I can't tell you how often people ask me why I don't hire people to sew for me. I guess it might seem to be sensible for me to design clothes or Challa covers, or tallitot and then just have other people sew them up. I don't know how other folks work their way through the design process. The way I work, first my client and I talk about what the needs are for the particular piece. Then I draw a fairly rough sketch in pencil. This sketch serves as my map in putting the piece together. While that sketch serves as my map, or in the language of the Renaissance artists, my cartoon, many of my artistic decisions and refinements take place as I'm actually working. Physically manipulating the fabrics helps give me ideas about different ways to proceed. If I hired a seamstress or a sempter to do my work, I suspect that while the work might be sewn with more skill, it would ultimately be less interesting to look at. Today, I am working on the pink and brown tallit . I need to s...
A blog, mostly about my work making Jewish ritual objects, but with detours into garment making, living in New York City, cooking, and other aspects of domestic life. A note about comments: I love comments from readers, from spammers, not so much. I approve comments before posting them so comments are not cluttered with junk. It may take a few hours before your posts appear. Be patient. If you are a real person with a real comment it will be posted.