180+ Liturgical Embroidery Book Patterns from Church Tradition

Sacred Art 

When you step into a quiet church and see a hand-embroidered altar frontal or a vintage cross stitched into a stole, you know, this is more than an ornament. Sacred art has always had a place in the life of the Church. It speaks to the soul, often without words. It teaches, comforts, and points us back to God.

For centuries, these images, crosses, symbols, monograms, and floral scrolls have appeared not by accident but because someone cared enough to preserve them. They were drawn, stitched, and passed down. These designs carry memory, theology, and beauty.

But beauty doesn’t survive on its own. It’s kept alive by those willing to make time, to pick up a needle, to draw out a pattern, and to keep saying “yes” to the sacred in their craft.

Maybe that’s where you come in.

A Resource for Those Who Love Sacred Work

This is why we created the Ecclesiastical Embroidery Design Booklet.

It wasn’t made to be trendy or decorative. It was created for those who feel called to make something lasting. For those who believe that the art used in churches should be meaningful and beautiful, and that what we place on the altar deserves care.

The patterns in this collection come from old books, some over 150 years old. Many of those sources are hard to find now, and when we first found them, we knew right away they needed to be shared.

Inside, you’ll find over 180 embroidery designs, crosses, liturgical symbols, monograms, and borders all carefully redrawn by hand. These aren’t modern reinterpretations. They’re true to the originals, ready for you to use in vestments, banners, or any creative project you’re working on for the church.

Holding Onto Beauty in a Time That Forgets

It’s no secret that many modern church spaces have grown bare. Sometimes that’s practical, sometimes it’s just what’s available. But often, we hear people say they miss what once was: the color, the pattern, the richness that drew the heart into prayer.

We understand that. That’s part of why this project means so much to us.

This book isn’t meant to overwhelm or replace anything. It’s simply a tool, a way for artisans, embroiderers, and church communities to reconnect with something lost in many places.

A way to say: beauty still belongs here.

What You’ll Find Inside

The Embroidery Design Book includes:

• Over 180 embroidery patterns
• 68 pages of designs pulled from historic sources
• Motifs for liturgical seasons like Lent, Pentecost, and Advent
• Symbols such as crowns, doves, IHS monograms, crosses, and Marian designs
• Designs that can be photocopied, resized, and used freely in your work

The patterns are suitable for hand embroidery and machine work, but they’re also ideal for wood burning, painting, digital design, and other crafts. We’ve seen our customers use them creatively, and it’s always humbling to see these old designs come alive again.

Stitch of Stewardship

Working with liturgical embroidery is more than a hobby. It’s a kind of stewardship. It’s about taking what has been entrusted to us, the beauty of the Church’s visual tradition, and helping it live on in the work of our hands.

You don’t need to be a professional. You don’t need a full studio or years of training. All you need is the willingness to try, to learn, and to care.

If that’s you, this book was made for you.

Final Thought

At Ecclesiastical Sewing, we know the value of slow, faithful work. We’ve spent years studying old patterns, learning their meaning, and redrawing them one at a time. This booklet is a piece of that journey, a way to put sacred tradition into your hands.

We hope that when you use it, you feel the connection to the artisans and saints who came before. That you’ll find joy in the making. And that, stitch by stitch, you’ll help bring reverence back into our churches.

Because in the end, this isn’t just about thread and fabric. It’s about worship.

And the Church still deserves beauty.

Soli Deo 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.

Looking for more liturgical books? Explore our vintage ecclesiastical book collection.

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