Pastoral Stoles and Stole Patterns

In the Ecclesiastical Sewing studio, we have spent the past few weekends immersed in one thing: pastoral stoles and stole patterns. Visions of stoles have been dancing in my head: stoles with orphreys, stoles with tasseled ends, stoles with embroidery, and stoles without. There are visions of long stoles and short stoles, green stoles and blue, pink – ops, make that rose and purple ones too.  The possibility with stoles is, I think, unlimited…………

But before a pastoral stole can begin, it needs fabrics and patterns.

New stole patterns are nearing completion in our Ecclesiastical Sewing Studio. We have designed and tried the patterns, and we are sewing test samples as we write. The pattern in this photo is for a tapered stole in short and long lengths.  More information about the pattern will be available in a few short weeks.

Pastoral Stole in the Past

For tonight, let’s talk about liturgical fabrics for making pastoral (or deacon) stoles. Pastoral stoles can be made from a variety of fabrics. Years ago  – too many years ago, back in my college days (before the internet and cell phones) the only source of fabric was the fabric store where I worked part-time. It was a large fabric store with a nice assortment of apparel and decorator fabrics. Liturgical fabrics were not even something to be thought of back then. One did not know they existed, and if one did, they were out of the price range, or too difficult to figure out how to purchase.  The only suitable fabric that came to mind all those years ago was a synthetic look-a-like linen fabric.  The next challenge was what to use inside the stole? 

The interfacing section back then had a wide variety of items, including some type of woven lamb’s wool type interfacing that had some bulk, but not much in the way of body.  That part being decided, the next challenge was coming up with some sort of embroidery or applique for the design.  The option to create an applique was color-blocking a design and using a satin stitch from the sewing machine. It worked, meeting a challenge and a need.  Did I mention, there was nothing available for a pattern back then either?  Without the internet, there was no searching online for books or resources.

Today, with the help of the internet, I have been able to locate many vintage Ecclesiastical Sewing books to use as references. For those interested in learning to make stoles for their own faith community, themselves, or someone special in their lives, such as a deacon, pastor, or priest, the first pattern offered will be Pastoral Stole patterns.

Selecting Fabrics for Pastoral Stoles

The lovely fabrics in the above photo are from the bottom of the pile, working up: York Brocade – Ivory, Winchester Brocade – Purple, Fairford Brocade – Bridal White, Ely Crown – Gold, Fairford Brocade – Purple, Fairford Brocade Ivory, Fairford Brocade Gold, Fairford Brocade – Blue/Gold, and Winchester Brocade- Ivory. These fabrics are ideally suited for use in making pastoral stoles. They are woven to be durable enough to withstand the rigors of hand embroidery. Any fabric used for Hand embroidery must be designed to endure and withstand countless piercings with sharp needles, the pulling of thread through the weave over and over, and the plunging gold thread tails. By necessity, these are not designs to be “flimsy” fabrics. A higher thread count and dense weaving offer the added advantage of weight, aiding stoles in hanging straight and staying in place.

One other thing you might notice about these liturgical fabrics is the richness of the colors. The purple is deep, and rich in both color and pattern design.  The purple Fairford and Winchester fabrics would be the envy of lords and kings in days long ago. Purples are a penitential color used during the season of Lent. Ivories, creams, and whites are colors used for festival seasons such as Christmas, Easter, All Saints Day, and others. The gold colors may also be used for festival colors.

Dimensions for Stole

Now that we have looked at a few fabrics for making pastoral stoles, some might be wondering how much fabric is needed to make a stole. Most stoles can be made from a piece of fabric that is 57 to 58″ long and 14 to 15″ wide.  Liturgical fabrics are 48″ to 55″ wide.  That might create a problem for many people who only need to make one stole. What do they do with the remaining fabric?  Stay tuned. There is a solution to this problem and we will be sharing that with you soon.

The other items needed to make pastoral stoles are cotton canvas in the natural color and lining fabric. Lining fabrics might include satin or similar fabrics. Now that the liturgical stole fabrics are ready for sampling and the pattern is near completion, the next project is a Chasuble pattern and set.  Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more on that and other projects.

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 and 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.

Priest or Pastoral Stoles: More Trims

Orphrey Bands for Pastoral Stoles

Machine Embroidery for Pastoral Stoles

Lenten Stole with Two-Toned Fairford

St. Margaret Ivory Lurex Altar Frontal

4 1/2 Inch Wide Pastoral Stole Pattern

Liturgical Brocade Fabric for Pastoral Stole Kits

Installation Services

Blue or Purple: An Advent Debate

Church Vestment Stole Patterns for Pastors and Priests by Ecclesiastical Sewing

Finished Stoles: Fairford Black/Gold

Pastoral Stoles for Advent, Lent, and Good Friday

Why do we use purple during Lent?

Grand Opening Special: Stole Kit and Pastoral Stole Pattern

Pastoral Stole Sewing Patterns

Best White Liturgical Fabrics for Easter and Festival Seasons of the Church Year

New Rose Pastoral Chasuble and Stole

Save