Tuesday 1 July 2014

Wedding Canopy






The Creation of a Wedding Canopy!



My First step was to create the surface design.  The bride and groom met with me and explained that they wanted a very nature oriented theme with favorite colours of greens, blues and purples. I dyed the cotton and then added layers of fabric paint.  this area represented the river that ran through the centre of the design

Eventually I was satisfied with the three main swaths of colour. Blue to represent the sky, deep green with white swirls for the river, and a brighter green in the bottom for the foreground, to represent the land.

I created prints from my drawings and these became thermofax screens.  The bride's favorite flower is the Iris, and her favorite colour is purple so the land in the foreground was covered in printed purple Irises.

A view of the top piece laid out on the dining room table


some views of the printed iris flowers.  The grasses were painted on with a brush.
An image of the deer after quilting as seen from below as it is hung outside.  The shadow was painted into the river.All the quilting was free motion work with various threads.

The groom's middle name is Tzvi which means deer in Hebrew so he requested a deer on the canvas.  This was hand painted on with the fibre paints and dyes.  Of course I felt there needed to be at least 2 deer since we are celebrating the union of a young couple after all!  They are walking towards each other on the edge of the river.



The bride and groom chose the phrase, the font and its size.  I created a thermofax screen for each of these words which are placed amongst the irises in the foreground

Much to my surprise, after the quilt was constructed, I found out from the family, that they wanted the wedding canopy to stand on its own.  I had assumed that they would choose four people to hold the poles but you know what they say about a person who assumes.....
So...it was back to the drawing board, brainstorming, gathering suggestions from near and far, bringing in consultations from florists, and friendly engineers.  The results of all these consultations was that I was totally overwhelmed and confused.
Finally, I decided on buying 4 planting urns, 18 inches high,  used construction bricks teepee style inside the urns to keep the poles in the center of the pots and upright, while we poured cement into the pots about half way up.  The poles were over an inch in diameter from the hardware store.  I had spray painted them white and screwed an eye hook into the top.   This is the test on my driveway to make sure the poles wouldn't snap from the pressure of the quilt on the top.











Installation day....otherwise known as THE WEDDING DAY!  We arrived very early, stepladder in hand, I wanted plenty of time to get it right. 

The bride and groom wanted the canopy to be in the center of the sanctuary rather than on the front on the elevated platform.  They wanted to be close to family and friends.  This area was much smaller than the front but we felt confident that it would be enough room.


The first step was to erect the quilt.

But then I felt that without people holding the poles they looked a bit plain so I bought 75 feet of silk organza to drape around the poles and around the perimeter of the canopy

Feeling somewhat relieved that it all came together.





Detail of the finish of the organza in the pots, and I bought Irises to tie in with the prints on the quilt.  Too, the irises are the bride's favorite and I thought that they finished off the pots in a pretty way.

View from the front of the sanctuary.



View from the aisle





Views from the nosebleed sections



Finally !  The Ceremony!  Groom and his mother see the Canopy for the first time and give me the eye.


A beaming mother.



The bride sees the canopy for the first time.

She seems quite taken with it.

Alls well that ends well.  It was a beautiful ceremony and a great party! May they have many many years of health and joy!












26 comments:

  1. Daniela,
    The chuppah is absolutely gorgeous. I love the colors and theme. I also love how you solved the problems of holding the poles. Now you have some pots that you can use as planters. Great recycling:)

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    1. thanks so much Diane! the colours are nature's own, how could I go wrong?!

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  2. Mazal tov to you and all the family, especially the bride and groom! The huppah is an amazing work of art and it was wonderful to see the many steps of the process. Absolutely magnificent and yes, you did a wonderful job with the organza and irises. Looks so good together.
    Nili
    Karmiel

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    1. Thanks so much Nili; yes, I tried to illustrate the many steps, of course still so many left out, as is always the way with a quilt...stitching, binding, the label on the back...but you get the idea...

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  3. That's an amazing amount of work and you pulled it off beautifully. The couple must have been thrilled.
    Deborah Milton

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    1. thanks so much Deb; yes, I think the couple was very happy with the result. They kept away wanting to be totally surprised as they walked down the aisle and so they were. The groom let me know that they have reserved a spot in their newlywed apartment (they are in student housing for couples in the U of T. campus as he is in medical school) and so they have a wall waiting for it!

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  4. Absolutely lovely, a wonderful work of art.

    Elena

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  5. Gail and Lena - aunt and cousin of the groom1 July 2014 at 20:17

    Lena and I just looked at this blog and it brought tears to our eyes thinking about the beauty of the event and how perfect and important the chuppah was to the whole experience. Your ability to make the chuppah so personal to the couple was fantastic. The photo of the bride ( my new niece) looking up with sheer joy is perfection. I remember her gasp of pleasure as she saw it for the first time during the ceremony.
    You are a truly remarkable friend to Michele, mother of the groom.

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    1. Thanks so much ladies! I know you too did a lot of work to personalize this event for the bride and groom, and you did a great job! I hope they enjoy the art and the memories for a VEEEERRRRYYY long time!

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  6. Ferne Sherkin-Langer2 July 2014 at 04:28

    I am so taken with the amount of time and process this incredible piece of art took to create.
    You were so thoughtful at each step of the way. The bride and groom often have so many decisions to make in creating their perfect day but the spirituality of the chupah and the bringing together the 2 people into their new home together is truly remarkable. Kol Hakavod!

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    1. thanks so much Ferne. Most people ask how long something like this takes to make, and I truly don't know how many hours/days/weeks because I always lose count. I did try to illustrate that there are many processes involved and so am glad that came across. This is a very spiritually driven young couple and am happy to have added to their life journey.

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  7. The chuppah is wonderful. They asked the right person when they asked you. It is so personal and so beautifully done. When reading about it I got a lump in my throat so I can imagine how the bride felt. P.Anastasiades

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    1. Thanks so much Phyllis, it was a labour of love to be sure, and I am happy to hear that it stirred emotion upon viewing. that is more than anyone can hope for!

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  8. It was an absolute pleasure to stand under the chuppah with my daughter and new son, looking up and not just admiring the amazing talent that created the chuppah, but to also feel the love that went into making the chuppah.
    I thank you Daniella for all the work love and devotion that went into the chuppah. I pray that they will cherish the chuppah for many many happy years and I hope to see all their children married until this chuppah.

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    1. Thank you so much. I feel confident the children know how much love and care went into its creation, they have expressed great appreciation, and know that they will keep it in a place of pride.

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  9. A beautiful labour of love. So special for the couple to share for their entire life. thank you for sharing with us.

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    1. Thank you so much, I appreciate the sentiment!

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  10. Daniela, you are a true artist, and you have talent and faith and what a great gift to the new couple for a life time, give them the best and love to you and congratulation Mari

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    1. Thanks Mari;
      I appreciate the support and compliments. Not sure how or when one becomes a 'true artist' but I keep working at it.

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  11. Elizabeth Fenjves6 July 2014 at 15:30

    Dear Daniela, thank you for bringing us into the process and the layers of work and thought that this took. You are amazing not just for your talent but perhaps specially for your vision and tenacity. It takes more than a creative mind, it takes a lovely spirit to see this through to the beautiful end the way you did. What a gift for us all. Love you! Betty

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  12. Dear Daniela...well done . Thanks

    from Daniel' father

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  13. Yes... Dad for ever! And PROUD to be!

    By the way, you did a wonderfull job on this canopy. I knew a painter doing this style many years ago. Now we can see his works in the muséums.

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  14. Th last comment was com a TURTLE

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