Embroidery for the Elderly

We've been busy here in the Catholic Embroidery workshop! With Easter at hand and a host of Liturgical and Sacramental celebrations in the near forecast, our needles have been flying away, creating designs for Easter, First Communions, Ordinations, and more.

Easter and Marian feasts will be duly celebrated at the nursing home with these appliques

It was a pleasure to work with a local seamstress on designs to complement vestments to be worn at a nursing home throughout the year. These were created just-in-time to be applied to vestments for the upcoming feasts of Easter, Pentecost, Masses of Our Lady in May. I think we covered the next few months' worth of feasts with these beauties! What do you think?

Not a coincidence that this design was created during the recent conclave :-)

www.catholicembroidery.com

A Commencement Speech Without Words

Our new Vendee Patches are more than a kid's accessory!

From a valued customer: "I've received the Vendée Cross patch. Thank you very much for shipping it so swiftly, and I must say that it has, indeed, exceeded my expectations. I'm a professor at Loyola Marymount University, here in Los Angeles, and I had hoped to wear the patch pinned to my academic robe at commencement; I shall certainly do so proudly. Many thanks, and every blessing for Lent. " 

Thank you, Professor, for this encouraging example of living the Faith and serving Christ the King in the public forum - and at a Catholic University commencement, at that!

God bless,
Mary

www.catholicembroidery.com 

Trefoil Chalice & Pall Design

Your request is our desire! Our third new design of the week is an answer to many customer requests:

 Finally - a chalice and host design with two tone metallic thread!

Choose our Trefoil Chalice design on your next custom-made missal cover and see the delightful coupling of two-tone thread in-action. A perfect design for First Communion gifts, the Trefoil Chalice would be the perfect gift as Remembrance Embroidered Artwork.
To the right, you'll find it stitched in two tone metallic and ready for application on missal covers!


Created with an additional angular border, the Trefoil Chalice Pall design was inspired by handmade antique embroidery found in Belgian abbeys. While not condusive to the ordinary application, this exclusive design is ready to stitch on the next "Peter's" Pall. :)

Trefoil Chalice and Trefoil Chalice Pall Designs © Catholic Embroidery, 2013

www.catholicembroidery.com

Viva Cristo Rey! - and More!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Our new Cristeros Apron!

A new year in the Catholic Embroidery workshop always means the planning of new designs and products with which to grace homes, schools, priests, and families. 

But unlike other years when "all good things come in time", this year already has a host of new designs, product lines, and handmade goodness to offer. 

Fresh off the printing press is our new line of Catholic Decals - made with our exclusive designs for indoor and outdoor use and intended to be as long lasting as the inspiration behind the artwork. Our first decal honors St. Therese and gives you the opportunity to remember to live her Little Way throughout your day, while sharing it with the world in the form of your car, truck, window, or equipment. Click here to order yours!

Our embroidered missal/Bible/book covers are a big hit among men, women, and children alike. With each one, handmade by our expert seamstresses, a note such as this inevitably comes in return: "The missal cover you made for me arrived today.  I can't tell you how much I love it!!  It exceeds my expectations!" We're now offering our handmade covers in Basic form, unadorned, and ready to protect the favorite bound blessings in your life. Click here for more!

And last, but certainly not least, we're pleased to introduce our Wicklow Cross and Crown design as an exclusive Cristeros Apron!!!!! Wear this apron with pride as the true goals of this life are expressed with a stunning design and words: "Viva Criso Rey" Long Live Christ the King! Sewn with the colors of Our Lady's Tilma, this apron is perfect for men and women alike. 

Stay tuned for NEW DESIGNS - Coming soon!

God bless,

Mary

www.catholicembroidery.com

Like us on Facebook for the insider scoop!

Appliques: Embroidery in Portable Form

In creating an exclusive design gallery of uniquely Catholic designs, our objective to bring the beauty of the Church across the world reaches beyond the various products we've created and decorated with stitches. 

