Lisa Solomon lives on Kibbutz Ketura in Israel, where she has worked in the field of date
production for her entire career. Lisa is a talented crafter. I am proud to present Lisa, my old and dear friend's essay of crafting here. I hope that sometime soon Lisa will write about the joy and satisfaction of growing dates and managing a date orchard, but for today we will look at Lisa's beautiful creations and some of her parent's work as well.
Thank you, dear friend!!!
The Gift of Crafts
My house is filled with needlepoints, bargello wall hangings and afghans made by my mother alongside my father's paintings. My parents, may they rest in peace, were hard working people who made time to enjoy crafts that they were drawn to. I am grateful that crafts were a part of my home life, learning by example that creating something for someone else (and even for one's self) is a gift of love. To create is to express yourself through your craft.
Another gift given, albeit in its antiquated gender role framework, was the gift of learning to sew in school. That's right, just girls, but thankfully that has now changed. I am forever grateful for being taught the basics of sewing and I have enjoyed many a project over the years.
I particularly like the moment when I realize "I want to make a mobile" and I take out my bag of assorted beads, shells and rocks collected over time. Or, "I want to make a mosaic mural for my house" and I go to my collection of broken dishes, or especially this one: "I'm going to make a patchwork quilt for my grandson"! For that I shopped on line for just the right fabrics!
I wonder what idea is going to pop into my head next!
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