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Red Pentecost Stole Construction, Clergy Stole for Every Budget

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.

Clergy collar worn in the 19th Century

Lutheran Bäffchen or Clergy Collar

Clergy Collar made from linen 19th Century – a clergy collar with bands.

Measuring for tassels on a Priest or Pastoral stole

Pastoral or Priest Stole Ends: Fringe and Tassels

Tassels and fringe make excellent finishes for stole ends, but there are tricks for both. For tassels, use a button-hole marker to ensure even spacing. Decide on the number of tassels and the desired distance from each end, then mark and pin them in place. Tassels have a small cord or loop at the upper edge; attach it evenly. Tack the cord on the back of the stole, ensuring even hanging. In the photo, gold rayon blend tassels were initially used but later replaced with metallic gold tassels.

Green Superfrontal from Collection at Concordia Historical Institute

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.

Embroidered Dove on Pentecost Chasuble

Pentecost Chasuble O’Fallon Missouri

At O’Fallon Monastery, the Sisters created a special vestment collection, including this chasuble with a traditional Dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The design blends hand and machine embroidery, using silk and gold threads for a beautiful finish.

Installation of Kevin Robson CMO St. Louis, MO

Red Pentecost Stoles

This stole is intended for use during an installation. The components consist of an applique of a Sword and a Bible. The machine embroidered applique and the lower orphrey were placed on a silk dupioni stole using a red and gold galloon trim to finish off the raw edges.  While the red of the applique is a slightly darker color than the red of the stole, the gold trim bridges the color gap, and the colors blend together nicely, creating a subtle gradation.

Machine Embroidered Dove for Pentecost Stole

Pentecost Stoles Part 2

Pentecost Stoles. The first design features crossed keys symbolizing the Office of the Keys. The red silk dupioni, design with gold and bronze metallic threads, blends beautifully with red and gold brocatelle fabric and metallic galloon trim. The upper chest will showcase a descending dove with flames. and the final design will include a Bible and Sword of the Spirit, connecting to the Holy Spirit. These red Pentecost Stoles offer a reasonable budget.

Book of Prayer with Tie Ends, Travels and Ecclesiastical Sewing Treasures

Travels and Ecclesiastical Sewing Treasures

This Book of Prayer is a part of the Collection of Rare Books at the Concordia Seminary Library on the LC-MS Seminary Campus in St. Louis, MO.  The Rare Books Library houses a unique collection of rare volumes relating to Church History, specifically, Lutheran Church History

Baptismal towel with tiny hand-embroidered cross

Vintage Baptismal Cloth

Baptismal Towels or Baptismal Napkins may be as simple or elaborate as one desires to make them.  The size of this Baptismal Cloth is approximately 19″ x 21″ as the finished size. The embroidery may be a very simple hand-embroidered cross. The hems should be narrow.  Now, there may be more specific instructions available in some older Church Vestment Books

Church Vestment Books

Helpful Church Vestment Books

The books consist of a set of six titles published by the Embroiderer’s Guild back in the 1950s and 1960s and following. Each book in the series covers a set of topics such as  Canvas Work, Vestments, and so on. The books are small but contain useful information.  They are easy to use, as their size limits extraneous details.

Red and Gold Orphrey Fabric for Pentecost

Pentecost Stoles

  Red is the traditional color for use during the celebration of Pentecost, which comes fifty days after Easter, and 10 days after the Ascension of Christ.

altar lace

Lace Making for Altar Cloths

Lace, and variations is often applied to the hemline and sleeves of vestments such as a  rochet which forms part of the choir robes. The lace can vary with styles of pattern, and materials, being sometimes a little heavier and bolder, to being something very light and airy.

Lansdowne Braid for use on Church Vestments, Priest or Pastoral Stoles: More Trims

Priest or Pastoral Stoles: More Trims

Dice Trim,” has tiny alternating squares woven in a solid color and a gold thread. This trim, although narrow at 1/2″, is a powerhouse of a trim, it gives a clean, tailored look. It sews very nicely. It comes in a nice assortment of liturgical colors: black, red, green, blue, gold, white, and purple. Dice Braid offers a very clean, tailored, crisp finish to vestments. It can be used to edge the long sides of stoles or as an end finish to a stole. It can be used as a finish on the edge of a chalice veil, as well as being used on any other type of vestment where trim is needed.

Selecting Tassels for Stole Ends

Priest or Pastoral Stole: Tassel Ends

The end can have fringe on the lower edge, or the edge can have a plain hem as the finish.  Creative placement of trims and orphrey bands offer other options. One of my favorite ways to finish the end of a stole is to use tassels. The tassel choices for this current stole project are a soft white or cream tassel and a gold tassel.

Dice trim for Priest or Pastoral Stole

Priest or Pastoral Stoles: Trim Options

The white base fabric and fabric for orphrey trims. Finishing trim: galloon trim, braid, fringe, tassels and other trims suitable for Church vestments