Member's project: chalice veil & burse

Michael Dennison, a much-valued participant at our most recent Sewing Retreat at Douai Abbey, has recently completed this most accomplished chalice veil and burse as a gift for Fr Mark Naughton. A training exercise for Michael; Christmas come early for Fr Naughton!

Completion by our 2020 sponsorship winner of the Canvaswork module

 The winner of our 2020 sponsorship to the Royal School of Needlework (an anonymous religious) has completed the second module of the Certificate Course, Canvaswork. This piece of work was awarded almost perfect marks: it's a beautiful piece of work, executed to the very highest standard. 

We at the Guild of St Clare take enormous pride in the success of both our sponsorship winners: we feel we are playing a very small part in building the restoration of the skills that made the English church famous throughout the world in medieval times.

We look forward to seeing the next piece on which our winner is currently engaged: Goldwork.

Christmas sewing lesson

Lucy writes: Despite the stringent restrictions over Christmas, I was able to see some close family, and it was a particular joy to spend time in the sewing room teaching my Goddaughter, Agathe, how to make a patchwork scarf for her Luna Lapin to wear.

I was impressed by how quickly Agathe got the hang of the sewing machine. And Luna will be grateful for this beautiful handmade accessory in the cold weather we're having.

One of the things I'm looking forward to most when restrictions eventually lift is a return to spending time sewing with friends and family. Who knows when that will be?- but when it does happen, Guild of St Clare workshops and retreats will come roaring back into the calendar and I hope I will see many Guild members once again.

Handmade Christmas at St Philip's Priory, Chelmsford

 Fr Stephen writes: "If it's red, and not a flower, then I've sewn it this week (the last week of Advent)...Getting good at upcycling old bits!"

Fr Stephen has a remarkable gift for making beautiful new altar furnishings out of crumbling old bits of vestments: I hope he'll give us a tutorial one day soon!

Hand-stitched Christmas presents

It's the time of year when our sewing efforts are directed away from vestments and embroidery, and towards the children on our present lists. This year I enjoyed myself enormously, making felt crowns and more stuffed animals, with clothes to go with them. James Sharpe has also taken a break from Royal School of Needlework homework to make a felt cat. 

Luna and Alfie, made by Lucy

Felt crown, made by Lucy

Another felt crown, also by Lucy

James's marmalade felt cat

Completion by our 2020 sponsorship winner of the Jacobean Crewelwork module

 Regular readers will remember that our Royal School of Needlework Sponsorship was this year won by a religious, who because of the hidden nature of the vocation prefers to remain anonymous. Despite the difficulties posed by the lockdown, our winner has already completed the first module of the Certificate Course: Jacobean Crewelwork. This is a beautiful piece of work, admirably executed, which already displays the skill and imagination which the RSN exists to foster.

The colour scheme is charming, and shows a real feeling for colour.

I particularly love the use of trellis stitch in this piece: it's perfectly even, and the patterns are original and fun.

The unnamed embroiderer of this piece comments: "I was trying to figure out how long it took in total and know it's over 100 hours and probably somewhere around 150 hours or more...The romantic in me likes the idea of the sacrifice of hundreds of hours in making, say, a vestment and imagines the holy Angels adding this offering up to God at the Mass whenever the vestment is worn. 

"In meeting other broderers I was amazed at how talented others are; though it is also a little saddening when this talent is not used for God's glory, which is why it is very pleasing to me that the Guild of St Clare exists."

We are delighted to see the award in such hands as these, being put to such good use. Congratulations to our winner, and thanks for all you do to promote the use of embroidery in the service of God. 

Completion and gift of faldstool covers to Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane

 Many members will recognise these faldstool covers, which have been under construction for many months. They were completed during lockdown, and when lockdown 2 was lifted, we were able to take them in person to Maiden Lane to present to Fr Alan Robinson. They were needed for the Second Sunday in Advent, when the parish was expecting a visit from Bishop Robert Byrne of Hexham & Newcastle Diocese.

To my relief they fitted the faldstool as they ought, and looked beautiful in the magnificent setting of Corpus Christi, which Fr Robinson has lovingly restored. He has been spending his lockdown in making as many improvements to the church and its furnishings as possible, and the church is a fitting place for pontifical liturgies for which the faldstool is needed.

We have enjoyed making these covers enormously, and many Guild members have learned a lot about the traditional methods of vestment making in the process. I know that Fr Stephen Morrison OPraem, of the Chelmsford Norbertines, is particularly looking forward to assisting at a Pontifical Mass at which the black set will be used, as he himself contributed largely to the making of it.

Our next commissions involve making stoles, maniples, chalice veils and burses to complete Low Mass sets belonging to the Latin Mass Society. This will make use of the same skills that we have honed in the making of the faldstool covers: after this, I hope we'll make short work of them.

Claire's Carickmacross Lace

One of our skilled members, Claire Fitzgerald, has recently completed work on some Carickmacross Lace, a technique new to her. Carickmacross is a needlepoint lace which was introduced to Ireland in the early nineteenth century. It's often used in making communion and wedding veils (including that of HRH the Duchess of Cambridge whose Carickmacross wedding gown was made at the Royal School of Needlework).

Claire used the harp and shamrock pattern designed by the Carrickmacross Lace Gallery in Co. Monaghan, Ireland.

Claire says: "The base layer is a net, with organdie laid on top. The design is then applied using a series of couching stitches and then the organdie is cut away in the background areas to expose the mesh. A fine thread is weaved in between the net to create a lacy look. This creates an illusion of depth and layering of the design (i.e. foreground, middle-ground and background). It’s finished off with a few eyelets in the mesh and loops around the edges to give it a nice finished border."    

