So you’ve finished making the main body of your tallit —or tallis, prayer shawl— and you’re ready to add the corner pieces, the square pieces of fabric that decorate the corners of the tallit and help reinforce the holes for the tzitzit strings. Does it matter how close to the edges of the tallit you … Continue reading
Tag Archives: tzitzit
Tips for Making a Tallit Katan
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
A New Way to Satisfy Your Curiosity about Sewing
Sewing enthusiasts who want to try their hand at making Judaica have a new online resource: Sew Jewish’s Maria Bywater just became a teacher at the online learning site Curious.com. The site was launched just last year, and it was named one of Time’s top 50 websites. We’re kind of excited they invited us to … Continue reading
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]
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
How to Sew Your Own Tallit
Update: You’ll now find full instructions for a tallit as well as a tallit bag, kippah, and other projects in the Sew Jewish book, available in paperback from Amazon and in PDF format directly from Sew Jewish. The tallit is the one sewing project (besides the curtains that hung in the Tabernacle and Temple and … Continue reading
The Best Video Ever on How to Tie Tzitzit
This video by Jewish Pathways explains how to tie tzitzit to a tallit better than any other I’ve seen. It’s the one I always refer to: Here are a couple of my own tips: Each time you start a new set of windings, pinch the hanging tzitzit threads together just below the knot. Make the … Continue reading