O Morning Star, splendour of light
eternal and sun of righteousness Come
and enlighten those who dwell in
darkness and the shadow of death.
New collections are months in the making. And the Dayspring Church Vestment Collection is no exception. Edward Riojas and I started discussing plans for this new Ecclesiastical Sewing Vestment Collection months ago. We worked through the design development stage beginning with concept drawings until we had final artwork which was followed by versions. Yet, from the beginning upon seeing the first concept designs for this set, I had that gut feeling that this was a set that would be special. It is a humbling feeling. And one waits with great anticipation with each step along the way, from concept, to finished artwork, through the trials of creating embroidery from art to see if the that gut feeling was correct. And that is the easy part.
Next comes the trails, frustrations and at times, fear that the artwork will never translate into thread. Other times, the designs happen, as if some mysterious hand is there guiding every stitch. They just happen – and they are right from the very start. Taking a design from a digitized file to finished stitchout is often the most perilous step in the entire design process. The designs have to be right. They have to be special. They have to be beautiful. They must reflect the ideas of the artist, and most importantly, they must in someway help to teach our faith.
Once the embroidery designs are worked through, each design must be scrutinized to determine what vestment and altar pieces are best suited for the designs. Then, we contemplate which fabrics will best enhance the beauty of the designs. And a host of questions follow: will trim be required, how will the pricing work, how long will each design take to stitch? Each question must have an answer.
And test stitching begins. The designs must be tested to make sure they stitch well and that the best possible thread colors have been selected. This is often the most challenging part of the entire design process. If the thread colors do not blend properly, or if the stitch out has issues with thread breaks or if it simply does not stitch well, a beautiful design could end up wadded up in a corner and not make the final cut for the collection.
After months of work, the designs for new collections slowly fall into place, piece by piece. Sometimes we realize that additional design are needed or that designs need to be modified to fit a particular shape or space. Designs are often manipulated into new shapes. Sometimes unexpected additions come along for a set such as the chasuble in the lead photo.
When the embroidery is complete, vestments and altar hangings are sent of for stitching by our seamstresses and more wonderful things happen. When it all comes together, the goal is:
Utmost Excellence
Every Vestment,
Every Garment,
Every Time.
Dayspring is a Collection of Designs intended for use at both Christmas and Easter. Dayspring is a Messianic Prophecy that is fulfilled at the Resurrection. The Dayspring Church Vestment Collection incorporates the IHS Holy Monogram, the Chi Rho Symbols, Alpha and Omega, Rising Sun, and Glorious Cross. There are also Angels in adoration. The entire Ecclesiastical Sewing team is honored to have been a part in creating this new Dayspring Collection of Designs for use in your churches for the Christmas and Easter Seasons of the church year.
Soli Deo Gloria
Dayspring Collection by Ecclesiastical Sewing:
The Dayspring designs are worked in gold threads on a white ground. Other variations include gold threads of the red ground of a quatrefoil for use on Gold Vestments. The designs also stitch beautifully in Red threads on a Gold Ground.