Pokemon and Other Matzoh Covers: Judaica Show, II

Last week, I showed some of the quilts I hung at my local Jewish Federation office. This week, I'll show the Passover-only quilts that I considered and/or put on display. Yes, we're having Passover in August! First, my Pokemon-themed matzoh cover, made around 2000. 

My son (now 23) was in kindergarten with Pokemon-crazed children. I interrogated one of them to find out exactly what Pokemons do. He explained that they have superpowers, and are captured by "masters," then forced to battle on the masters' behalf.  It sure sounded like slavery to me (though this little boy insisted that "they like fighting!") 

So Pikachu (the bright yellow guy) became Moses, leading his adorable-yet-ornery minions away from the masters, through the splitting seas, with the ageless cry...

I forgot most of these characters' names - your kids or grandkids know. This cover was a huge hit with the youngsters over the years. Somewhere along the way, it developed an authentic Maneschewitz stain. 

The yellow duck in the next photo has the superpower of causing headaches. I added a kosher certification on the pig-like entity. (He's saying, "Next Year in Tokyo!")

Pharaoh represents the Masters: 

The trompe l'oeil matzoh fabric was purchased from 1800dreidel.com. (Similar fabric is also sold by Sunshine Sewing ). It looks exactly like matzoh, and when quilted in lines parallel to the rows of dots, it feels bumpy-soft-good, and so realistic that your guests may try to slather it with charoset and take a bite! 

Next, a cover made primarily from batiks, maybe in 2005. 

As I recall, my quilt-world idol Jane Sassaman's wonderful book The Quilted Garden (no affiliation), inspired me to photocopy, draw, and redraw a leaf of romaine lettuce a whole bunch of times before coming up with this stylized version. 

The entire piece wound up about 24" wide by 20" high - too big for a crowded seder table, but works great as a wallhanging.

Next, another matzoh cover that accidentally grew too large for the table - 35" at its widest. It's octagonal.

All the yellow triangles are 3D, with a folded edge along their hypotenuse, tucked into the seam. Detail: 

Next, a piece I call "Old Plagues on Them, New Plagues on Us."

It's 25" square. The top portion shows the traditional plagues: 

Those labels read "Frogs," "Locusts," and "Wild Animals". (Yes, that cow is supposed to be upside down. She's ill. Cattle disease was one of the plagues.) 

The bottom half shows what, 15 years ago, I considered to be modern-day plagues. These included: handguns, pollution, narcissism, steroids...

...endangered species (they themselves aren't plagues, but the whole endangerment thing I courageously oppose), despotism, bigotry (under a kingly figure who foreshadows 2016 political candidates?), soda, and, um, cell phones?! I can't recall what I had against cell phones, which were new at the time. I think because people were driving while talking on them. Plus, mine didn't work too well. 

Here's another small matzoh cover that I considered for the show, but decided it was too tiny - maybe just 12" high. 

Made with a wavy blue batik. I wish I had written down how I strip pieced it, because I  would like to make another one.

And finally, I hung my matzoh tambourine in the show. Double rows of large plastic buttons around the edges rattle. It's stiffened with plastic canvas, and measures about 12" across. 

For many more Passover items, see  this blog post, from last February. Want to stitch your own Passover  textiles? Join the fun - find inspiration and information - in the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework!

For more connections between quilting and Pokemon, check out this recent blog post.

Quilter's GO: Keeping up with the Pokémons

Everybody's talking about Pokémon GO! Even if you're not interested in the game you have to admit that it's brought young people out of their bedrooms, and onto the sidewalks, where they are forced to move large muscles! (Remind them to look both ways.)

Like millennials, quilters of all ages need powerful incentives to dislodge us from our sedentary hobby. So here are some games designed just for us:

Stashbuilder's GO:  Walk from quilt store to quilt store. Each store is a virtual battlefield, where you stare at your phone and press buttons to fight other quilters (also staring at their phones), snatching limited-quantity bolts from virtual shelves.

When the battle is over, the real fabrics will be cut for you, and your credit card will be charged, This win-win game will increase your shopping stamina, finger-strength, and stash, as well as bringing much needed profits to your LQS (Local Quilt Shop).

Featherweight GO: Everywhere you go, your cellphone shows you a shimmering vision of a highly collectible Featherweight 221 sewing machine, the holy grail of portable sewing machines. Singer Featherweights (FWs for short) were made from the 1930's to the 1960's, and real ones are hard to find. In a game of Featherweight Go, here's how a famous landmark would look with a virtual white model:

And here's a more controversial New York landmark, a black-and-gold palace which I think everyone can agree looks more inviting with a identically-hued FW parked in front:

No political affiliation.

Next, a dramatic recreation of how the Golden Gate Bridge will look with white,  black and tan virtual FWs awaiting capture:

Photoshop is not my forte.

Along with the three models above, the game will let you claim these even more elusive FW models:

• WWII-era crinkle blacks 
• Light celery (like the white ones, but with a slight greenish cast)
• 1939 San Francisco Golden Gate Exhibition model
• 1951 Singer Centennial model
• Free-arm 222 
• Accessories: carrying cases, folding tables, the ultra-rare oval cabinet, the oil can, buttonholer, presser feet galore. 

Gotta catch em all!

Crazy Quilt GO: Walk all over town while your phone shows everything you pass - buildings, trees, people, animals, statues, etc. - embellished with elaborate embroidery, beads, sequins, buttons, lace, shisha mirrors, threadpainting, hairwork, stumpwork, blackwork, silk ribbon-work, and yarnbombing.

If you correctly identify the embellishment, you earn points which will allow you to embellish more objects and people, simply by waving your phone while staring intensely at them. Some people might get suspicious, but just explain that you are improving their virtual appearance.

In a short amount of time, humanity will cooperatively create an entirely embellished virtual universe! Then, all the embellishments can be erased in seconds, and we can start over!

Freemotion Quilters Go: Wander all around town playing Pokemon GO. Take a route that seems somehow...artistic. Your phone will record your path and send it directly to your computerized domestic or longarm sewing machine, which will automatically stitch it out.

Modern Quilter's GO: You walk all over town, but you find only one hexagon, or maybe a polka dot, every 3-to-12 hours, in an unexpected location.

Now it's your turn to make a up a GO game!