Rob's stole...finished and shipped!

A Stole for Rob

A new stole is taking shape...  The request is for a blue stole, but not just any blue.  It has to be Carolina blue, the colours of the University of North Carolina.  The client, Rob, is officiating at a wedding in August, and the groom has requested he wear a stole in the colours of his alma mater.  Rob will also be able to wear this stole for Advent.

I have pulled the appropriate blues from my box--fortunately Rob sent me a card with paint swatches so that I could attempt to get the right blue.

The design possibilities...

Rob is partial to the flow of line in #2, on the right.

The ties cut into strips and waiting to be piecing...

And the first piecing....

I am going to have to look for more light blues!

The Lenten Stole has been received

What a relief to hear that Jann received her stole today and is excited about it as I am.  Here in part is her e-mail... "it is even more beautiful than I imagined!  Strange to say I can't wait until Lent.  Your work is so creative and so spiritual...it just feels sacred.  I thank you so much and I will treasure this for the rest of my life, remembering the beginning of my ordained ministry."

And now, here are images of the finished stole...

The lower edges with the Celtic cross on the front

The two halves at about hip level

The lining with labels

The tri-spiral over the shoulder

Full view, front

Full view, side

A Deacon Stole is Taking Shape

I am thrilled to be back in my studio creating a Deacon stole for Lent.
At the end of November I was contacted by Jann Brooks, asking if I made Deacon stoles. Here is her inquiry in part:

"Hi Janet!  I saw your work on line and had tears in my eyes I loved it so much!

I am to be ordained a Permanent Deacon into the Anglican Church of Canada (Diocese of Niagara) on Jan. 29.  I too love fibre--I love to spin my own yarn from fleece and then MUST spend at least an hour knitting per day or I get the shakes!"

In a subsequent email, Jann told me a little more about herself, namely that her ministry is to The Mission to Seafarers in Southern Ontario, and she is Chaplain to the port of Hamilton.  She goes onto the big ships in the harbour, and that her work clothes include a pink hard hat and pink work boots! 

So, we're off to a good start.   Not only do I get to work in my favourite colours (purples) but I am creating this for a fellow fibre enthusiast.

I pulled out my purple boxes...

And selected some likely candidates...

The ties at upper right are potential piping materials.

Then created a couple of designs...

Jann chose the more dramatic version on the right.  I started work yesterday, cutting the strips in preparation for piecing...

Then started piecing....

Today, I finished the piecing, and will soon trim the edges, and sew the shoulder seam.

A Triquetra

The triquetra and cross on the centre back have been stitched down....

(The triquetra pops up in many different cultures. Christians adopted it as a symbol of the Trinity, and a circle weaving over and under the interconnected loops is a sign of unity. For more info on this ancient symbol see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triquetra)

...and now I can turn my attention to the finishing...piping and lining. These two striped ties have made great piping!

The next step will be to stitch the piping to the edges...

A Stole For Ordinary Times, continued...

This is a great collection of green neckties. Here's a view of the pieced fabric and a detail shot...before cutting into the two halves of the stole.

Ignore the tape measure across the fabric!

The client has chosen a pointed back which allows a little more room for the cross.  A "triquetra" background was requested, along with a type of Celtic cross.  Here are some images where I tried out the arrangement. The cross will be created from gold metallic fabric, and embellished with stitching.

The triquetra has been created from bias strips of a soft gold necktie.

Stitching a Green Stole

I had a good day in the studio today working with these wonderful materials...

A good start:

Midway:

The piecing is almost complete:

The next decision to be made is whether or not the back will be triangular or round.  I am waiting to hear back from the commissioner.

A Green Stole for Ordinary Times

A new commission is underway. This stole is in honour of a pastor's 25th anniversary with the church, and will be made from neckties collected by the congregation. The first step in the process is to take the ties apart and wash them...

And meanwhile to think about the design....

Design #2 has been chosen, and now it's time to get to work!

One last image of the Rainbow Stole

Just before I boxed it up to ship to Janine, I thought I'd try it out on black...

Those saturated colours certainly pop!

The Rainbow Stole--Complete!

I'm now enjoying the stole on my mannequin in my studio until I ship it in the next few days.

The Rainbow Stole...on the home stretch

Following up on Janine's preference for spiral #1, and in green...

...reminiscent of an unfurling fern.

The dove has also been appliqued onto the upper left chest:

...using three different white and off-white brocades to give the dove some dimension.

I've also finished the piping, using these interesting striped ties:

I chose these ties because of the gold, yellow and red stripes.

I've made the piping and have attached it...

The final step is the lining and label!  Almost finished!

Spirals

Searching for images of spirals produces a dizzying array of options.  The spiral pops up in many cultures, modern and ancient.  In our most recent travels through the Mediterranean, I encountered the spiral in several places...

A mosaic tile floor laid about 2000 years ago in a Roman villa.  I took this photo in the Vatican Museum.

Descending a spiral staircase in a church tower in Sicily

In the National Museum of Archeology, Valletta, Malta.  This carving dates to 3600-2500 BCE

More spirals from the archeology museum in Valletta.

Inspired by these images, here are some possibilities for the back of the stole...

Spiral 1

Spiral 2

Spiral 3

Spiral 4

Spiral 5

I now wait for Janine to express a preference!