There’s a new challah cover pattern in the shop: “Almond Blossoms.” Almond trees are the first trees of the year to blossom in Israel. They produce flowers even before the leaves appear. In late winter, as the days grow longer, the almond trees come into bloom, a welcome sign of renewal and a promise of … Continue reading
This Sukkot I got the chance to lead a workshop for the Beacon Sukkah Project, a Sukkot-long program of arts and lectures organized by the Beacon Hebrew Alliance and Beacon Arts in Beacon, New York. To fit this year’s theme, “Open to the Sky,” I led an introduction to drawn thread embroidery, and thought I’d … Continue reading
During the festival of Sukkot we eat in the sukkah, visit with family and friends in the sukkah, and sometimes, so I’ve heard, sleep in the sukkah, although I’ve never done that. Why not sew in the sukkah? Particularly during the intermediate days of the festival when we’re less likely to be entertaining friends for … Continue reading
Orange Summer by Justine Miller Have you heard the story about the woman who wanted to be a rabbi and who was told by a man that “a woman belongs on the synagogue bimah the way an orange belongs on a Passover Seder plate”? The story has inspired many families, including mine, to put oranges … Continue reading
Happy Purim! To mark the occasion, I’m posting this piece about the Jews in one of the cities of Queen Esther’s Persian Empire: Baghdad. It’s an excerpt from an article I wrote in 2003 on an exhibit about the Jews of Iraq at London’s Jewish Museum. The exhibit was called “By the Rivers of Babylon.” … Continue reading
With a little holiday ribbon and some simple hand sewing, you can create this little spice pouch. Use it to hold spices for havdalah, the ceremony to end Shabbat. And, as Creative Jewish Mom Sara Rivka points out, it makes a great holiday party favor. The project is my latest guest post for Sara Rivka, … Continue reading
The Jewish new year is on its way — challah dipped in honey! — and the autumn holiday season right behind it. It’s a time for new beginnings, and a great time to start the year with a new challah cover. So I’m releasing the challah cover pattern from the Sew Jewish book as its … Continue reading
Are you ready for something new for Passover? If you’re used to an apple-walnut charoset on your Seder plate, how about trying this variety made from dates, dried apricots, and almonds. The recipe is inspired by Tori Avery’s Sephardic Charoset Truffles. For Tori’s truffles, she pulses the main ingredients in a food processor, then forms … Continue reading
Almond trees blossom in late winter, in the middle of Israel’s rainy season. They’re the first trees to blossom in Israel, making them an ancient Jewish symbol of renewal, hope, and diligence. The almond tree appears a number of times in the Torah. When Jacob sends Benjamin with his other sons to Egypt for food, … Continue reading
Hanukkah is almost here! We’ll soon be lighting menorahs, eating latkes, and spinning dreidels. The Sew Jewish book includes instructions for making dreidel game party favors, little pouches to fill with a dreidel and pieces of sweet chocolate gelt. The book even includes printable dreidel game instructions to tuck into the pouches (versions for both … Continue reading
Make some waves! Learn how to sew wave tucks for a handmade hand towel in this first video tutorial based on a project in the Sew Jewish book: the al natilat yadayim hand towel. I designed this hand towel especially for the hand washing before eating bread and before eating the matzah during the Passover … Continue reading
I first became aware of the fish as a Jewish symbol when I visited the Tunisian island of Djerba and saw fish painted on the walls of Jewish homes. They were stick figures, hand painted in Mediterranean blue and swimming against bright whitewashed walls. Since then, fish seem to be everywhere, and they’ve become … Continue reading
The year I lived in Tunisia opened my eyes to a whole new world of Jewish culture, especially during the spring holiday of Lag b’Omer. The holiday takes place thirty-three days after the first day of Passover. In my American community, we celebrated with a picnic, but on the Tunisian island of Djerba, the El … Continue reading
I honed my skills in the home economics school of sewing, which is mostly about sewing clothes and choosing threads to match your fabric. But last year I took my first quilting class [at The Happy Quilter in Valley Cottage, New York – since closed] and learned the virtues of working with neutral colored threads. … Continue reading
Switch up your latkes with this sweet and savory combination of beets and goat cheese. A layer of melted goat cheese in the middle makes the texture rich and decadent. My daughter describes them: “Sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy.” Serve them with a crisp green salad to complement the the latke’s sweet, creamy richness. I was … Continue reading
One of the cool things about the new school year is that my daughters are bringing home some really interesting books, like my oldest daughter’s art history book. It includes a photograph of a frieze from the Arch of Titus in Rome, pictured above. My youngest daughter said that when one of her day school … Continue reading
To all you Supermoms out there, we know you’re busy saving the world 365. And with Purim coming up, you’re going to make sure everyone else has a costume before you think about your own. So to make things a little easier on you this holiday, we’re sharing my Supermom costume idea from a few … Continue reading
Planning a special celebration? You don’t have to settle for those ubiquitous plain organza favor bags. We’ll show you how to sew a set of unique favor bags using fabric ribbon. The ribbon’s pre-finished edges mean you can sew up a set of bags fast with just a few simple seams. For Hanukkah, fill them … Continue reading
