Rachael and Russell's Wedding

We could not have asked for a more perfect day!

Creating a Chupah for Rachael and Russell

My daughter Rachael asked me to create a chupah for her upcoming wedding to Russell.

Rather than crafting a quilted chupah which I thought would take a long time and would prove very hot in the summer California sun, I opted to create a chupah using a silk-painting technique.

This was a bit of a stretch for me as the only silk painted piece I had ever done measured 11 inches square and the chupah that I would be making was going to measure nearly 6 feet square.

However, I decided to go ahead with the project.

I drew a design that measured 18" square using wording and design elements that Rachael had requested.

This proved to be a perfect size as I was able to cut the design in quarters (note the registration marks on the pattern above) and take it to my local copy shop. Each piece of the design was enlarged 400% so that each section measured 36" square.

I then taped the four sections together and traced them onto a piece of silk.

After securing the silk to a simple wooden frame that my husband built for me, I applied a water-soluable resist on the lines that I had drawn on the fabric. Note that the elaborate border that I had designed for the chupah was scrapped, as my hands were hurting from squeezing the bottle of resist.

The chuppah in progress over several days. I used Dynaflow paint which can be heat-set with an iron when the project is complete. I also used a few Setasilk colors, but I greatly preferred the Dynaflow paint.

I never considered using chartreuse as a color in the chuppah, but it absolutely made it zing.

The finished product!

In my next post, I will share a wedding photo.

California Dreaming

My first visit to California was amazing. Visiting with Rachael and Russell was a gift and meeting Russell's family was wonderful. An extra added bonus was our trip to LaJolla. I will treasure my day on the shore of the Pacific Ocean.

Seals sunning themselves on the beach before returning to the waters of the Pacific.

A sea lion....

Snow in January

Another view from the front yard. The sky is as grey today as the picture captures. Oh for a hint of blue sky...

The First Snow of 2008

A peaceful scene as the backyard rests for the winter. The snow atop the table was at least 14 inches high just after the storm that ushered out 2007 and welcomed 2008. Much had melted off before this picture was taken on the Saturday that followed the snow storm. All will be gone soon as the forecast promises a balmy 50 degrees on Sunday.