Don’t you just love a beautiful Challah cover to beautify a Shabbat table?

I love the story behind the Challah cover even more! We believe that by practicing empathy even with inanimate objects that don’t feel things, we teach ourselves to always think of others.

The blessing before bread is normally said first; bread is the most important food as it sustains us. However, the Shabbat meal starts with Kiddush, the blessing over wine/grape juice.

So we cover the Challah so that it shouldn’t be “embarrassed” by its temporary demotion. Or rather, so that we should be mindful of are actions and the affect htey have on others – even appropriate actions!

And yes, it also serves as Shabbat table decor.

For this one, I used foil iron-on to add a bit of glam. I made it two-sided just to demonstrate the craft. One has the Hebrew words “Shabbat Shalom” and one is written out in English letters.

The story behind the Shabbat Shalom SVGs

Confession: I’m always torn with how much to Cricut craft here. I love customizing things, and with the scarcity/price/specialty of Judaica, I often make my own.

I also know that there aren’t many Jewish craft – especially Cricut – resources out there. At the same time, my kids’ crafts are consistently the most popular, and I know that the teachers and parents who follow me always need more ideas.

So I’ve had these photos sitting in my to-dos since before baby Jay was born. I had the “design Jewish words SVGs” to-do item sitting in my tasks since 2020.

And I’m finally jumping it ahead of all the kids’ crafts and making it available for you.

I illustrated these digitally on my Surface Pro, in the Sketchbook app and then cleaned them up and turned them into cut files.

My next dilemma: do I offer this SVG for free or do I charge for it? Once again, that is always a conflict. To be able to run a blog based on ad income alone, it needs lots of visitors, and with something so niche like this, I know it’s not going to get it.

But then again, there are so few good Jewish Cricut resources out there… especially Jewish ones!

I decided to do both 🙂

You can download the English SVG for this for free at the end of this post (for newsletter subscribers – and yes, the newsletter is free). You can also purchase both of them in my Etsy shop if you do decide to support me that way, want the Hebrew version, or if you prefer not to sign up for my newsletter.

I have more Jewish/Hebrew expression SVGs as well that you can purchase if you’re looking for more Jewish Cricut resources.

You can also use this file as a laser engraving file on a wood cutting board to turn it into a Challah board, use it on a glass cup with permanent vinyl to make a Kiddush cup… You can even create a Shabbat t-shirt with this, napkins, or anything!

That’s the beauty of a simple Jewish SVG file like this: there is so much you can actually create with it.

Different ways to craft a DIY Challah Cover

Now that the technicalities are behind us, here’s a bit more background on these DIY Challah covers!

I made them using foil iron-on on a base that is actually a dollar store dishcloth. You can use any large cloth napkin as your base, or sew a simple rectangle yourself. You can even use leather – or faux leather – for a super high end look!

Adding the words “Shabbat Shalom” – in Hebrew or English – to any fabric base turns it into a beautiful Challah cover for your Shabbat table.

And finally, you can even use this as a stencil for fabric painting your own DIY Challah cover! Just make a rectangle around your design. Cut from vinyl or stencil material instead of HTV/Iron-on. Weed out the design itself. Apply, use as a stencil, and remove!

DIY Challah Cover Tutorial

Supplies Needed

• Cricut cutting machine
• StandardGrip Mat
• Fine Point blade (included with your machine)
• Iron-On (I used foil iron-on)
• Heat Press (I have the EasyPress 3 12×10)
• Weeding tools
• XL Scraper or Brayer (to adhere material well to mat)
• Optional: Heat Resistant tape
• Optional: Cricut BrightPad Go for easier weeding
• Base such as a plain white dish cloth/tea towel, generously sized fabric napkin, etc.
• The SVG file – download the English for free at the end of this post, or grab the Hebrew AND English here for a few bucks.

How to Make it

1. Upload your file to Cricut Design Space. Measure the area you want to apply it to, and resize. Cut using the fine point blade. Make sure to apply your iron-on to the mat shiny side down and mirror your design.

2. Weed your design.

3. Iron it onto the base napkin/dishcloth based on recommended settings for that exact material (Use Cricut’s heat guide for reference).

4. You know it’s ironed on well when you can see the texture through.

5. Allow it to cool completely and peel off the backing.

6. If separating layers and doing it from different colors (I used two shades of blue on the Hebrew side), you can still iron it on using one layer. Simply make sure the backing doesn’t block any of the iron-on from touching the base fabric by trimming close to the design as needed. Use heat transfer tape to tape it down and iron as you would normally.

Download the DIY Challah Cover SVG Files

Purchase the English & Hebrew Shabbat Shalom SVG Files

Once again, your purchase helps sustain this blog and keeps it going – but it’s totally optional and you can get the English version for free below!

Download the free English Shabbat Shalom SVG File

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