Applique Tallit Making for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah

Extreme excitement! This week's Jewish Journal has an article about making a tallit (prayer shawl, a.k.a. tallis) for bat and bar mitzvah, and they include an interview with me, and a picture of one of my favorite projects, a rock-n-roll theme tallit for a dream client. The Journal article is here.

I wrote a longer article about that particular tallit in a blog post here. There are lots more pictures there, including this one:

(That black-and-white electric guitar fabric is from Spoonflower.com.) More of my custom tallitot are on my Judaiquilt website, here.

Interested in making one yourself? It's not difficult, and is one of the most meaningful projects you'll ever do. If you're a quilter, think of it this way: it's an easy appliqué project, without batting, and a backing is optional. My how-to page is here.

That page also has a free downloadable pattern for the blessing said before putting on the tallit. Some people like to sew this strip (called an "atarah", along one edge of the tallit, although it is not mandated by Jewish law.

I call my pattern 'Atarah on a Roll,' because you cut and paste the strips together. On the bottom third of the how-to page, you'll find an explanation of ways to get this pattern from paper to fabric.

Did I say the pattern is free? Use it good health, and send me a picture! Questions? Reach me at cathy(dot)perlmutter(at)gmail(dot)com.

And if you need to make a kippah to go with the tallit, consider these!