I design tefillin and tallit bags for many customers. Most are moms of Bar mitzvah boys. A large portion are proud grandmas who want to leave heirlooms for their grandchildren. So our designs tend to be traditional and mature. Here and there I get a request from a youngster who wants to design his own custom tefillin bag. If his mother or grandmother doesn’t mind stitching his preference, then why not let him.
Around a year ago, a fine young lad requested a design with Jerusalem and the ThirdTemple (Bais Hamikdosh) on a mountaintop behind the landscape. I had never designed the temple mount for anyone before, and I guessed that the boy must have learned about it in school and found the subject fascinating. So I designed the bag for him, and he loved it. His mom is in the process of stitching it. I hope she finishes it soon since his Bar Mitzvah is this summer. Anyway, I added his design to www.judaicaneedlepoint.com. And it’s a hit! This boy was right! This is a design that today’s kids relate to. This photo is a completed tefillin bag stitched by a wonderful customer of ours. She worked fast, and the finisher did amazing work. I have learned to never underestimate the ideas and creativity of our kids.