Sometimes projects have a profound impact and you can almost feel every stitch mend and nourish parts of your soul. The development of our Maniturgium and First Stole were definitely opportunities for this kind of soul mending. Without getting into the weeds I will say that once upon a time I looked forward to receiving a maniturgium. I have long since come to terms with the loss of that possibility but the soul is always 'on the mend' whether we are conscious of it or not.

Veiling does not hide or diminish, rather it reveals the dignity and honor that is due to what, or Who, lies beneath the veil. In scripture we find many examples of God's veiled presence among us. The Church carries this tradition forward to reveal to the faithful that He is fully present — Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity — in the Eucharist. The sacred vessels (ciboria), which hold our Eucharistic Lord within the tabernacle, are adorned with the finest available materials and

An amice is a vital part of the Armor of God (Eph. 6.). Though it is a simple piece of white cloth it represents the Helmet of Salvation; and, like any helmet when engaging in battle, it is essential in the spiritual battle a priest must face when approaching the altar to say Holy Mass. It is made (preferably) with linen and has long strands of solid weave cotton tape attached at the top two corners. It is worn across a priest's shoulders and around his neck with the purpose

Every sacristan understands the immense value of this sentiment, especially when it comes to cleaning and preserving vestments. I imagine it was a rather prudent sacristan who invented stole and chasuble protectors. Such a small thing that makes their job so much easier. Attached to vestments with large basting stitches for ease of removal and cleaning these small pieces of linen have a big task in preserving material and preventing damage. It’s no secret how warm a priest ca

I love a challenge so when a religious order priest contacted me to ask about recreating a cincture design I was happy to oblige. The design wasn't too far off from my usual method but did require recreating a crochet pattern for the tassel caps and about 18,500 feet, or approximately three and an half miles of thread. That's about two miles more thread than I use in my usual patterns for the cord, tassel caps, and tassels. The result is an exquisite 100% silk cincture, and

We have a top secret restoration project that has been in the works for months. We are looking forward to sharing it with you but, in the meantime, we are making a mess. Like any other art form fiber arts have a learning curve and this project has a particularly steep one as it involves complicated mechanics and fine details that need to be perfectly aligned for it to work properly. I do not say all of this as a tease but to remind myself, and whoever else cares to hear it, o

Every once in a while (probably not nearly enough) I get to make a project just for fun. Not usually anything too big or fancy...until now. I am going to launch some new products and I wanted to make some embroidery samples to showcase some of the designs that will be available. But what designs to embroider? on which fabric? and with what thread? hmmmm....?? Well they say 'necessity is the mother of invention' so that is where I found the answers to my questions. Advent wa