How do I learn to make liturgical vestments?

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terrytango

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I’ve found myself in a position where I have a rather limited capacity for work. Most work environments are unsuitable for me and currently I recieve disability support.

I would like to use my newfound time to learn and do something useful for my parish and something I’ve always found myself longing to be able to do is make liturgical vestments. But I don’t really know anything about it, I don’t know anyone who does it and I can’t seem to find anything helpful online. I just don’t know where to get started.

If you’re someone who makes liturgical vestments, how did you get started? Are there useful resources, books, videos etc you recommend? Where do you find patterns? What sewing basics should you be able to do? I’ve mostly only used sewing for repairing clothes before, when I was younger I used to make clothes for my dolls etc but that’s obviously different and I’ve never done professional sewing. How feasible is it for me to learn?

Sorry if this seems like a ridiculous idea. I just don’t like the idea of being completely useless because I have a disability and I thought this could be a good opportunity to learn something that is more related to my faith than what I did previously.
 
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If you google “Custom Vestments” you will find websites of those who make and sell vestments. Contacting other people in the business will likely introduce you to a community of talented people who share your passion.
 
Yeah somehow it skipped my mind to just reach out to people and ask haha
 
Etsy is a website that has not only a place to sell/buy, but, communities of artisans 🙂
 
I would first check with your parish and see what they might need. Check with your priest as well, as every priest has his own preferences with regard to cut and style of vestments. The next step I would say is either to get a pattern for vestments or, if you want a good model of them, purchase some inexpensive vestments to use as a pattern (or to make paper patterns from). You could even use the vestments to make patterns and then gift those to your parish along with your own work.

There’s a good website called Catholic Liturgicals, in India, that makes fairly decent vestments at a pretty low cost ($80 for a Gothic chasuble, $100 for a Roman, or “fiddleback” cut). You could also check places like eBay or Etsy for old vestments beyond repair, which are usually quite inexpensive, and use those to make patterns.

-Fr ACEGC
 
I forgot to add, if you talk to your parish and they have some old vestments you could use to trace, that would be a good way of doing it (and free as well). If your parish uses altar frontals, that would be another neat thing to try to make. They’re not super complicated and they look great. It’s basically just a rectangular hanging made in the appropriate liturgical color that hangs in front of the altar (hence the other name for them, the “antependium,” which is “that which hangs before.”)
 
How about making some clothes for yourself first where you will be practising inserting zippers, button holes etc. Do you have access or own an overlock sewing machine (also called serger)? Embroidery machine with a large frame?

The cloths used by the priest to wipe his fingers and purifiers to wipe the chalice need to be replaced every once in a while because of stains or they are worn out. Albs need to be replaced and some parishes use special albs for First Holy Communion and Confirmation.
 
Yeah in conjunction with this I was planning on making clothes for myself, also just to practise all the techniques I need
 
Traditional Roman Vestments - these are free.
Sew Vestments by a nun - shop on Etsy patterns for a Latin Chasuble, a guide to vestment design and construction, a pattern for an Alb, patterns for a Dalmatic, Cope, Gothic Chasuble,
Vestments and how to make them book on Amazon.
Patterns to purchase from Church Linens, scroll down to patterns for Cassock-Albs, Amices, Round and Square Yoke Surplices, instructions booklets for Chasubles and Dalmatics and a whole lot more.
Ecclesiastical Sewing sells patterns for Stoles, Chalice Veils, Cope, Chasubles, Dalmatic, Surplice, Deacons Stole, and even for a Rochet.
Basic Chasuble Sewing Instructions
Search on Etsy for Cassock and Choir Robe and a priests’ stole patterns to buy.
How to make a clergy stole
instruction on how to make a Purificator Various books to read on how to make items

Perhaps your parish could pay for some of the above patterns if you are going to be making items for them? Also maybe try something small and simple to start off with like a purificator and lavabo towel - both rectancles though of different sizes with an embroidered cross in the centre for the purificator and bottom right corner for the lavabo towel. Maybe even cross stitch a small cross here.
 
Angelus Press (SSPX publishing house; they have lots of TLM books) has a book on the proper care of liturgical vestments. It’s not quite what you’re looking for but it might have some sources.
 
edward_george1 said:
There’s a good website called Catholic Liturgicals, in India, that makes fairly decent vestments at a pretty low cost ($80 for a Gothic chasuble, $100 for a Roman, or “fiddleback” cut).
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Father - so you like these guys? Do you own one of their vestments? Would recommend buying a black or pink vestment from these guys?
 
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