Making your own chuppah

ses291

My mother and I are interested in making the chuppah for my wedding.  Has anyone made their chuppah?  If so, do you have any suggestions?  We can both do basic sewing and my mother is a pretty talented needle-worker.  It will likely be one that we have to have holders for so it will not be a stationary chuppah.

Thanks!

Frozenpenguin

I did mine. I just went to the local fabric store and found a pattern I liked, it was actually a reversable Sari cloth. I sewed a large center square  with one side (4' x4') and then put a 2' border around that with the opposite side of the fabric.

2dBride

We made ours (picture below), but it was a stationary one.  If you have holders, it is much easier.  You just have to figure out what type of poles you want to use, then attach the fabric of your choice to them.

engdoc03

I can't sew, but a more creative friend of mine can, and she's making my chuppah.  She said this was the easiest thing I could have asked her to do (she's a textile and paper artist, and I think she's glad I didn't ask her to do the invites).  We are doing (if I remember correctly) a  60 X 70 rectangle (haven't chosen fabric yet), adding a looped ribbon trim on all four sides, and she's going to make  button holesin each corner where we will tie ribbons that match the trim  and then use the ribbons to attach to rings we will screw onto the top of the  poles (simple wood poles with added finials from Home Depot that I will stain brown).  Depending on the fabric we buy, she might do a dye or painted or woven pattern ... If your Mom embroiders, she could put your names, the date, some Hebrew ...  There are lots of sites on the web that can give you ideas, as well. I just googled "custom chuppah" or "handmade chuppah" and went from there.

teachertracy

Frozen Penguin- Thank you for posting the dimensions!  I keep clicking on "make your own chuppah sites" only to have them say- just use a tallit.
I am making my own and just need to know how much fabric to get!

2dBride

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_jewish-weddings_making-own-chuppah?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:399Discussion:7a770b81-e237-4fd5-8c8a-ceae2d1a4b12Post:08d06506-fb9a-4f5e-9631-321596138ade">Re: Making your own chuppah</a>:
[QUOTE]Frozen Penguin- Thank you for posting the dimensions!  I keep clicking on "make your own chuppah sites" only to have them say- just use a tallit. I am making my own and just need to know how much fabric to get!
Posted by teachertracy[/QUOTE]The size can vary.  Ours was 8 feet by 8 feet.  However,  they can range from just enough to cover the couple to ones that allow the rabbi, parents, and entire wedding party to fit under them.

Frozenpenguin

2dbride is right. Size can vary. I did 6' x 6' but it can be bigger or smaller. I think I bought 5 or 6 yards of fabric. I had enough that I made the challah cover out of the same material so it is tied through into the reception too.

Good luck!

NorcalLove

My cousin is making a quilt with interlocking circles made out of handprints of our family members and friends.... Sounds complicated, but I'm hoping that it will be gorgeous! (5x5 feet which was my Rabbi's suggestion!)

bsidebella

I had the idea of making my own chuppah too!

A fair number of the WP (okay, the girls at least) are very artsy-crafty. So I was thinking of having all the members of the wedding party + our parents + my grandparents (FI has no living grandparents) each make a square however they want (write on it or paint it or embroider it, whatever). And then I would sew them together like a quilt. It's probably a little too ambitious and most likely will fall through, but I really love the idea.

EricaStafford

i have saved my wedding dress for 25 years now of course my daughter dosent want to wear it. have decided to use it to make the chuppah cover as it has beautiful lace all hanks for all your around the bottom.....thanks for all your ideas, i love the idea of both my daughters and ??? hopefully granddaughters getting married under my dress!

Abkeda

In Response to <a href="http://jewish.weddings.com/main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_jewish-weddings_making-own-chuppah?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:399Discussion:7a770b81-e237-4fd5-8c8a-ceae2d1a4b12Post:5f9f2c3f-506c-4e1a-ab4f-890d88666bc5">Re: Making your own chuppah</a>:
[QUOTE]i have saved my wedding dress for 25 years now of course my daughter dosent want to wear it. have decided to use it to make the chuppah cover as it has beautiful lace all hanks for all your around the bottom.....thanks for all your ideas, i love the idea of both my daughters and ??? hopefully granddaughters getting married under my dress!
Posted by EricaStafford[/QUOTE]

Lovely, lovely idea. How special <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif" border="0" alt="Smile" title="Smile" />

MrsWarmcoat

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_jewish-weddings_making-own-chuppah?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:399Discussion:7a770b81-e237-4fd5-8c8a-ceae2d1a4b12Post:de915865-4017-45d7-9b73-02a493c10c2e">Re: Making your own chuppah</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Making your own chuppah : Lovely, lovely idea. How special
Posted by Abkeda[/QUOTE]
A precious mother"s heart..to sacrifice her gown for her daughter's sake. I thing the chuppah will be twice blessed.