Sewing is my passion. I took up needle and thread at the tender age of eight, and fell in love with the craft in my early teens. That craft blossomed as I continued my education, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Costume Design.
In my early college days, I was introduced to the art of vestment making. Working with needle and thread, fabric and trims to make beautiful vestment and inspire and encourage others to use their skills in service for the Lord's House is now my heart's desire.
Installing a pastor in a new congregation is a special event, and many fellow pastors make a point of attending installation services to provide support, encourage, and pray for the newly called pastor. The service is rich and meaningful, with each pastor in attendance selecting and reading a scriptural text over the new pastor.
Evesham is a metallic brocade, which is difficult to capture in photos. There is a tiny glimmer of metallic threads that outline the ogee motif. As much as I like the Red and gold color combination of Evesham. The lovely white gold version of Evesham that is so very lovely in soft candlelight. The white gold is a lovely choice for Christmas and Easter Celebrations.
Cloister is a reversible symbolic pattern that dates from around the year 1900. If one looks closely, it is easy to see the two main design features of the Scottish Thistle and the English Rose which were popular at that time. Cloister is a lighter-weight ecclesiastical fabric that would work well for making stoles, chasubles, tunics, dalmatics, chalice veils, and other vestment pieces. Cloister would work well with machine embroidery when the proper stabilizers and backings are used.
In the late 1800s, Mary Barber created a lovely collection of many examples of Opus Anglicanum.
Vintage church vestment treasures at St. Leo Monastery in Florida, Discovering a cross, made from galloon trim, the Wakefield liturgical fabric and the maniple.
The design is a simple cross with three rays in each corner between cross bars. The Altar Linen Embroidery Design is available in 4 sizes, for purificators, lavabos, corporal a, and even the corners of a fair linen. This church linen embroidery design will use a few basic stitches such as the split stitch for an outline, and a stem stitch for the rays
Spring travels led to St. Leo Monastery in Florida, a serene retreat with a beautiful chapel set against a lake. The exterior’s simplicity contrasts with the rich terracotta stone and tile color, a wall side lining hanging with tapestry fabric in deep reds, rusts, golds, and terracotta. The chapel’s design, statues, and fabric create a peaceful atmosphere for prayer. Despite being a brief visit, the monastery left a lasting impression, showcasing the beauty found in both vestments and architectural details.
St. Aidan is a small reversible liturgical fabric that features an English Rose and vine pattern. The pattern repeat is 8″ which makes it an easy fabric to work with for those who are just starting out with pattern repeats, as well as being a favorite fabric choice for the seasoned vestment maker. St. Aidan is suitable for making stoles, chasubles, chalice veils, burses, dalmatics, and tunics as well as for other small vestment items. St. Aidan would also work for smaller altar hangings.
Embroidery inspiration found in Nashville and Belmont University’s beautiful campus. Academic gowns and hoods, often using Ecclesiastical fabrics, hint at the connection between university and church wear. Upcoming projects feature St. Aidan and Cloister fabrics, a popular choice for both.
Wishlist of the Royal School of Needlework for years, plans were cancelled by scheduling conflicts. Yet, browsing to their online store provided a silver lining. The Handbook of Embroidery catalog and some enticing embroidery While missing out the classes, the excitement of exploring these ecclesiastical embroidery treasures brings comfort.
St. Hubert is ideal for orphrey bands, stoles, altar frontals, copes, dalmatics, tunics, and chasubles. Paired with Ivory Lurex St. Margaret, it creates a festive frontal for Easter, Christmas, and New Year’s weddings. The orphrey bands and superfrontal feature the gold/gold St. Hubert Liturgical Brocatelle Fabric, edged with a gold oak leaf gallon. The ivory/lurex St. Margaret adds a unique touch with subtle gold threads weaving Tudor Rose and Crown designs.
Ideas for reusing these older vestment pieces can be creative and meaningful. Considering remaking older vestments into new pieces, if it should be remade or restored?
Just as we await the dawn and full light of day to behold the Resurrection, Evesham bursts forth in full light, bright and radiant as we behold the Joy of the Resurrection.
The fabrics selection on this project is St. Margaret in the Ivory Lurex color and St. Hubert in the Gold/Gold color. Oak Leaf gallon was used to edge the orphrey, and a metallic gold thread fringe graces the lower edge of the superfrontal and frontal. The superfrontal is made entirely from the Gold/Gold St. Hubert with the metallic gold fringe as the only adornment. The frontal is made using St. Margaret as the base fabric, with orphreys of St. Hubert in Gold/Gold with the 1-inch wide Oak Leaf galloon used to finish the edges.
Aragon is a gem of a liturgical fabric. It has a large-scale design, or rather, several large-scale designs that make it an extremely versatile fabric to use for making church vestments. The main design feature is an elaborate Jardiniere which contains floral elements. The story behind the birds is that they are mediators between heaven and earth. Their blue and white coloring blends beautifully with the rich red and green floral elements.
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