Finished Stoles: Fairford Black/Gold

Finished Stoles: Fairford Black/Gold: The evening hour is late, and the Ecclesiastical workroom is still out of commission. Thankfully, the set of Pastoral Stoles was completed on time for the parting gift for our vacancy Pastor. With photographic apologies as there is no place to properly take photos at our church, here is the black and gold pastoral stole created for use on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Black Silk Dupioni Stole with Fairford Orphrey Bands

This liturgical stole is simple, made from black silk dupioni as a fabric base. The cost of a stole length of Dupioni is around $12 to 15.  The orphrey bands are cut from an Ecclesiastical Fabric called Fairford. Fairford Brocade comes in both solid colors, as seen in the fabrics in this Ash Wednesday Vestment set, and two-toned colors like the stole above. Most often the design portion in the two-tone fabrics is worked in gold threads with a solid background. The color combinations available are red/gold, violet/gold, blue/gold, gold/gold, and black/gold.  The black-gold combination is nothing short of stunning!  There is also a black/silver color combination.

Budget-Friendly Stole with Fairford Fabric

The fabrics selected for this stole are important as the cost was a factor. Selecting Silk Dupioni as the base fabric has a cost of less than $15.  That fits the budget. The orphrey bands used a quilter’s fat quarter (or perhaps a fat third of a yard) of fabric. The orphrey bands would be around  $25 or so per fat quarter.  This stole calls for a special trim to set it off as a finishing touch and the St. Benet trim is just the ticket. It comes in two sizes: 1/2″ and 1″. Each section of the orphrey required a piece slightly less than 1 yard, with the narrow piece used on the top orphrey and the wider piece used at the bottom. Other needed items include a stole length of heavy canvas (or dowlas) for the interfacing and a selection for the lining. I always try to add a cross at the back neckline of a stole. One final detail is the use of a chain at the back neckline.  Fringe or tassels may also be added.

St. Benet Braid on Pastoral Stoles

While this combination of fabrics is simple, adding the Black/Gold St. Benet braid to this pastoral stole provides a simple tailored finish that is oh-so stunning! This tailored look for stoles fits many budgets and would work well for other color combinations. For those who may be going into a variety of churches the good news is that the fabrics will be available here at Ecclesiastical Sewing shortly after the first of the year!

Solo Dei Gloria

Be sure to visit our online store front Ecclesiastical Sewing where you may shop for Liturgical Fabrics, altar linen fabrics, church vestment-making patterns, liturgical machine embroidery designs,  church vestment trims, notions and so much more. You may also find us on  Ecclesiastical Sewing on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Sign up for our mailing list at the bottom of the page on our online store front and receive a free copy of our Small Linens Booklet as our way of saying thank you for following along.

Lenten Stole with Two-Toned Fairford

Pastoral Stoles and Stole Patterns

St. Margaret Liturgical Brocade for Church Vestments

Pastoral Stoles for Advent, Lent, and Good Friday

How to Cut Orphrey Bands