Ideas for Reusing Older Vestment Pieces
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?
St. Margaret Ivory Lurex Altar Frontal
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.
Lenten Stole with Two-Toned Fairford
Lenten stoles with Two-Toned Fairford fabric. Featuring a unique blend of violet and gold, these stoles showcase a black cross on each orphrey band, perfect for the Penitential Season of Lent.
Finished Stoles: Fairford Black/Gold
Finished Fairford Black/Gold Pastoral Stole, a farewell gift for our pastor. This stole is perfect for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The black silk dupioni and Fairford brocade orphrey bands in black/gold create a stunning look. with a budget-friendly materials like silk dupioni and the beautiful St. Benet braid trim. Added a cross and chain for the finishing touch.
Orphrey Bands for Altar Frontal
The Orphrey bands for the altar frontal will be cut from St. Hubert Gold/Gold. St. Hubert is a brocatelle Ecclesiastical Fabric originally designed by Sir Ninian Comper and produced by M. Perkins and Sons circa 1890. The fabric will be available on our new website shortly after the first of the year in several colorways, including Red/Gold, White/Gold, Blue/Gold, Black/Gold, and Gold/Gold as in the above photo. St. Hubert is one of my favorite go-to ecclesiastical fabrics. It cuts up well for use in orphrey bands. The above orphrey bands are approximately 7″ wide before adding any trims
Can Altar Linens and Church Vestments be Made by Laity?
This little book (founded on a series of articles on Church Embroidery written for the ‘Treasury’) is intended for the use of those who are desirous of learning by practical experiment how to make the best use of such time and skill as they have at their command; and who, while they are unable to go through the long courses of instruction which are generally indispensable to the attainment of perfection are yet anxious to devote their ‘labour of love’ to the service of the Church. – Hinda Hands (Hands, 1907, p. 1)
Altar Linen Embroidery Designs
Handmade booklet with tracings and designs for hand embroidery on church linens. It includes a cross-with-crowns pattern and larger sheets with iron-on transfers for clear designs. The book also has traced hand embroidery designs and possible pricing info for different linen sizes.
St. Ignatius Mission Banners
Embroidery is a perfect medium for use on banners, a true labor of love, provided there are skilled embroiderers available for the work required. But sadly, there were times when this level of devotion may not have been possible for a banner. When embroidery was not an option, banners were sometimes hand-painted like these Banners located at the Ursuline Center.
Frontal at St. Ignatius Mission
St. Ignatius Mission. The Mission is in the tiny town of St. Ignatius, MT, at the southern edge of Flathead Lake, and about forty miles north of Missoula. This is one of those remote churches that have been on the “Must See” list. With a trip to Glacier Park, it was the perfect time to visit.
Whitework Embroidery for Church Linens
This antique Fair Linen, while stained, and scorched, with holes from a too-hot iron on one end, features a lovely hand-embroidered IHC motif in the center of the Altar Linen, surrounded by four smaller cross designs for the corners. Worked completely in white threads, the Ecclesiastical Embroidery is still lovely amid the linen stains of age. The central hand embroidery design is relatively small, considering the Fair Linen is wide and long
Altar Fair Linen with Lace Edge Trim
This trim features a zig-zag design filled with star-shaped motifs. Notably, it has triangular peaks at the upper edge where it attaches to the Altar Linen. An interesting detail is the deep hem of the linen, matching the trim’s depth—around 5 to 6 inches. While this may seem unusual to modern eyes, older reference books mention long Fair Linens having deep hems, especially if they reach close to the floor. The added weight from a deep hem likely contributes to the Fair Linen hanging well.
Visiting a Grand Cathedral the Proper Way
Features of Church architecture and Church Vestments awaiting our viewing pleasure.
Pastoral Stoles: How Much do They Cost?
To easily buy the Red Dupioni Silk for the stole base, opt for pre-cut “stole quarters” tailored for a 4″³ pastoral stole or wider/longer lengths for V-back and other styles. A pastoral “stole quarter” is around 14”³ wide by 60”³ long. Similar to quilters buying “fat quarters” for minimal waste, this is a smart approach. Instead of a 60”³ length of 45”³ or 54”³ wide fabric, you purchase just enough for one stole. costs under $20.
Lutheran Bäffchen or Clergy Collar
Clergy Collar made from linen 19th Century – a clergy collar with bands.
Altar Frontals
The Ecclesiastical Fabric has been used as the base fabric for the entire Superfrontal. The Superfrontal is designed so that it extends to the back edge of the altar with no overhang down the back side. This same style of superfrontal could be created using a cotton duck or dowlas fabric for the decking and using the Ecclesiastical Brocade on the front and end pieces.
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