Happy hooplas! Lately, when I haven’t been focused on Jewish holidays I’ve been preoccupied with hooplas, or hoop art: fabric art made and framed with embroidery hoops. I love that the embroidery hoop that you work on becomes the frame for your work. It’s charming and sweet and an easy way to display your needlework. … Continue reading
There are so many reasons to enjoy sewing — what are your favorites? What are the favorites of the Sew Jewish community? Choose your top three from the list below and hit the “Vote” button to see the poll results so far. (If you don’t see one of your favorite things about sewing on the … Continue reading
Who doesn’t love angels, those ethereal creatures who mediate between heaven and earth –between the spiritual and physical worlds. Angel imagery in Jewish needle crafts goes all the way back to the first official Jewish sewing project: the Tabernacle that the Israelites built to house the Ark of the Covenant. In front of the Holy … Continue reading
If you’re looking to push the boundaries of Jewish sewing, let’s take a trip to Japan. In a post last month about fabrics whose patterns suggest Stars of David, two of the swatches were based on the traditional Japanese hemp leaf pattern, known in Japanese as asanoha. The rich history behind the hemp leaf pattern … Continue reading
Hey quilters, Row by Row 2016 is on. The annual fabric store hop launched on Tuesday, and this year’s theme is “Home Sweet Home”. All summer long, local quilt fabric shops across the United States and Canada are giving away free, original quilt row patterns based on this year’s theme. A handful of shops in … Continue reading
My focus on Jewish sewing often has me seeing stars —Stars of David, specifically– where I don’t think they’re intended. I do double-takes on floor tile patterns, carpet designs, wrought iron fences, and fabrics. Especially fabrics. Here are some fabrics that I think you’ll agree do good impressions of Stars of David and would make … Continue reading
Shabbat candles, and the candles we light for Jewish holidays, are a fixture of Jewish life and Jewish design. They feature especially prominently on challah covers, and are used here for a tzedakah jar. But why do we light Shabbat candles? Early rabbinic teachers derived the practice from the prophet Isaiah’s call to make Shabbat … Continue reading
The eye appears in Jewish art, especially Jewish folk art, going back centuries. It suggests the eye of God that is always watching over the world, and represents divine protection. Fish, with their eyes that never close, also represent divine protection. Hamsa designs often incorporate eyes. I like the idea of combining folk symbols of … Continue reading
The Sew Jewish book is now available in paperback! Yeah! After the PDF version came out, so many readers asked about getting a physical book, especially to give as gifts, that I plunged in to figure out how to make it happen. I’m so grateful for everyone’s interest and support. The paperback version is now … Continue reading
This bold, modern tallit was created by reader Susan Yaskin as a bat mitzvah gift for her granddaughter. The tallit and matching bag are made from Dupioni silk. An embroidery service created the lettering and Stars of David for the bag. The blue and gold colors and the diagonal stripes give the tallit a modern … Continue reading
Among Jewish symbols, the Tree of Life —Etz Hayim— stands tall. Its roots stretch back to the Garden of Eden. Here’s the Torah passage where we first encounter it: And from the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the tree of … Continue reading
Yesterday evening we finished a four-day tallit making class at a local synagogue. Eighteen students participated, most of them around bar and bat mitzvah age, but some as young as eleven and also several adults. Yesterday’s class was dedicated to finishing tying the tzitzit, which we started the week before. So much positive energy. Every … Continue reading
Have you been looking for a tallit with Scottish flair? Have you wanted a kilt but weren’t sure where to find one that comforms to the Jewish laws of shatnez? Scottish rabbi Mendel Jacobs has you covered. He’s just registered the first official Jewish tartan with the Scottish Tartans Authority. Scottish rabbi hawks ‘kosher’ tartan … Continue reading
Everyone who’s made a tallit by hand, especially a tallit for a teenager, has probably considered at least for a moment if it would work to use denim. Well, Darlene Gordon has done just that, sewing a tallit from white cotton denim. And she shared the above photo. It looks really cool! Darlene made the … Continue reading
Within the constellation of Jewish symbols, the Star of David shines the brightest. It serves as the most well-known symbol of Judaism and Jewish identity. The Star of David’s wide popularity in Jewish design is a modern development –it replaced the menorah as the leading symbol of Jewish identity only about two hundred years ago. … Continue reading
A reader recently asked about stripes on a tallit, so I thought the topic would make a good blog post. A tallit, Jewish prayer shawl, does not have to have stripes. You’ll often see tallits with stripes in Ashkenazi communities. In Sephardic Jewish communities, however, the tradition is for the tallit to be plain white. … Continue reading
The pomegranate’s natural crown fits its royal status among Jewish symbols. Widely referenced in the Bible, it’s one of the seven agricultural species symbolizing the abundance of the Promised Land. God’s instructions for the High Priest’s robe include decorative pomegranates woven into the hem. King Solomon had pomegranates carved into the crowns of the columns … Continue reading
No one quite knows anymore when the practice of lighting Shabbat candles began, but traditional sources agree that the practice reflects the prophet Isaiah’s appeal to “call the Sabbath a delight” (Isaiah 58:13). As Friday night falls, kindling the Shabbat candles creates light by which to enjoy the evening, especially the Friday night meal. No … Continue reading
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