Church Vestments are sacred items, with the specific role of being 'Sacramentals' conveying Grace. There are different colours for the different Liturgical Seasons - white, red, green, purple, black, and for two days of the year Rose. Gold replaces white on great Feast Days and when there is no other alternative. Feast Days are of different 'classes', allowing for a tremendous variety of possibilities in design and ornamentation. Weaving all together though, is the absolute necessity for the Vestments to be properly constructed and decorated in such a manner as to inspire the Faithful.

40 years ago, with the spirit of 'renewal' sweeping the Sacristies of the world, many beautiful, richly ornamented vestments were tossed out and replaced by horrific substitutes. It seemed that anything was acceptable in the headlong rush for change. All-enveloping, tentlike robes flooded the market and made the earnest Catholic choke in their pew.

Four decades later, there is a tremendous resurgance and interest in these classic, timeless designs. The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has encouraged traditional Rites, and traditional Sacristy furnishings. The new, modern styles, simply do not fit the mould of Tradition. Many sacristies are looking for Roman and Gothic Vestments, Copes, Catholic Banners, Altar Cloths made from pure linen, clergy cassocks, antependiums, vesper covers, Pontifical High Mass sets, Church metalware, processional canopies, Mass Linens... the list goes on and on and on.

But, where are they and who makes them, from what and how?

Frankly, there's practically no-one left who know how to sew a really nice set of vestments; you know, vestments that contain sacred geometry in their ornamentation, a classic 'look' and a professional finish. The person that signs off on the finished set of vestments, needs to be aware that their name goes with it for ten, twenty or thirty years.

Something as simple as laying out the church fabric requires several key factors that most home sewers would overlook. And that's presuming you know where to buy the fabric, and how to avoid certain 'horror' rayons and metallic fabrics notorious for looking more like 'Christmas wrap' (due to TINSEL content). To lay out the fabric properly, you need an adequate work area. Having the fabric trailing off a regular table on the floor, where the cat can come along and take a nap on it, etc, etc, is totally out of the question. This is where a professional studio environment comes in and can end up saving you or your parish money in the long run. Church fabric can be purchased on Ebay, and often it is reasonably good enough to use for vestment projects. The author, however, has seen a number of different Church fabrics, lauded as 'beautiful' and quassi perfect examples of off the roll church fabric arrive and end up being totally unsuitable. Remember, you are sewing something sacred. Just because the fabric has a Cross pattern, does not necessarily make it a good option for your project.

The numerous steps involved in successful vestment construction need to be thoroughly understood and applied.

What do you do with banding that creates a corrugated effect on the fabric by stretching the fabric it is stitched to?

How do you line a gothic Chasuble to get a 99.99999% perfect result?

What stops satin lining on the Gothics from billowing out like a parachute?

Does stitch direction really matter? What goes inside Roman Chasubles? What stops trimming from puckering, buckling, corrugating and looking terrible?

If you are considering taking up the noble work of church sewing, this is a wonderful thing and God will reward you abundantly. However, just make sure you know what you are doing first. It's not as easy as you would think. And don't forget: your work will be under close scrutiny from friend and foe. Sometimes, investing in vestments and sacristy goods to be made for your parish professionally, by a Studio that has the expertise, knowledge, machinery and resources will actually save you money and time - not to mention possible embarrassment.

Keep an eye out for the forthcoming video series on Church Sewing and matching Ebook series.