A quilting paradise in the Galilee

ANNA LEVINE

It’s not an easy place to find. What was once a small farm with squawking chickens has been turned into a quilting haven for serious-minded quilters living in the Middle East, by the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

Moshav Bustan Ha’Galil, which translated from Hebrew means the Grove of the Galilee, bursts into bloom come spring. A five-minute taxi ride from the Akko (Acre) train station, it’s a world apart. Delicate pink almond blossoms perfume the air. Banana, fig and mulberry trees create vibrant color collages. Stepping into the Bustan, it takes little stretch of the imagination to feel like you’ve stepped back in time – but transposing these sights and quilting them into life does take imagination, skill and the love of creation.

“After collecting a few million eggs,” said Maureen Nachmani, who once kept chickens in her chicken coops which now display quilts, “I decided I had enough and it was time to make my dream of running a bed and breakfast come true. My first love has always been quilting. I knew there had to be others out there who felt the same way and would love to have a B and B complete with a Jacuzzi, Japanese gardens and, of course, evening quilting bees.”

As the Grove is a mix of trees, so too are the women who brought quilting to the western Galilee. The renovated chicken coops, now the O’Sheehan Gallery, display themed quilt exhibits that change seasonally. Many of the quilters have participated in international quilting shows. Debby Sternberg has turned Nachmani’s original slanted roofed house into the Quilt Centre, a quilt supply store where she sells sewing notions, rotary cutting equipment, batting and, of course, 100 percent cotton fabric. One room has been comfortably outfitted for classes and workshops.

Every Wednesday night, a group of about 25 women get together and share quilting tips and life stories. From Dublin, Ireland, to Asheville, N.C., and Haifa, Israel, these women bring their unique life experiences to their work.

One of the group members, Barbara Bamberger, has sewn her experiences of spring in the Holy Land into a quilt inspired by the monthly pollen level forecast taken from an Israeli newspaper. “When I first noticed the forecast table in the newspaper,” she explained, “I thought how amazing that all these flowers are in bloom at once.” The quilt is hand-appliquéd, and embellished with embroidery and beads. The pollen chart for February 2005 is printed on the label.

But not only do the smells and the sounds add to the experience, Nachmani has discovered a way to bring a new dimension to the latest exhibit by installing ultraviolet lights.

“The lights allow the quilts to be seen only as black and white, with fluorescent fabrics adding a shot of color here and there. It is a different way to think about and play with design. When we turn the ultraviolet lights off and the incandescent lights on, people are surprised at how different the quilts look.”

The exhibit hosts Sternberg’s queen bed-sized quilt, which was displayed at the Patchwork and Quilt Expo in Europe. Also on display is an appliqué quilt of fluorescent pink, yellow and green chickens by Nachmani – a sentimental memory and reminder of whom the coops really belong to.

Bamberger has created a queen-size quilt of the Japanese painting “Great Wave” by the artist Katsushika Hokusai, from the 1920s. The quilt design was drawn full size; the sewing mostly done by hand in reverse appliqué. The effect of the ultraviolet lights on the black and white creates a striking image, as if at any moment the wave will rise above its frame. New quilts replace the old as the exhibits constantly change, reflecting the dynamic and changing nature of the group.

At the end of the day, as the sun sets over the Mediterranean Sea, it’s time to sit back relax, drink some herbal tea and perhaps play a friendly game of backgammon – using Sternberg’s black-on-white backgammon quilt complete with moveable pieces and giant fabric dice.

Planning a visit to the Middle East? Nachmani hosts three log cabins – complete with Jacuzzi, saunas and, best of all, in walking distance to the Quilt Centre, the O’Sheehan Gallery and a quilt room with a full sized quilting frame and always a place for one more in the quilting circle.

For information on the centre, e-mail [email protected] or visit quiltcenter.co.il and click on the English language link on the left side of the top navigation pane.

Anna Levine is presently living in Israel, where she writes books for children and young adults. Both her children were given beautiful hand-made quilts made by Barbara, Maureen, Debby, Donna and other women who were once part of the Galilee quilting circle but who have since moved back to their homes in the United States. Find more at annalevine.org. A version of this article originally appeared in American Quilter Magazine.

^TOP