One of the most helpful mediums of custom embroidery is the form of the applique - a patch-like piece of embroidery in portable form. This is especially helpful for school badges, accessorizing, various sewing projects, and vesica designs for vestments and banners.  In the ordering of an applique, customers can choose from our design gallery, supply their own fabric for the background if they so desire (or choose from our stock fabrics), and determine the best border frame for the applique. It especially is helpful for quick sewing projects that would take too much time to ship to our workshop and return. 

Our appliques have even been known to adorn All Saints Day Costumes made by mothers and their children. Because of the finished nature of our appliques, they can be applied to be as permanent as you wish - pinning or sewing. 

The Sacred and Immaculate appliques below have been created with a special altar cloth in-mind... stay tuned for more!

www.catholicembroidery.com

Like us on Facebook for the inside-scoop!

Project: On Your Wedding Day

"We were asked to present a personalized bible during our son's wedding. I asked Mary to make a special cover out of white fabric and the result was stunning! My son and future daughter in law will have a keepsake for the rest of their lives made by someone we know. Thank you so much for your good work, Mary!" - L.H.

May this treasured design always reflect the love and fidelity that this marriage will bring under the sanction of Holy Matrimony! It's always an honor and a joy to contribute to the celebration of such a union - even in the smallest of ways. Congratulations to the couple!

Project: Simeon's Compline Canticle

"Salva nos, Domine, vigilantes, custodi nos dormientes; ut vigilemus cum Christo, et requiescamus in pace" 

"Protect us Lord, while we are awake, and safeguard us while we sleep, that we may keep watch with Christ and rest in peace."

This passage from Simeon's Canticle has been glorified by Holy Mother Church by it's use in the office of Compline. Every night, this prayer is said in monastieries, convents, and homes across the world. It brings with it a certain sense of peace in the giving to God the actions of the day, while intrusting the night into His care. 

Being a personal favorite prayer of my own, I was delighted when commissioned by a customer to reproduce this prayer as a framable wall art to be hung above their children's bedrooms. Combining family devotions to the Sacred and Immaculate Heart with shimmering stars and sky blue thread, our goal was to represent the protection of Heaven upon his faithful children through the use of stitches. 

The rest is in the hands of an expert framing specialist. What do you think? 

What are your family's favorite devotions before bed?

www.catholicembroidery.com 

Thread of Beauty: About Our Designs

“Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you!”—St. Augustine of Hippo

It is no secret that the world has forever been enhanced by beautiful things. However, it is often forgotten how beauty, or lack thereof, plays a part in the formation and life of the human soul. We are reminded of this in the age-old quote, "the eyes are the window to the soul". This fact is a simple truth that has often been proven scientifically in the world of music, art, and literature for centuries. Where there is beauty, there is God. Beauty brings order, balance, and truth to society and culture.

Art, in all of its forms, has dictated the influence of beauty into cultures throughout the ages. When we were introduced into the art of embroidery, a world of monograms and letters quickly blossomed into a passion for beauty in the form of stitches. And as practicing Catholics, we didn't have to look far to find a history of Religious Embroidery Treasures of our Catholic heritage. In finding a treasury of embroidery history, one fact remained simple yet devestatingly true: such examples of beauty through stitches are not being produced today as they once were.

Our Ave Maria Design accenting the back of a chasuble. 

In fact, we quickly realized that companies and design creators have left much to be desired in Catholic embroidery. Bringing spirituality to the eyes and therefore, but extension, the hearts of souls through embroidery became our passion.

We began by creating our own designs, through the expertise and creativity of some of the finest in Catholic artists. Taking inspiration from ancient art, personal devotion, and the study of the Catholic Church through art, our gallery began to take shape. Now, nearly 50 designs have been added to our signature design gallery. Each has been copyrighted to protect the originality and work behind the image creation. And, more are always being added!

