Greetings.  It has been a while since my last post.  Life has a way of rushing past, getting to the end of one day with barely a moment to spare, when a new day begins afresh. Much has been going on behind the scenes at Ecclesiastical Sewing in preparation for the new website launch.  The closer the launch date gets, and the more that is completed, the more one realizes how much remains yet to be done. As much as I would like everything to be picture perfect and to launch all at once, with a staff of only 3 (Me, Myself and I), the reality is that things will launch in stages over time.  I thank you in advance for your patient endurance as preparations continue.

Since it is now May and my travel season has begun, I thought you might enjoy some of the scenery on the first leg of travels for this year.

Spring travel this year started with our daughter’s College Graduation in Nashville, TN. Trees and grass were just putting on their first coats of early spring green as we left Minnesota behind, but Nashville was vividly dressed with roses in full bloom!

The beauty and fragrance awaited us the moment we stepped out of the airport.  What a delight warmer climates can be in the spring!

Our time in Nashville was spent at the lovely Belmont University Campus. Although there are many churches in Nashville, there was no time to plan any visits in search of church vestments and church embroidery on this trip. With what seems like hundreds of Churches in the area, perhaps a future visit might yield some church vestment treasures. For this trip, it will be a matter of being on the lookout for anything unexpected.

The grounds Belmont are beautifully landscaped with flowers, blooming shrubs, and large expanses of lawn.

Belmont is  Christian University, so as we walked around, my camera was at the ready just in case there might be something of interest that might spark the imagination.

The Campus at Belmont has many lovely buildings with classical architectural details. Sadly, there was nothing specific to view or photograph with regards to church vestments on campus, so one always keeps an eye open for other sources of inspiration.

Saturday morning took us to Franklin, TN for the car show.

There were exotic cars from Italy and

the United Kingdom! This was not quite what I had in mind for church vestment inspiration…………..but with darling husband and two teenage sons along, we had to enjoy some of their interests on this trip, too.

Later on Saturday afternoon, the Graduation Processional began with the Mace and Banner of Belmont. Although it was not a church banner, the banners for schools and universities are often made from the same fabrics which are used for making church banners and vestments. After the mace and banner, the processional continued with professors of the college dressed in their gowns and hoods.

Each professor wears an academic gown and hood made with fabrics in the colors of their college.  Hoods may also be a part of the garments worn by clergy in some locations. There are a few old vestment pattern books which have the original patterns for making a hood for either academic or ecclesiastical use.

There are two Ecclesiastical or Liturgical fabrics, St. Aidan and Cloister, which are popular choices for use in University Wear as well as for making church vestments, especially in the United Kingdom. St. Aidan and Cloister are a nice choice for those interested in working a first project using Liturgical Fabrics. The repeats are easy to work work, and the price point is easy on the budget.  Keep an eye open for more information in the coming weeks on St. Aidan and Cloister.

And so leg one of this trip is finished. Next stop, sunny Florida.

Soli Deo Gloria

 

Filed under: Ecclesiastical Sewing Tagged: Academic gown and hood, Academic gown fabric, Ecclesiastical Sewing, St. Aidan Liturgical Fabric