James completes his Jacobean Crewelwork

James Sharpe, the first winner of the Guild of St Clare sponsorship to the Royal School of Needlework, has finished his first piece of embroidery for the Jacobean Crewelwork technique, and will submit it in December when the mounting is complete.

James already had a background in art and design when he began the RSN Certificate course, and his design is laden with symbolism. The top represents the kingdom of Heaven, the thistles the pains of Hell, the central vine the vine of Christ and the narrow way, and the oxen the determined disciple. This exciting piece combines the English tradition of embroidery for upholstery and domestic furnishings with familiar liturgical symbols, using it to tell a story.

Many congratulations to James on this achievement: I am sure the assessors will be as impressed as we at the Guild of St Clare are!

Fr Stephen makes a tabernacle veil

Fr Stephen Morrison has used some of his rare leisure hours to make a new tabernacle veil, upcycled from an old one, to match the priory altar frontal. It's backed with moire, and Fr Stephen has added some couched work down the front.

Not just beautiful, but thrifty!

New member's project: Platinum needles and needle boxes

James Sharpe, the Guild's first winner of the Royal School of Needlework sponsorship, has discovered these fabulous platinum-plated needles (which he describes as "the best £2.62 I have spent for a long time") - for a Rolls Royce sewing experience, they are highly recommended. 

To single them out among his other needles he has created these special needle boxes, using Russian matchboxes.

It's all about the sewing stash!

More Luna Lapin

James Sharpe, our RSN sponsorship winner, has caught Luna Lapin fever (it's even more contagious than Covid-19) - here is his beautiful rabbit.

If you feel the incipient symptoms of this yourself, you can buy the books and kits from Sarah Peel's wonderful website, Cool Crafting.

Luna Lapin

 Lucy writes: I've recently discovered the wonderful world of Luna Lapin, created by Sarah Peel. The lockdown has provided time for me to make the full set:

From left to right: Wilhelmina Woodmouse, Luna Lapin, Freddie Badger, Reynard the Fox & Clementine the Cat

We were fortunate to meet Sarah at the Knitting & Stitching Show (in the days when such mass events were still possible and legal): she was so encouraging to the children and they invested heavily in kits and fabrics! We have also visited her shop in Kendal. You can also buy the Luna Lapin books, and the kits to make the animals, at Sarah's website.

Fr Stephen Morrison makes a travelling stole

Lucy writes: I was honoured by a visit from the multi-talented Fr Stephen Morrison last week. While he was with us he made a violet travelling stole, to replace the one he had dropped while visiting Covid patients in the Intensive Care Unit and which was consequently incinerated. 

The stole was made using New Ely brocade and trimmed with Ecclesia braid.

This is Fr Stephen’s second foray into vestment making - he assisted in the construction of faldstool covers during our last Sewing Retreat. The quality of his workmanship is extremely high so that it looks like the creation of a much more experienced maker. I hope the Guild of St Clare will benefit from his skills in the future!

Advanced Silk Shading

 Lucy writes: Advanced silk shading is one of the techniques studied for the diploma at the Royal School of Needlework. The subject should be a photograph of an animal, bird, fish or butterfly. I took a risk by using a photograph not of a live bird, but of a model: a recreation of the dodo, which is exhibited in the Oxford Natural History Museum. All Oxford dwellers have a great affection for the Oxford dodo, mummified remnants of which are in the keeping of the museum: it inspired the dodo in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and is said to be a caricature of the author himself. This is my embroidered tribute to the long-dead bird, the author and the book.

Cope for St Anthony

Recently completed for the parish of SS Gregory & Augustine, Oxford,  a white cope in honour of St Anthony's feast day on 13th June.

Appliqué for the Royal School of Needlework

 Lucy recently completed this piece of appliqué as part of her studies for the Diploma at the Royal School of Needlework.

It's taken from an illustration from the Folio edition of The Crimson Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. Well over a hundred hours of work went into it!

Scissor fob

Every stitcher knows the danger posed to beloved sewing scissors by unthinking people in search of something to cut paper, string, parcels (or even, horror of horrors, nails). Nothing says Hands Off like a monogrammed scissor fob!

Booking open for Sewing Retreats in 2019 and 2020

Bookings are now being taken for the Guild of St Clare sewing retreats in November 2019 and February 2020. Both will be held at Douai Abbey in Berkshire.

We are very happy to welcome back Fr John Hunwicke as chaplain to our November retreat. This will be a particularly special occasion as we will celebrate the feast of All Saints and of All Souls during the weekend - the dates are 1st-3rd. To book for November 2019, click here.

Assisting us for the first time as chaplain at our February retreat (28th Feb-1st March 2020) will be Fr Stephen Morrison O. Praem, of the Norbertine community at Chelmsford. To book for February 2020, click here.

As well as the usual mending, we also have a quantity of vestments to be made from scratch, which may be of interest to anyone wanting to learn more about how they are constructed. 

Don't miss your chance to register - places are strictly limited!

Embroidered Scapulars

The sewing class at the St Catherine's Trust summer school made embroidered scapulars this year. It was a fairly advanced embroidery project, involving trellis stitch, coral stitch, feather stitch, long and short tapestry shading, and - the piece-de-resistance - bullion knot roses, which have been known to reduce students at the Royal School of Needlework to tears. I had in mind the possibility of simplifying the design if it should prove too difficult, but it wasn't necessary - almost everyone completed it within the time available. Well done everyone!





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