Our Holy Matrimony Symbol - Two Hearts United in One

Within no time, our designs became available to the public in a host of forms, many of which are products we created, that are shared daily throughout the world. Whether accompanying the prayers of the priest at the foot of the altar, tucked safely inside pockets, carried to Mass, or worn close to the heart, our Catholic Embroidery designs are meant to bring the beauty of the Church to eyes and hearts everywhere. We hope they will give the world, as they give to us, even the smallest foretaste of what is to Come:

"That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

Our Wicklow Cross Design was inspired by Irish art and history.

***It is not uncommon to be questioned as to the sharing of these designs. Since each has been created exclusively by our company and copyrighted, duplication is not allowed in any form, without express permission. This includes the sale of the design files themselves. Seamstresses interested in having any of our desings embroidered on their project are more than welcome to contact us. Such applications on vestments, altar frontal, quilts, and more are our expertise! 

© Precision Embroidery 2007-2012

Project: Sacred Heart Vesica

The beautiful Sacred Heart design pictured above is the very first design to be created exclusively by Catholic Embroidery. As a family business, it was very important to begin our new endeavor with our family's consecration to the Sacred Heart in full honor. Thus, the Sacred Heart image was committed to stitches, copyrighted, and the Catholic Embroidery gallery began.

Over the years, this design has been stitched as framable artwork combined with commemoration of feasts in a family, as a consecration memento in households across America, and in many other forms.

Thus, it is very fitting that as we near our FIFTH anniversary of the founding of our company in November, it is this Sacred Heart that takes form once again under the eyes of our needles. We were asked by a priest in Texas to make this design available in the form of a vesica applique. (Vesica is a term used to refer to an embroidery motif application to a given vestment.) This applique was created in a manner that would allow a local seamstress to apply the design directly to the fabric in a matter of minutes. Gold metallic thread was used to match the vestment's existing orphrey and the results were absolutely stunning.

Tomorrow, on the First Friday in October, our Sacred Heart design will mount the steps of the altar, embedded boldly over the heart of one of God's own ministers.

Introibo ad altare Dei - I will go to the altar of God

New Design: Lima Rose

Named after St. Rose of Lima, our new Lima Rose Design is as meaningful as it is lovely. The parallel between the symbolism of the rose flower and the name of St. Rose of Lima is hardly a coincidence. The rose has been used in church symbolism for centuries to represent the Holy Faith, Our Lady, martyrdom, and penance. For a woman dedicated to Holy Mother Church, living a life of self-martyrdom and penance, and who practiced a lively devotion to the Mother of God, the name "Rose" truly defined this remarkable saint from Lima, Peru.

St. Rose of Lima, pray for us!

“If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess divine grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides within itself, how many joys and delights! No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come to know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to men.” - St. Rose of Lima

Stay tuned for a new product, featuring this new posy - coming soon!

www.catholicembroidery.com

New! Embroidered iPad covers

Now fortifying home, church, and the electronic-world with the beauty of our Catholic Faith through stitches. Showcasing our new Crown of Wicklow design are our new 10' Embroidered iPad Covers! Made of black designer neoprene with a soft padded interior, these covers offer offer durability without bulk. Designed to be carried on it's own or inside your favorite bag with a full zipper closure, our covers protect more than your screen. Inspirational embroidery designs are combined with what could be called the simplest and most important "time management" mottos of all-time, offering visual reminders to the purpose of life and our work on earth towards Heaven.

Choose from two inspirational styles to make a perfect gift for that man, business associate, or mom-on-the-go in your life.  

• Our Cross and Crown of Wicklow design with words, "Ad Majorem Dei Gloraim" (Traditional Latin Motto: All for the greater honor and glory of God) 
• St. Benedict Medal (back) with motto: Ora et Labora (pray and work)

New Design: Crown of Wicklow

Inspired by the magnificence and closeness of earth to heaven in Glendalough, Ireland, this design is named appropriately, "Crown of Wicklow". The remains of St. Kevin's monastic settlement are nestled as churches, dwellings, and tombs within the breathtakingly beautiful Wicklow Mountains. We created this design in the hopes of conveying the triumph crown of heaven through the sufferings and trials of the Cross, as lived by the hundreds monks who followed St. Kevin into the wilderness. The yellow and blue jewels in this design stand for the colors of Wicklow, as flown in the flags of our own century, today.

