Sorry I haven’t published anything for a while & then you get two together.
This chasuble was commissioned by my sister to partner her green stole. It features the same grape vine & wheat stems design, with the addition of a chalice and Host.
The tacking stitches you can see on the right hand photo are where the gold threads are going to be couched down.
Since making my last stole I have been on a goldwork course at Hampton Court, with the Royal School of Needlework & I learned, that when working with the gold jap couching thread, I needed to lay it down two threads together side by side. This prevents the gold thread from wrinkling up over time.
Inside each of the highlights on the grapes I stitched a small glass bead to give texture & also to catch the light. You can also see where small areas of the dark purple have been cut away to reveal the lighter purple underneath. The curves on the grapes are stitched free hand (where the feed teeth are dropped on the machine & you literally draw by moving the fabric freely under the needle)
The chalice has finally had some silver pearl purl (fine coiled wire) couched down in a zig-zag pattern to add texture & design.
Finally the two pieces were separated and stitched to the front & back panels of the chasuble. You would not believe the difficulty I had trying to find the ‘right’ green for the body of the chasuble, 40 shades of green, I would say nearer 60 !!!! I also had to take in to account, weight of fabric, texture of fabric, this I think was actually harder than all the embroidery work 🙂 but I got there in the end thanks to Hayes & Finch in Liverpool.
The chasuble was finished by lining it with a lovely contrasting gold lining fabric. Really pleased with one, hope you like it.
The chasuble for your sister looks amazing? Do you take commissions and could you give me an idea of the price of a chasuble please?
Hi Sue, l would love to chat to about the possibility of a commission. The price would really depend on how much work is involved, for example designing, hand embroidery etc. Do you have a budget in mind? My email address is elaine@stole-my-heart.co.uk if you would like to email me. Elaine x