Quick Sewing Tip: Add Goldwork Dove Appliques to Red Stoles for Pentecost

Today at Ecclesiastical Sewing we are going to talk about a simple little trick to transform a simple plain stole into an elegant Pentecost Stole with Goldwork Dove appliques.

What you will need:

Red Stole

You will need a red Stole such as our Ely Crown Stole that has plain fabric near the chest area. It is fine to have some trim at the lower edge. The fabric may be a solid fabric such as a silk dupioni, or plain weave such as our Carlisle Fabric. It may also be a brocade fabric such as the Ely Crown Liturgical Brocade shown on this stole.

Ely Crown Liturgical Brocade Church vestment fabric priest vestments Pentecost vestments Ecclesiastical Sewing

Gold Dove Applique

Next, you will need to select a gold Dove Applique such as this goldwork Dove. Goldwork Dove applique for hand embroidery, Goldwork embroidery, Pentecost Dove, Ecclesiastical SewingThis is a ready-made applique created using Imitation Japanese Goldwork threads. The applique may also have colored thread accents. The applique also has a small yellow edge that extends past the goldwork. This extra fabric is used to hold the goldwork threads. The couching is done by placing two threads side by side and taking a matching color thread to stitch over to hold the goldwork threads in place. And that brings up to the next item that is needed.

Goldwork Couching Threads

The couching may be done using a variety of Goldwork threads. Some of my favorite threads for couching include the following:

Goldwork Embroidery Thread Imiation Japanes Gold Threads K1, K2, K3, K4 Goldwork hand embroidery Ecclesiastical sewing

Imitation Japanese Gold Thread. This is a lovely thread to work with. It is a bit unusual in its makeup. The Imitation Japanese Gold thread has a fiber core that is wrapped by a thin and narrow strip of gold foil. The Imitation Japanese gold thread is available in 4 sizes with the No. 8 (K4) being the smallest thread, and No. 13 (K1) being the largest thread. Please visit our website to see the Imitation Japanese Gold thread, along with our ever-increasing line of other gold threads.

Gilt Gold Twist Goldwork thread Gold wrk embroidery Ecclesiastical Sewing

Gilt gold twist also works great for couching. The gilt gold twist is a special goldwork thread as it is made with a small amount of real gold. This gives the twist a very nice sheen. The Twist is available in the following sizes:

  • Elizabethan Twist: Approximately 0.25 mm wide
  • Super Twist: Approximately 0.35 mm wide
  • No. 1 Twist: Approximately 0.5 mm wide
  • No. 1 ½ Twist: Approximately 0.7 mm wide
  • No. 2 Twist: Approximately 0.8 mm wide
  • No. 3 Twist: Approximately 0.9 mm wide
  • No. 4 Twist: Approximately 1 mm wide
  • No. 5 Twist: Approximately 1.1 mm wide
  • No. 6 Twist: Approximately 1.2 mm wide

When couching appliques, the required size of twist will vary based on how large or small the applique is. Size 4 and 5 are the most popular sizes to use for most projects. All of the Twist threads are sold by the yard.

Gold Silk Thread

Au Ver a Soie Gold Thread in the Soie 100/3 is one of my favorite threads to use for couching goldwork threads. The silk thread is rich in color yet blends beautifully with the gold threads.

Au Ver a Soie Soie 100; Silk Embroidery thread, Gold silk thread, Hand embroidery thread, Silk sewing Thread, Ecclesiastical Sewing

There are three different shades of gold silk thread that work well for goldwork embroidery. The colors are 240 which is light gold, 241, which is a medium gold and 677 which is a darker gold. The Au Ver a Soie – Soie 100/3 comes on a 50-meter spool, so one spool lasts quite a while when stitching goldwork threads. We have a limited color selection of the Soie 100/3 at the moment, but in time, we will be adding the entire line of Soie 100/3.

 

Goldwork Applique; Pentecost Dove, Gold Twist Thread, Goldwork Embroidery, Pentecost Stoles, Red Clergy Stoles, Ecclesiastical Sewing

There are several ways to apply appliques. Part of the stole seam could be opened and the applique could couch in place. It might also be possible to couch the applique without opening the stole. One would have to sew the applique in place without opening the seam. The goldwork thread tails would have to be carefully tucked under the applique.

Goldwork Dove appliques for hand embroidery; Penecost dove appliques for church vestments; Gold work doves; Ecclesiastical Sewing

We also offer a wide selection of other Dove Appliques for use on church vestments and altar hangings. There are doves made with bullion goldwork threads, Cloth of Silver Doves, Doves with Cloth of Gold and Silver, and embroidered doves. The larger Cloth of Silver and Gold doves would fit perfectly on the Y orphreys of a chasuble or on a superfrontal.

We hope you might enjoy and find these Pentecost Doves and Goldwork threads useful for your upcoming projects for Pentecost Sunday. Please share your ideas and photos of the projects you create with these wonderful items for your Pentecost church vestments.

Soli Deo Gloria