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
![How to Make Your Own Wedding Chuppah Pole Stands [Video]](https://sewjewish.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/chuppah-pole-stands-video-thumbnail.png?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "How to Make Your Own Wedding Chuppah Pole Stands [Video]")
Are you sewing a wedding chuppah? In this video we show you how to make stands for the chuppah poles using flower pots, PVC piping, and about $10 worth of concrete. The stands are very much like the stands we’ve used for huppah rentals at our sister site, Huppahs.com. They’re very steady. This is my … Continue reading
![A Bucket Hat Pattern for Sun and Synagogue [Free and Ready to Print!]](https://sewjewish.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/summer-hat-fit-for-synagogue.png?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "A Bucket Hat Pattern for Sun and Synagogue [Free and Ready to Print!]")
Does the sunny weather put you in the mood for a new summer hat like it does us? Then we have a free printable pattern for you. This hat looks super cute in the summer sun, and it’s also synagogue worthy when you sew it up in a classically formal print like a chintzy floral … Continue reading
When Erika and Adam married earlier this month in romantic San Juan Capistrano, they wed under a chuppah that the groom’s mom, Marla, created from an heirloom lace tablecloth once belonging to Adam’s grandmother. Marla shared photos and details on our sister site, Backyard Huppah. It’s so lovely, we thought you’d like to see it, … Continue reading
Find yourself looking at any wedding registries lately? How about using that registry as inspiration for a unique, handmade wedding gift: a challah cover that coordinates with the couple’s china pattern? The cover can become a highlight of the couple’s Shabbat and holiday table decor, covering the two loaves of challah bread, for years. Start … Continue reading
Squares of fabric whip up into drink coasters pretty quickly. Make a set for yourself or a hostess gift. We kicked ours up a notch for a Passover craft swap with pomegranate appliques based on the pomegranate atarah pattern — I’m kind of in a pomegranate place right now — but the general instructions apply … Continue reading
Add a beautiful silk atarah (neckpiece) to your handmade tallit. We show you how in this video tutorial to accompany the new pomegranate-themed atarah pattern. The tutorial includes lots of details and tips for doing machine applique with silk, so even if you’re a beginning sewing enthusiast you can create a lovely atarah that makes … Continue reading
Our newest addition to the Sew Jewish Shop is a pomegranate-themed atarah (neckpiece) and corner pieces for a tallit. The pattern comes with step-by-step instructions and illustrations as well as lots of tips, so even beginning sewers can get great results. Visit the Sew Jewish Shop for the pomegranate atarah pattern. Maria Bywater is the … Continue reading
I’m pretty excited to open the new Sew Jewish Shop with this pattern for an atarah and corner pieces for a tallit featuring a Jerusalem cityscape. The pattern is called King David’s Jerusalem, and it includes step-by-step instructions and illustrations for you to make your own atarah and corner pieces for a tallit. For details, … 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
![Here’s an Easy Way to Sew Tzitzit Holes in Your Tallit [Video]](https://sewjewish.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/jerusalem-corner-hexagon-with-pattern.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "Here’s an Easy Way to Sew Tzitzit Holes in Your Tallit [Video]")
When you’re sewing a tallit, making holes in the corners for the tzitzit strings can be tricky if your sewing machine can’t make eyelet circles automatically. We’ve come to the rescue with a technique you can use with any sewing machine. This video explains. It’s full of details and tips, so even beginning sewists can … Continue reading
![To Easily Sew a Neat Tzitzit Hole on Your Tallit, Don’t Make a Circle, Make a Hexagon [Free Printable Pattern]](https://sewjewish.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/sew-hexagon-tallis-hole.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "To Easily Sew a Neat Tzitzit Hole on Your Tallit, Don’t Make a Circle, Make a Hexagon [Free Printable Pattern]")
Update: You’ll find a video version of these instructions here. If your sewing machine has a setting that automatically creates nice, circular eyelets, that’s a great way to make reinforced holes for the tzitzit on the corners of your tallit (tallis, tallith). But if your sewing machine doesn’t have that capability, making neat circles using … Continue reading
We just finished our first video, How to Sew a Challah Cover You’ll Love Using (If you follow us in Twitter, we accidentally announced it there early on Friday). It’s a video to accompany one of our first projects, How to Sew a Challah Cover that Zings. We’re planning more videos for new projects, and … 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
Doll versions of pretty much anything win over a lot of young hearts. So for Hanukkah gift giving, think made-for-play versions of something you sewed during the year, like a quilt, challah cover, or dress. Bonus: You might have enough fabric left over from the original project that you won’t need to buy any new … Continue reading
