I didn’t realize it, but the priests buy the chasuble (outer robe). Perhaps the parish reimburses them the expense, I don’t know.
Father mentioned that he studied in Rome for a time and that he had bought a chasuble there.
And, they’re surprisingly expensive.
catholicchurchsupply.com/church-supplies/Liturgical-Vestments/category/1771/sort/popular
Many priests own their own, many parishes also own sets.
A Roman cleric requires a purple and a gold set as a bare minimum, with the standard being white, green, red, purple, and gold being normative, with rose and black optional. Certain dioceses also make use of blue by long-standing tradition (pre-Trent Tradition, no less).
Having helped my dad make many of his vestments, there’s a reason they are expensive. The materials are not inexpensive, and the work, while not overly difficult, is time consuming. At least, not unless one is doing embroidery and/or extensive applique work.
Dad and I, working together, turned out stoles in a couple hours each; simple ones, with simple trim bands at the ends, of straight construction. (Such a straight stole is the simplest version; it meets the canonical requirements, but should have a cross on it.) Add 20 minutes to 90 minutes for a trim-cross on the face of the stole (for a deacon) or join (for a priest); an applique cross takes about 30 minutes, and on the join, takes either hand sewing or specific special treatment). The more modern miter-jointed priest stole adds another half-hour; a round-neck closer to an hour and a half more (due to difficulties in turning it right side out around the neckline, and cutting time increases due to curves). Having to pattern match adds 20 minutes or so; having to deal with highly frayable fabrics, add another 20-40 minutes for serging and/or gluing. The fabric, in 60" wide, if able to be used width for length, means a yard per stole for straight. In 30" wide, 1.5-2 yards for straight or mitered, more for curved. Strategic Orphreys can make a 2’ chunk of 40" wide into a stole.
A maniple is not much different from a stole, save in length; about half the length, almost as much time.
A simple dalmatic, no orphrey nor trim, unlined, is 30 to 90 minutes, depending on fabric issues. Adding orphreys adds another 20-120 minutes. Trimming edges adds another hour to 4 hours, depending upon the nature of the trim, the fabric, and the strength of the sewing machine; a lining is about another 20-120 minutes.
A simple gothic chasuble with simple fabric orphrey, unlined, anywhere from one to six hours, depending upon fabric (including pattern, nap/directionality, specific cut, width of fabric, and amount of seam binding needed), presuming a serger is available. Further trim, add several hours.
A fancy fiddleback chasuble: the sewing is not much different, but the fabric is about 1/3 as much. The blackwork stitching in silverthread or gold thread, and the appliques, add 10 to 1000 hours, depending on complexity, proportion of stitching versus applique work.
Simple but fine fabrics run $5-$20 a yard in 45" wide, 60" wide is often $7-$30. Cross or floral brocades in silk are often $30-$100 per yard, usually in 30" to 45"…
Dad’s favorite Rose stole is of moire watermark upholstery silk… we found an endlot of upholstery silk in dusty rose for $7/yard, 1.5 yards, 60" wide… in 1983. Regular price? was $50 a yard at the time. (Good discount…)
Money was always tight; so in making vestments, we always looked for endlots. Dad now has several dalmatics in each color save blue, as he’s not in a diocese which uses it.
