Last Sunday I challenged myself to drive to my local craft supply emporium and find as many items as I could that can be turned into fun, personal gifts just by adding an appliqued Hebrew monogram or Hebrew word. Join me on a a hunt for gift-giving inspirations. Continue reading
Once upon a time, in the mystic alleys of Prague, the legendary Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel sought protection for his people. With ancient wisdom and Kabbalistic incantations, he sculpted a giant from clay and breathed life into it. The golem, a silent sentinel, obeyed its creator’s commands, defending the Jewish community from harm. But … Continue reading
Introducing “Dreamscapes,” a fabric pattern featuring dreamy cloud landscapes on a deep blue night sky. This new design is perfect for quilting, crafts, and home decor. Get ready to lose yourself in Dreamscapes. Continue reading
I’ve been indulging in slow stitching this season, specifically hand stitching appliques. I can recommend it to create some relaxing moments for yourself this season. Continue reading
An original Sew Jewish fabric print to capture the feeling of a vintage apple harvest for your autumn home sewing projects. Continue reading
If you’re hosting a Passover Seder this year, bring new energy to your table by creating unique table linens with prints designed by indie designers on the custom fabric website Spoonflower. Continue reading
I received a question about Jewish symbols of healing, and it seems like a good time for a post on the subject. There are three primary symbols of healing in Judaism: the serpent, the sun, and the palm tree. You won’t typically find these three objects used in Jewish visual art in a way that … Continue reading
In Trudie Strobel’s colorful embroidered artwork “Marriage,” a wedding chuppah sits between two large and impressive columns. The columns are Jachin and Boaz, the pillars that flanked the entrance to the Temple in ancient Israel. The arrangement emphasizes the strength of Jewish heritage and turns a moment in time into a celebration of Jewish continuity, … Continue reading
Aleph, bet, gimmel. This fabric design features the 22 letters of the Hebrew aleph-bet and three Jewish symbols: a dove, a Star of David, and a hamsa for good fortune. When I started offering pre-printed fabric panels of this design in the SewJewish Etsy shop I announced it in the newsletter, but only when those … Continue reading
Deborah Katchko-Gray is a professional cantor and accomplished needle artist. When she’s not weaving melodies with her voice she’s weaving embroidery thread, creating Judaica with a technique called Swedish weaving. Swedish weaving is a type of embroidery in which the stitches are worked on the surface of the fabric. Rather than the needle passing to … Continue reading
Here’s a huge thanks to all the Jewish authors and the publishers who bring Jewish books to life. To mark this year’s Jewish Book Month, I’ve gathered a group of Jewish book recommendations for your bookshelf (and kitchen shelf). Most of the selections are new this year, but for the Jewish sewing and needle craft … Continue reading
Wreaths are not a major motif in Judaism, but Jews used wreaths as holiday decorations and wedding accessories even in antiquity, when the Temple stood in Jerusalem. Although today wreaths are strongly associated with Christmas, Jews made wreaths for Shavuot and other festive occasions before the birth of Jesus. And as a symbol, the wreath … Continue reading
This month, when so many students are going back to school, seems like the perfect time to highlight Rachel Braun’s book, Embroidery and Sacred Text: New Designs in Judaic Needlework, in which Rachel draws on principles of mathematics to develop needlework designs that explore Jewish spirituality. Rachel teaches high school math and statistics, and she’s … Continue reading
Roses are red, or yellow, or blueish, But did you know they can also be Jewish? OK, that was kind of corny. And we all know roses come in a lot more colors, like white or pink or peach. But the rose’s status as a Jewish symbol is less well known. A Symbol of God’s … Continue reading
Online sources to order matzah print fabric for your fabulous Passover projects. Continue reading
Get Stitch-a-hedron! in paperback (Amazon) or PDF (Etsy). Stitch-a-hedron! the latest book by Cathy Perlmutter, is just plain fun. Or maybe that should be fun with planes, as in flat surfaces. All the projects in the book are based on polyhedrons, three-dimensional shapes made from flat surfaces. Combine six squares and eight hexagons, for example, … Continue reading
Let’s talk about that moment in a sewing project when you’re about to make that first cut in your fabric. It can be intimidating. Sometimes it can be downright scary. And sometimes that fear is enough to stop a project in its tracks. I’ve had sewing students tell me they’d pay someone just to stand … Continue reading
This is the season when the weekly Torah portion returns several times to the subject of the Tabernacle the Israelites built after leaving Egypt. Building the Tabernacle was a community project that involved sewing, weaving, and embroidery, among other crafts. I thought this would be a great time to post an excerpt from the introduction … Continue reading
Sew Jewish 