New pattern: 54 Hebrew alephbet letters for sewing and crafts
This week I’m excited to release a new Hebrew alephbet letter pattern collection for sewing and crafting. The pattern collection is in PDF format, and it’s available now for download.
Latest Entries
Putting “Things” in Their Place
At Sew Jewish, we’re focused on showing you how to make things, lots of Jewish things. But we also like to think we have a healthy perspective on it all. Here’s Abraham Joshua Heschel on the importance of putting things in their place: Things may be instruments, never objects of worship. Matzo, the shofar, the … Continue reading
Atarah / Bar-Bat Mitzvah / Patterns / Tallit
New Sewing Pattern in the Shop: Pomegranate Atarah for a Tallit
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
You Have to Eat Sometime: Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
By Clara and Agnes Editor’s note: It’s turning out that one of the best decisions I’ve made as a Mom has been to let the kids loose in the kitchen with only the proviso that they clean up after themselves. They’ve turned into excellent bakers and cooks with great instincts in the kitchen who are … Continue reading
The Pomegranate’s Deep Roots in Jewish Design
The pomegranate motif, around which the Jewish community has developed a world of symbolic and spiritual meaning, took root early in the history of Jewish design, even going back to the years the Israelites wandered in the dessert after leaving ancient Egypt. God specified that the High Priest’s robe be decorated with pomegranates, though commentators … Continue reading
The Joys of Mending
Nick Thorpe suggests that maybe the solution to feeling unsatisfied with material things is to love our things even more: If Western consumer culture sometimes resembles a bulimic binge in which we taste and then spew back things that never quite nourish us, the ascetic, anorexic alternative of rejecting materialism altogether will leave us equally … Continue reading
Connect with Other Sewing Enthusiasts: The Jewish Craft and Quilting Swap Is On for Passover
Peta over at The Not Sew Guilty Quilter just launched her first ever (maybe THE first ever?) Jewish craft and quilting swap. She’s matching up folks to sew Jewish holiday themed table or food prep items for each other. Do you have a Jewish-themed table runner or pot holder in you? One of the guidelines … Continue reading
Saving Our Own Humanity, One Stitch at a Time
Tim Wu draws attention to the role of DIY in expressing our humanity: Convenience technologies supposedly free us to focus on what matters, but sometimes the part that matters is what gets eliminated. Everyone knows that it is easier to drive to the top of a mountain than to hike; the views may be the … Continue reading
“Symbols Are Like the Moon, They Have No Light of Their Own”
Even as we employ symbols in the creation of Judaica, remembering the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel, the twentieth century theologian and civil rights activist, reminds us of their limitations: The use of symbols whether in the form of things or in the form of actions is required by custom and convention; the fulfillment of … Continue reading
Machine Applique Stitching Tutorial | Video
In this video tutorial for machine applique you’ll see: How to navigate around an applique’s corners and curves with smooth, high-quality results. Top techniques for beginning and ending the stitching. The ideal position of the stitches on your applique. To complement this video, you may also be interested in the written tips and photos in … Continue reading
Introducing the First Pattern in the New Sew Jewish Shop
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
Hey, Supermom, Here’s Your Purim Costume Sorted
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
What’s the Deal with Shatnez? Sometimes in Jewish Sewing Wool and Linen Don’t Mix
You can’t get too far into a blog about Jewish sewing before you hit the issue of shatnez – the term for a mixture of wool and linen – and the Biblical prohibition against wearing garments that contain shatnez. In fact, we ran into the subject in our very first blog post, which explained how … Continue reading
Who Sewed All Those Elaborate Temple Garments?
This Shabbat most synagogues will read the Torah portion Tetzaveh, in which God tells Moses what clothes the priests should wear when serving in the Temple — a hat, trousers, tunic, and belt, and additional garments for the High Priest — and also how to make them. But the Torah doesn’t say who sewed them. … Continue reading
Watch How Computerized Sewing Machines Sew Eyelets [Videos]
In my last two posts I mentioned that you can use the eyelet setting on many models of computerized sewing and embroidery machines to quickly create reinforced holes for the tzitzit strings on your tallis (tallit, tallith, prayer shawl). I thought you might like to see that magic in action. Here are two videos that … Continue reading
![Here’s an Easy Way to Sew Tzitzit Holes in Your Tallit [Video]](https://sewjewish.com/wp-content/uploads/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]")
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.com/wp-content/uploads/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]")
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
Our First Video: How to Sew a Challah Cover You’ll Love Using
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
Bar-Bat Mitzvah / Hanukkah / Holidays / Purim / Weddings
Use Ribbon to Sew Favor Bags that Crush the Competition
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
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