I WIELESS ANTIQUES Labor Of Love Louis XV Empire Sheraton Chippendale Queen Anne George II A Farmington Hills couple put their talents and hearts into a chuppah for their children. FRANK PROVENZANO SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS llan and Betty Weiner have been married for 31 years. In those three decades, they have given birth to and raised four children, and most recently, a chuppah. The ornate wedding canopy has been delivered after an in- tense and protracted gestation. It is now formally a member of the Weiner family. The chuppah doesn't have a name, but some day will hold the names of all of the Weiner rela- A SPECIALIZING IN MAHOGANY & WALNUT 15531 W. 12 Mile • Just West of Greenfield Southfield 810-569-8008 Hours: 10AM-6PM • Closed Tues. & Sunday others we could not. It's been a lot like raising a child." The origin for the idea of the chuppah is traced to New Year's Eve of 1993, when Mrs. Weiner's son, Daniel, announced his en- gagement. "I was so over- whelmed that I just wanted to do something Jewish, beautiful and lasting," she said. Of course, any- thing Mrs. Weiner sets her mind to usually means that Dr. Wein- er won't be far behind. The project officially began last . Michigan's Only Cowboy and Indian Gallery ALWAYS BUYING & SELLING • Western paintings • Cowboy Collectibles. Spurs Hats. Chaps. Saddles • Books and Photographs • American Indian Basketry. Pottery Textiles and Beadwork • Colts and Winchesters • Pawn Jewelry 251 Merrill Street • Upper Level • Birmingham, MI 48009 (810) 647-8833 Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m.-4:00 p.m. or by appointment p t,A. P,A o ' .-74c -itC Allan and Betty Weiner. Creating a legacy. U) w POTTERY • PAINTINGS • JEWELRY • FURNITURE w UNIQUE ACCESSORIES FOR THE HOME CD CC w w 80 32800 FRANKLIN ROAD ♦ FRANKLIN, MI 48025 TUESDAY - FRIDAY 10 A.M. - 5 PM. SATURDAY: 11 A.M. - 5 P.M. (810) 851-9949 exist, the Weiners still hold hands when they talk about each other. After 31 years, Mrs. Weiner still refers, with a breath of infatua- tion, to her husband's "dreamy eyes." Several years ago, their needle- point partnership began when they crafted the Torah cover for their synagogue, B'nai Moshe. Looking back, it seems as though it was training for the needlepoint project of a lifetime. With more than 25 stitch pat- terns and a specially con- structed frame to spread the canvas, the chuppah un- derwent a growth process from infancy through ma- turity. Initially, it was placed on a table. But that soon grew too tedious. Along the way, a division of labor became apparent, with no clear chain of com- mand. Dr. Weiner handled the more intricate work since Mrs. Weiner, who worked with the aid of a lighted magnifying glass, had some difficulty dis- cerning the smaller pat- terns. They learned about "cooperation," Dr. Weiner said. "You learn about the E2 mechanics of moving 21 around and giving each other enough room to work." Dr. Weiner estimates $5,000 has gone into the L; > - canvas, yarn, frame and other costs. But the true value only can be calculat- ed in terms of a sentiment that defies quantifiable measure. The Weiners have sacrificed their time. They haven't gone out to movies or meetings. They've abridged their dinners. "It got to a point where I'd hand my hus- band his pills and a glass of wa- ter and say, 'Here's dinner,'" Mrs. Weiner said. Working every night from 7 p.m. to as late as 3:30 a.m., ex- cluding Friday and Saturday, the Weiners invested what every child requires from parents — time and nurturing. Like the glass-encased, multicolored quilt handed down from his grand- parents that hangs on a wall of their Farmington Hills home, the newly created canopy is a gener- ational bond. The chuppah is, quite simply, a quilt of love. As Mrs. Weiner points out: "We want this to be a legacy for our families." I I tives who stand beneath it in hon- or of the traditional Jewish ceremony of kiddushin (betrothal) and nissuin (nuptials). On June 11, the chuppah will make its inaugural appearance at the wedding of the Weiners' second eldest son, Daniel. There- after, it will await the other un- married Wieners. Less than three weeks before the wedding, the Weiners were working feverishly to put the fi- nal stitches in the canvas before sending it off to be lined and blocked. It must have seemed as if they were sending their child to school. A pall of separation anxiety might have overcome the proud parents. After all, they've toiled for 1 1/2 years to bring the chuppah to life. "We've poured a lot of love, time and expense into it," said Dr. Weiner, a pediatrician whose practice is in Farmington Hills. "Some mistakes we could correct, January, when Mrs. Weiner vis- ited Rachel's Needlepoint & Ju- daic Gifts and selected the background scene and pattern of the chuppah. She didn't have to ask Dr. Weiner for assistance on the needlepoint. After all, the Wein- ers do everything together — in- It's been a lot like raising a child." — Dr. Allan Weiner eluding oftentimes finishing each other's spoken thoughts as well as each other's rows of needle- point. They've been cooking and sewing together for as long as they can remember. And, while many couples co- n"