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Dowlas linen for use in making church vestments

How to Make the Outside for Vestments Look Great

For great-looking vestments, use quality interfacing inside. Choose materials like Dowlas linen, French Micro Twill, and Silk Organza for stoles. Use pre-shrunk white cotton canvas for medium-weight support. For altar frontals, pick Dowlas or various weights of cotton canvas. Opt for Silk Dupioni, Satin Lining, or Cotton Sateen for lining, with dress-weight satin being versatile, Silk Dupioni serving dual purposes, and Cotton Sateen minimizing slipping in stoles.

Why we use purple for Lent image

Why do we use purple during Lent?

Purple in Lent symbolizes the royalty of Christ, His sacrificial death, and the season’s connection to Passover. The color, historically associated with royalty, was used mockingly on Jesus during His passion, emphasizing His royal dignity. Additionally, purple signifies the sorrowful nature of sins and the sacrifice made for redemption. Linguistically, “Lent” means “lengthen,” indicating its timing as days lengthen with the approach of spring and the season to observe Lent.

Ecclesiastical-Sewing-Lent-Stoles-St.-Ambrose-Collection

Do you have your favorite Violet Stole Style Selected Yet? Lent is coming!

Some of our favorite fabrics, the richly historic pattern – Fairford, along with the Winchester Brocade. The Brocades are available in deep violet color. Violet is the color used by a wide number of church bodies during the season of Lent. The color violet is used for Lent because it is associated with mourning.  We reflect on the mysteries of Christ and remember the pain and suffering of His crucifixion. Violet is also the color of royalty and it reminds us that we will soon celebrate Christ’s resurrection and sovereignty.

Bespoke Liturgical Religious Fabrics for Church Vestments

Planning Your Lent Church Vestment Projects: a Liturgical Fabric Review

Violet is an appropriate color for Lent. It is associated with pain, suffering, mourning, and loss. Yet it is also the color of Royalty. Winchester is a wonderful Brocade Fabric. It has a nice hand and the weight is designed for use with hand embroidery and goldwork embroidery. It holds up well for machine embroidery. It drapes beautifully for chasubles and copes.

Adoration of the Magi - Epiphany Banner Ecclesiastical Sewing

Epiphany: A Celebration with Varied Traditions

Epiphany is a feast day in the Western church, white vestments and paraments are used. Sometimes gold is substituted. There aren’t any specific Epiphany symbols, but there are often representations of the Three Kings elsewhere in churches.

Jacobean Altar Frontal Ecclesiastical Sewing

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God | Ecclesiastical Sewing (2019)

All feasts of Mary, as indeed are all feasts of all the worthies of the faith, are feasts that point to our Lord Jesus Christ and his work “for us and for our salvation.” Mary is our prime example of created humanity at its finest.  She is humble but brave, courageous but modest, truthful and kind, upright and vulnerable, and unafraid to follow the leadings of God.

Embroidery Design by Ecclesiastical Sewing

The Christmas Rose Legend and Symbolism

Christmas rose, also known as the Glastonbury Rose. This is a little white flower that grows in northern Europe during the winter. Legend has it that the Christmas rose is of miraculous origin. As the Christmas rose represents purity, it has often been carved into confessionals as a five-petal flower: the penitent walks in a guilty sinner, and out with their purity restored. It also appears in plenty of medieval heraldry, among other uses.

Christmas and Advent O Antiphons Ecclesiastical Sewing

The O Antiphons and O Come, O Come Emmanuel

The word “antiphon” is probably not in the vocabulary for those of us who aren’t all that familiar with liturgical chants but traditionally they were short chants of the Psalms often sung with a refrain. The meaning of antiphon actually has its roots in Greek origin as it literally means “before the sound.” The most famous song or hymn to come forth from the O Antiphons is the Christmas hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

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