stars

Another bat mitzvah coming up this weekend and I was determined to hand make the gift. Sure, all the kids like money and gift cards, but this particular young woman carries her knitting in a patchwork bag I made for her sixth birthday. I knew she'd be up for something handmade and I am enjoying the reverse applique T-shirts quite a bit this summer.

I was a bit stuck for inspiration. I had this idea of somehow translating Jewish papercut designs into stencils but got so overwhelmed with ideas that I just let it go. Someday, though, I'm going to reconsider that. Instead I looked to her Torah reading for inspiration and nothing grabbed me. Eventually, though, I looked at the haftorah for her portion and came across a line I loved:

To whom then to liken God? Lift up your eyes and see: The One who created the stars, called them by name, by the greatness of God’s might and strong power each one appears.
Isaiah 40:25–26.

And that's how I ended up with a T-shirt full of stars.