The threads that bind us.

Carol Perlmutter does beautiful work with cloth including tallit and chuppot. This is what she says about her work.

I was a journalist, and a non-religious rationalist, from my teen years through my mid-thirties. I started quilting a decade ago to save my sanity during a long illness. Completely unexpectedly, quilting became something more than a distraction. It became a powerful vehicle for developing my spirituality, and exploring my Jewish heritage.

Quilting has a power to enrich people's lives on many levels. Not least is that it can be a form of prayer or meditation. Even while the cabinets fill with fabric (!), the creative process empties and focuses the mind, Grasshopper, which allows us to make higher connections---to memory, to our best selves, to others, and maybe even to G-d. (Also, to e-bay, for more stuff, and to i-kea, for bigger cabinets.)

Both the process and the product of quilting dovetails beautifully with Jewish ritual and history. As in most cultures, Judaism involves an abundance of beautiful and thought-provoking textiles, whether for daily use, holidays, or lifecycle milestones. Learning about the history and meaning of these textiles has been one of the most fascinating and fun parts of my journey.