Reformation Vestment Set Ideas

Today’s post is in honor of  the The Lutheran Reformation.

Where do Ecclesiastical Sewing and Ecclesiastical Embroidery Design ideas come from? How does one come up with ideas to create a new Vestment Set? Recalling the words of my design instructor from years ago, the answer is,

“Design comes from the world around us. We must have our eyes and mind open to take in ideas and the things we see every day,

and keep a notebook close at hand. Make notes continually of the things you see from the world of wonder surrounding you.

That is your source for inspiration.”

When it comes to planning Ecclesiastical Vestments, the answers to design questions can come from a variety of sources.

1. There may be a need to replace existing vestments due to age and wear.
2. The existing designs may be out dated or the scale may be wrong for the current space.
3. There may be a special celebration in the future.
4. A Designer may desire to create a new Vestment Set to use a special fabric or design, or to create something of beauty to utilize an artist’s skill.
5. A vestment set may be created to honor or in honor of a special priest or pastor or to mark a special celebration in their life of service. Or the desire may be there to simply give a gift of a new vestment to a special member of the clergy (never do this without first asking their approval) .
6. A patron may dedicate a vestment set in honor of someone’s special event such as a wedding, anniversary, or as a memorial for a loved one.

With a little thought, the ideas will soon start to flow.  And so it happened…

Our church will prepare to celebrate a major anniversary in 3 years.  The Celebration will be the 500th Anniversary of Martin Luther’s Posting of the 95 Thesis on the Doors of Wittenberg Castle Church in the Year of Our Lord, 2017 A.D. To mark the celebration for my congregation, it would be nice to have a special set of Vestments. Although the Celebration is 3 years away, it is none too early to begin some of the preliminary design work and planning of such a major Ecclesiastical Vestment Set.

When planning a new set of Ecclesiastical Vestments, it is important to decide which pieces will be needed, what the color might be, what fabrics might be considered, the available budget for the project, and what Ecclesiastical Embroidery Designs might work for the set. And that is only the beginning.

Some of these ideas have been worked through, and a few ideas are starting to take root.  Several items from the list above are easy decisions:

• Altar hangings: the set will include an altar frontal with attached superfrontal and pulpit fall
• Vestments: Stole (or perhaps 2 stoles) , chasuble, and maniple
• Chalice Veil, and burse, (and perhaps a Bible marker as a ribbon, and not a hanging for a lectern)
• Banners may be considered
• Embroidery Designs: the major design will feature a Luther Rose

Although it would be nice to make a complete High Mass Set which would include a Cope, Dalmatic, and Tunicle, in addition to the previously mentioned pieces, our church does not use a deacon or sub-deacon at this point in time, so these pieces are not really needed. The Reformation Vestment Set will be a Low Mass Set.

The next item to consider is use – how often will the set be used. In our church, it will most likely be used one time per year to celebrate the  Lutheran Reformation.  The traditional color for Reformation Sunday is Red. Most churches use their Pentecost Red Set on Reformation Sunday. The new  Reformation Vestment Set being planned will be a darker red, more like a martyr red, rather than the brighter Pentecost Red. As time moves along, I will be sure to update you as the fabric selections are finalized and the Ecclesiastical Embroidery Designs take shape.

That is a lot of information to get things rolling with a new Ecclesiastical Sewing Project to mark the 500th Anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation.  New projects are always so much fun to plan!

Solo Dei Gloria

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