POMEGRANATE CHALLENGE: Exodus 28:33-34

On its hem make pomegranates of blue, purple and crimson yarns, all around the hem, with bells of gold between them all around...a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate...

Marie Cotton

The wall hanging is a prototype of Aaron's robe. It has a breastplate where the twelve "stones" representing the twelve tribes (done in the appropriate fabric to match the stone color, appliqued and then beaded) are encased by a silver and gold rope. The extensive hand quilting is done in gold thread. The rest of the top of the robe is hand quilted with diagonal lines. The base of the robe has a gold rope going across with two bells at the end. Below the rope are two red and two purple pomegranates, beaded, and surrounded by bells.

Barbara Rucket

Mixed Media Crazy Quilt, 11 1/2 by 13 3/4 inches. I used various fabrics, including hand dyed, batik, and fabrics with pomegranates some of which I tea dyed. All the fabric was pieced onto muslin. I also used fabric markers and a pomegranate rubber stamp over which I beaded.

The piece was embellished with embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery, bead embroidery, beads, sequins, trim, and bells. After it was embellished, I sewed a layer of heavy duty Pellon® and a batik fabric backing onto it and turned it as one would do a pillow.

I beaded an edging around the entire piece and hung fringe with fruits and bells from it.

Judith Solomont

My piece is an interpretation of the Cohen Gadol's priestly vestment. I have depicted a sun with the rays of the sun representing the stones on the Cohen's breastplate. The colors of the rays are taken directly from the description in the Torah and are in the order mentioned in the Torah. I found the common names of the stones and represented them in their corresponding fabric colors: Benjamin, Yashfe/Jade; Joseph, Shoham/Onyx; Asher, Tarshis/Emerald; Gad, Ahlama/Jasper; Naphtali, Shvo/Agate; Dan, Leshem/Jacinth; Zebulun, Yohelem/Diamond; Issachar, Sapir/Sapphire; Judah, Nofech/Turquoise; Levy, Bareket/Beryl; Simeon, Piteda/ Topaz; Reuven, Odem/Ruby. On the Cohen's breast plate, the stones are 3 across and 4 down starting with Reuven on the far left and ending with Benjamin on the far right. That's why I started with Reuven on the left. I separated each ray with gold cording couch with gold metallis thread to follow through with the symbolism of the sun. I machine embroidered the name of each tribe on its corresponding color. The sun is made of gold lame stabilized inside with plastic needlepoint canvas. I machine appliqued a spray of 3 pomegranates taken from the fabric I used for the backing and binding and beaded the centers of each pomegranate with purple, scarlet and turquoise, the colors of the pomegranates in wool at the bottom of the Cohen's vestment. I sewed bells at the bottom of each ray to also symbolize the bells at the bottom of the Cohen's vestment.

I used the sun symbolism as follows: As the light of the sun provides nourishment and growth for the pomegranate, so does the light of Hashem provide nourishment and growth for the Jewish people.

Materials and techniques used include 100 percent cotton fabric; gold cording couched with gold metallic thread; machine applique of pomegranates on gold lame; beads on pomegranates; machine embroidery; bells; plastic needlepoint canvas inside sun to give it stability so it won't flop over. (I sewed a pocket across the back on an angle and plan to put a wood slat through the pocket, attaching a hanger to that.) The overall size is approximately 18 inches square.

When I joined the [Pomegranate Guild] four years ago I told the group that I never made anything without a kit. Although I always did some type of hand work, whether sewing, knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, it was always someone else's idea. I never needed to design my own work. I think that being around the incredibly talented women in our group has rubbed off a little. I only started quilting 1 1/2 years ago when I took a quilting course with Miriam Sokoloff at Brookline High School. I fell in love with quilting and the idea that by mixing quilting patterns and fabric colors you can create a new project every time. This summers National Challenge was an interesting one for me. My project started out in one direction and then actually led me to create something totally different. I have always been amazed when my friends have told me that what they ended up with isn't what they started with. I can now understand.

   
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Posted on April 29, 2004.