It began when Martin Luther posted his theses, sparking changes in church history. Although denominations split, they kept some traditions, like special church clothes. Ecclesiastical Sewing preserves these traditions by making church clothes for different churches. Studying church history helps us see what’s the same and what’s different. Ecclesiastical sewing is a way of making beautiful things for God.
The Chi Rho symbol is the large “P” combined with the “X” to create a monogram that depicts the first two letters of the Greek word KHRistos. The Chi Rho is a chrismon, or christogram. This lovely monogram can take many shapes and forms. The “P” in this version is embroidered using a very deep red color, outlined with a dark gray to set it off against the black background. The “X” is embroidered using a slightly lighter red color, outlined with the same deep gray thread.
Meet the Ecclesiastical Sewing family! Founded by Carrie Roberts in 2014, the family brings rich ecclesiastical vestments to churches of all sizes. Carrie’s fashion design background and international market experience lay the foundation. With artistic son Christopher’s designs, they offer embroidery patterns, Ashley, a historian, explores church vestment history, while Travis manages operations. The technical side is handled by Nicholas, bringing designs to life digitally.
Like the majority of modern ecclesiastical vestments, the cope has its origins in ancient garments. The Cope–Norris, unlike other vestments, is a bit of a mystery. With an unknown origin, its ancestor could be either the garment known as a paenula, the lacuna, or the buyers.
Evesham, which is made from silk fibers, comes in two different pattern scales: a large size pattern, and a small pattern. With two sizes of scales of patterns to select from, The project will combine the use of both the large and small patterns of Evesham.
In the early days of the church, seven deacons were chosen to serve as helpers. Philip was one of these men. After the deacon Steven was killed and persecution of the Christians began in Jerusalem, Philip left Jerusalem for Samaria. There he spread the good news of the Gospel. Philip is also the man who preached to the Ethiopian eunuch and then baptized him.
The liturgical vestment known as the stole–the type we see today–came into form around the twelfth century; it has retained the basic shape familiar to us with minor variations over time. The variations include width, spade ends, and neckline variations. The styles of stole decorations have changed dramatically through the centuries.
Caring of these liturgical vestments is a form of care to our ministers. This is a noble duty, especially for women–whether as part of a guild, league, or even deaconesses. Freshen the ministers’ wardrobes is a great way to show our love and appreciation for all that they do for us.
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