Marsha Kasanov of Arlington Heights bubbles over with energy and enthusiasm, especially when the topic is her handiwork. As ”M. Kaz,” she custom designs Judaic ceremonial and holiday items made of fabric.
Her pride is making a family chupah, or canopy, under which a bride and groom are married in a traditional Jewish wedding. She designs them as one-of- a-kind heirlooms, with detachable centerpieces that can be framed as wall hangings by the newlyweds. Using a variety of fabrics and stitching techniques, her designs are influenced by the families for which they are being made.
A seamstress since the age of 15, Kasanov, now 40, said, ”I love hanging around in fabric stores and taking a variety of fabrics like fancy ones, bridal fabrics and others together and creating. Sometimes I paint the fabric to create an effect. I play around with designs in my head all the time and I love playing around with Hebrew letters. I love Hebrew,” she added, ”and I love to make it fun.”
Working also as a Hebrew school teacher in Deerfield, Kasanov used to teach nursery school for the Board of Jewish Education. The fact that the girls in her schools had to wear skull caps or kippot, was what motivated her to begin making her creations.
”The girls wear the kippot for snacks just like the boys. The boys had special ones and the girls didn`t,” she said. ”When my best friend`s daughter needed one (a skull cap), my friend wanted to find one for her daughter and couldn`t. I made her one.”
Since Kasanov feels children must learn to identify their lives with their religion, she feels religious symbols are important. However, she also aims to incorporate things from their daily lives to make her creations more fun to wear. She now makes the kippot with Ninja turtles, dinosaurs and butterflies.
”I get a lot of ideas from customers,” she said. Upon customer request, Kasanov has made bibs and placemats as well as ceremonial towels, aprons, and matzo covers.
She added, ”I base my prices on the complexity of the design. Most of what I make is lined, and everything is washable.”
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For information on Judaic fabric art creations by M. Kaz, call 708-255-4489 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
