If you’ve ever sewn a gift for someone, you probably know the feeling that you’re giving them a bit of your heart to carry with them. That’s the case with these challah covers that I finished this week for my daughters, who are are headed off to college next month.

I’d wanted to make a small, fun challah cover like this for a while –something for those easy-going Shabbat lunches when it’s just a small group rather than a large crowd, when a large challah cover can feel a bit too serious and cumbersome.

A few months ago, when the reality that the girls are headed off to college soon finally hit, I decided to make challah covers for them to take with them as I send them off into the world. The casual, fun feeling of these covers seemed to hit the right tone. Each cover is about 11″ (27cm) square, big enough for a small loaf of challah plus a challah roll.

As I look at the finished covers I realize that I want to make one for myself, too, so that I can hold on to a bit of my girls as well.

Maria Bywater is the author of Sew Jewish: The 18 Projects You Need for Jewish Holidays, Weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvah Celebrations, and Home. The book is available in paperback at Amazon.com and Etsy and available for instant download in PDF format on Etsy. She teaches hands-on Judaica sewing workshops.