more

Whew. This has been a real challenge. I worked intensively on the right side of the river and this is what I have come up with. The method I used is called collage. I allowed a play between dark and light greens to give the feel of a hillside. I’d be glad to hear what you think. Is it too busy? I think I like it. I need to leave it and come back to it.

October 13, 2010 By admin

1 In Israel / Holyland/ Landscapes/ Works in Progress

Landscape art quilt, continued

This morning I decided the flatness of the sides and the bridge rendered the quilt ineffective. So, back to the drawing board. I worked on the lightness:darkness ratio, (known as color value), on the bridge. I didn’t even tackle the sides of the river though I did remove them… So here is the current rendition. Sometimes if you take a break from a project, you may realize you do not like parts of it. You can always shift things around and rework them. Don’t give up. Look at the next iteration as a lesson learned. I say this as much for myself as for anyone who may be reading this blog.

October 12, 2010 By admin

Older Posts

Newer Posts