Friday, December 13, 2013

Torah Stitch By Stitch

I have never done counted cross stitch. I think I remember starting some cross stitch pieces when I was a kid, but I never finished a thing. So, when I read about this project, I only had to think about it for 2 seconds. I knew I had to participate. I thought there's always YouTube to learn.
http://torahstitchbystitch.temmagentles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/to-engage.jpg

Torah Stitch By Stitch is an extraordinary international project done by ordinary people. Temma Gentles, a Canadian fiber artist had a vision of creating a Torah using counted cross stitch and involving the world wide community. Teams of 4 could work on each section.cyrrently there are over 500 stitchers in 12 countries. When each participants section is assembled into the complete text if the Five Books if Moses to compose a Torah scroll, it will measure 2 meters (6.5 ft) high x 86 meters (282 ft)long. That is almost the length of a football field.
I "recruited" 3 friends of mine from Temple Sholom, my synagogue, to work with me. Fortunately one of us ( not me) had experience with counted cross stitch. She became our leader.
Our first meeting was in October. We were entering the synagogue at the same time as our Rabbi. He was so pleased to hear about the project and offered to share with us the story behind our portion of the Torah. He is a fascinating and funny young guy and his recounting the story of Issac and his 2 sons gave such meaning to what we were going to stitch.
I have finished my 2 1/2 lines and have passed it off to my friend, Dina.

I have to thank Stephanie. She was sitting next to me while I was stitching at our last quilt guild meeting. She saw me looking at the paper, looking at the cloth, looking at the paper, counting the boxes, over and over. She told me about using the disappearing blue marker to place a dot on the cloth. What a difference that made.
I believe more people are needed to complete the project. If you're interested, check out the website:www.torahstitchbystitch.temmagentles.com. If your heart is willing, your hands will follow.
And here are a few more winter scenes from my 11 degree walk on Wednesday morning.


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9 comments:

  1. Nancy H.December 13, 2013 at 8:26 AM

    I can't believe you had never done counted cross stitch before! I thought you had tried everything that could be done with a needle! Sounds like a cool project..have fun with it. Thanks for sharing the blue dot tip too. I will definitely try it the next time I cross stitch. So glad you took pictures on your walk. I recognize where some of them were taken and it's fun to see them all snowy. I love it when the snow sticks to all the branches. Beautiful pictures and I am sure more beautiful in person. I hope you didn't freeze too much!

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  2. Terry December 13, 2013 at 8:36 AM

    Carry a few of those photos with you for walks in Key West.

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  3. LauraDecember 13, 2013 at 8:53 AM

    I've signed up for this project, but they have a backlog now, so I haven't gotten my kit yet. I hope this project will renew my interest in cross stitching.

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  4. Cathy PerlmutterDecember 13, 2013 at 10:52 AM

    Spectacular photos, Cheryl! And I have my package from Temma but have been afraid to start. I need to get going on it! Do you leave the blue marker in the stitching, or rinse it out?

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  5. WoolenSailsDecember 13, 2013 at 11:44 AM

    Your cross stitch is beautiful. I learned tips and techniques when I worked in a craft shop, she was an expert in stitchery, so my first ones were nice, now i can't see well enough. Beautiful place to walk, but a bit cold. I like cold in the snow as long as there is no wind.

    Debbie

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  6. Pinkadot QuiltsDecember 13, 2013 at 2:10 PM

    Pretty snow pictures.

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  7. Judi RDecember 14, 2013 at 1:40 AM

    Hi Cheryl, I used to do a lot of counted cross stitch. I would love to be part of this project. Are there still openings or places to participate. I live in Bucks County, as you know. Please give me a heads up on who to contact n

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  8. Judi RDecember 14, 2013 at 1:42 AM

    Hi. I would love to be part of this project if it is still ongoing.

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  9. sjbDecember 14, 2013 at 10:02 PM

    Cheryl, Glad the tip helped! Do you still need stitching help? I'm willing to help.

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Thanks for stopping by. I'd love to hear from you.

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