Ordination Gifts delivered!

So the ordinations took place last Friday, in the Traditional Rite, with Bishop Egan doing the honours, and I feel very blessed to have attended such a momentous event. The stole, mentioned in the previous post, was gifted to one of the new Priests, Fr. Philomeno who, I am told, said "Mamma Mia!" on receipt of it, and was delighted to receive it. The other embroidery was of St Philomena, appropriately!

 I also made a similar one for one of the other Ordinands, now Father Rosario, who has a rosary incorporated into the Marian monogramme embroidery on one side of the stole,

and Royal St. Joseph on the other, to whom he, and all the Friars have a great devotion.

Again, it is reversible...I hope to get some better pictures of this one being worn, before too long!

Amazing What One can Do with a Few Scraps!

I have been working on a special ordination gift that some friends of a chap who is about to be ordained wanted made. They are not wealthy folk, and I offered to make something in a "budget" range, but when I looked through my scraps of liturgical leftovers, considering what a special occasion it's for, my artistic soul, which really only wants to use the best, plumped for some special scraps. It is to be a Preaching Stole, and I've used cloth of gold for the front, and a beautiful purple and gold silk for the back, in order to make it reversible.
I then had to decide on some appropriate embroideries, as the cloth of gold is a bit unexciting on its own, so I chose a Saint who is close to the ordinand's heart, and Our Lady of Guadalupe as he is also very actively Pro Life.
As the Ordination is not until next week, I shan't reveal all, until he receives his gift, but here's a sneak preview...

Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

How about having a pillow case made to celebrate the victory of Don Juan of Austria over the Moslems at the Battle of Lepanto!

White founts falling in the courts of the sun,

And the Soldan of Byzantium is smiling as they run;

There is laughter like the fountains in that face of all men feared,

It stirs the forest darkness, the darkness of his beard,

It curls the blood-red crescent, the crescent of his lips,

For the inmost sea of all the earth is shaken with his ships.

...

Our Lady of the Rosary, ora pro nobis.

(Actually, this pillow case was made as a gift for someone's God daughter!)

Baptismal Gown for a Summer Baby

I made a First Communion dress for a little girl last year, and her mother is now expecting a new little one, so she came back to me for a Baptismal gown.

This is the first one I've made since I desperately tried to finish my son's before his Baptism - nearly 19 years ago now! (Which you can see in the Header photo of the blog, next to St Zelie!)

The mum had several ideas of what she wanted, so using those, and my own finds - a fantastic lightweight cotton lawn with woven satin stripes and tiny lozenge-embroidered stripes - some lovely soft cotton Nottingham lace, and several specially digitized embroidery designs, it came out beautifully. 

The only problem with sending it to the USA was that the tracking number went dead after it was logged as having got on a plane at Heathrow, so there was a rather nail biting week or two where I hoped and prayed that it was still in transit - and eventually it did turn up - in plenty of time, since baby is due in June!

I was very pleased with the way it turned out but it was time-consuming to make, it took just as long as a first Communion dress!

Detail of the baptismal shells

an IHS cross

and some wheat and grape vines

The fabric is light as gossamer,

and has a cotton lawn lining

Had to wait for an obliging gust of wind to show it off!

A simple button fastening at the back

And of course, there has to be a matching bonnet with embroideries

And the expectant mum is very happy with it too, DG!

Chasing away the Chilly Winter blues

 

 I'm a bit of a sucker for old fashioned sewing patterns, so when I saw a 1950s one for a baby's "papoose" type sleeping bag I snapped it up. Last Summer, I had bought some lovely quilted fabric from one of my favourite places in France - Alencon (couldn't get any lace, but there was a new fabric shop on the outskirts of town which sold stuff, the likes of which I've never seen in the UK) - and I had been wondering what to do with it.

I love the donkeys, and the Sunbursts.

Bright and cheerful for this grey time of year.

It seemed ideal fabric for the papoose, and I had a little lady (and her Mum) in mind to try it out on - one wonders whether things from yesteryear are still likely to be appealing to the Mothers of today!

And the lovely cotton pique lining fabric was from the same shop too,
I think St. Zelie may have liked this if she were sewing today!

The mother was delighted with it, as the baby had been cold in her Moses basket at night, since she always seemed to throw her covers off.  Mum has just managed to send me some lovely pictures of her sweet little one (less than a month old!) fast asleep, and looking very cosy, I must admit!

God Bless, and
Sleep tight Philomena. X

Adorable!

The Lads get a Look-in!

It's not all bonnets and frocks at Zelie's Roses!

Thought I'd post a few photos of something different.

Made for a certain 18 year old's birthday, I was informed, after he'd worn it out to a club one evening that several people had asked whether it was a Versace!! I am not a follower of fashion (can't you tell? I tend to hark back to earlier, more modest styles) so I wasn't sure what a "Versace" would look like...until I 'googled' it, and came up with these -

A mere snip at £490

A wee bit more expensive £550

The piece de resistance, £1,175 - but it is silk,
not wonderful cheap Fabricland cotton!
 

I asked whether he'd got me a few commissions from them, but alas, no... I wouldn't have sniffed at making them for a fraction of the price!...sigh... I must admit, I think my pattern matching is every bit as good as that of the workers Versace gets to make his shirts! I hope they are well-paid for it, considering the final prices of the shirts - it's no mean feat to get all those patterns to match, I can assure you...

Ah well, better to work for love rather than money, eh?

Pussy Cats and Bunny Baby Vest and Bib!

In between making First Holy Communion dresses and mantillas, I've been having fun with the embroidery machine, making another tea cosy for a lady who likes cats, and a bib and vest for a new baby named Benjamin.  His mother is Spanish, so has not quite worked out the connection between his name and bunnies, but I am sure there is a translation of Beatrix Potter's story into Spanish so I shall attempt to find it for her.

Anyone for a Cuppa?

I have really enjoyed making gifts this last year, combining the embroidering & applique skills of my machine with practical objects such as tea cosies. Here are some examples made for family members

Christmas cosy

Epiphany birthday cosy for a niece

I like to make them different on either side, just for fun!

Birthday cosy for a mother hen with a large brood!

Wedding cosy for a newly married couple (the bride arrived at the Church in a VW van!)

Another Christmas gift.

Nice and jolly, to brighten up the winter kitchen.

And a Christmas bag for a little niece!