Use this technique to add a lining to your challah cover and give it a clean, finished look without needing binding or trim. To illustrate, I’m the using the Cut and Sew Shalom Challah Cover fabric panel available through Spoonflower. That’s the Hebrew word “Shalom” in the center with clusters of pomegranates, figs, and quinces. … Continue reading
Here’s a quick way to make a whole field of embroidered flowers: the lazy daisy stitch. It’s another variation on that versatile chain stitch. Instead of the loops forming a line, they radiate out in a circle from a center point like flower petals. Five or six loops make a full flower, depending on how … Continue reading
The chain stitch is one of the most widely-used embroidery stitches in folk needle crafts, especially Jewish folk needle crafts. It’s also one of the most versatile. Most of the time the chain stitch is used to make a continuous line of linked loops, like the outlines of the fish and the letters in the … Continue reading
To embroider curved lines, the stem stitch makes a fabulous choice. It turns along curved lines beautifully, and you can vary the thickness of your embroidered line by varying the angle of the needle as you make the stitch. These stitch diagrams illustrate the how-to, and I’ve posted a little hamsa for you to practice … 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
For tips on how to begin and end your stitching and other embroidery basics take a look at Hand Embroidery Basics. The backstitch is a simple stitch for embroidering lines, and with just a little practice you’ll master a stitch that will take you far. Overall, we move along the line from right to left. … Continue reading
Will you be joining the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework Convention later this month in Atlanta? I won’t be able to make it, but this little pomegranate will be representing me. It’s made by hand applique using silk dupioni. This one pomegranate is a small part of a banner put together by the members of … Continue reading
Here’s a nifty way to add stripes to a zippered tallit bag. I recently created this tallit bag of heavy gabardine for a client, and added stripes of blue Dupioni silk to match the corner pieces that were on the tallit (I wish I had a photo of the tallit to show you, but alas, … Continue reading
In this video, I show you how to get beautiful results when finishing sharp corners with machine applique. The video covers the classic method as well as a technique I developed (stumbled onto) out of necessity while appliqueing lots of Stars of David with lots of sharp corners. It’s slightly faster than the classic method … Continue reading
You’ll find a new video tutorial for finishing machine appliques on the Sew Jewish YouTube channel. It’s a sewing topic I’ve covered in earlier project videos, but I figured that if I made a video dedicated to the topic, I could refer to it in future project videos — and making shorter project videos is … Continue reading
Sewists who are used to using fusible interfacing or iron-on adhesive web for quilting fabrics and other cotton fabrics are often surprised to find that the same interfacing or adhesive web can make silk and silk-like fabrics stiff (I know I was surprised the first time it happened to me, and I’ve heard from several … Continue reading
If you’re looking for a quick way to add decorative elements to your sewing and craft projects, iron-on appliques are a great option. This video demonstrates how to make appliques using adhesive web, also known as fusible web. You can watch the video above or on YouTube. This is the first video tutorial made especially … Continue reading
When the weather turns chilly it’s a great time to make a super snuggly aleph-bet cuddle blanket for a little one in your life. This second tutorial based on the Sew Jewish book features: For sewists new to applique: Detailed description and demonstration of techniques for getting beautifully finished machine appliques. For even experienced applique … 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
Embroiderers through the centuries have turned to the chain stitch, especially folk artists. The stitch was a popular choice among Jewish mothers who embroidered Torah scroll binders to commemorate the births of their sons in 17th-19th century Eastern Europe. The embroidered chuppah scene above, created with chain stitches, is typical of scenes found on the … Continue reading
The slip stitch is a great way to sew a seam closed invisibly from the right side (outside) of a project. It’s a great hand sewing stitch to have in your repertoire. I’ve been using the slip stitch a lot lately, so I thought now would be a good time to share the technique: Start … 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
Yesterday a reader wrote to ask for advice on how to make a tallit katan, the small tallit typically worn under a shirt for daily use. It’s something I had been looking into although I haven’t written up a project, so I thought I’d share with you what I know. Because making a tallit katan … Continue reading
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