This design can be found in our Online Gallery and would be perfect in application on totes, missal/book covers, afghans, and more. 

www.catholicembroidery.com

©Copyright, 2012. All embroidery designs, graphics, and images are the sole property of Precision Embroidery, LLC and may not be duplicated, shared, or reproduced in any manner without written permission.

Our Lady of the Angels Monastery - In Needle and Thread

'We live in the shadow of a very dark age of history, an age that asks with Pilate: 'What is truth?' The silent witness of a religious answers this question without speaking a single word. Their very existence in the heart of the Church cries out: Jesus Christ is TRUTH. Those consecrated to God are to be rays of His Light." From the OLAM Monastery Website

“ I Adore thee O Jesus, God of Love, truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament…” Such are the words that come from the lips and hearts of the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration. Located in the beautiful countryside of Hanceville, AL, the nun's Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery is a sanctuary of constant Adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Many know this monastery through the television screen and and the hours of broadcasting in the best of Catholic teaching by Mother Angelica. In fact, Catholics have been benefiting from the spiritual life and ceremonies at the Monastery through the renowned Eternal Word Television Network for decades. The sisters are brought daily, through the broadcast of Holy Mass and the recitation of the Holy Rosary & Hours, to homes, deployment quarters, and hospital beds, around the world. Truly, the television screen has made Our Lady of the Angels Monastery a spiritual home for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.  

Each day, many of these souls bring the live-streaming to life by visiting this spiritual home in pilgrimage by car and busloads. At the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament, one can see for himself the devotion to the Child Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. "A little child shall lead them..." reminds all visitors that their guide is none other than the Christ Child himself. All who visit the Shrine are forever touched by the sacrifices and love the sisters live for Christ in this beloved monastery.

We have been blessed to share in this spirituality by serving the Shrine with our Catholic Embroidery. This, we have done through the creation of exclusive embroidery designs showcasing the Monastery's signature Monstrance and Divino Nino emblems. These designs and many, many more can be found in the Nun's Giftshop, both in-person and online. 

Handkerchief created by Catholic Embroidery to mark the Monastery's 50th anniversary - May 2012

Similar Monstrance handkerchiefs can be purchased by clicking here!

If you are unable to enjoy a pilgrimage to the Shrine yourself, bring the Monastery to your home beyond the television or computer screen by visiting the Nun's Giftshop Online. There you can add the Monastrance and Divino Nino emblems to your home and wardrobe, including handkerchiefs, polo shirt, bookmark, backpack, and more!

Let us continue to pray for these sisters and for all religious, for in their perseverance and sacrifice is found the salvation of world! 

www.olamshrine.com

www.nunsgiftshop.com

www.catholicembroidery.com

New to the Shop: Missal Cover Photos

Pictures of our Signature in-stock and ready-to-ship Missal Covers are on the web! With seven different sizes to choose from, there's sure to be a perfect fit for your missal or book. If not, our Customization option allows for any configuration of size and your choice of monogram and design.

This size fits the Roman Catholic Daily Missal like a glove!

Check out our Children's Missal Covers, St. Andrew Covers, St. Joseph Cover, and more!

What's in a Name?

The name of Catholic Embroidery is known around the world for quality Catholic art in the form of stitches. Every month, new and exclusive designs are added to our gallery - one of a kind representations of our Faith that can be found only attached to the Catholic Embroidery name. Now, this very name has taken shape in a graphic of it's own. Introducing the new Catholic Embroidery logo!

What do you think?

www.catholicembroidery.com

Hoop Scoop: Marian Vestments

This week, our needles are busy stitching with blue and metallic gold. Working with lovely white damask pre-cut fabric pieces sent to us from a talented seamstress, these pieces will soon take shape into Latin Rite Marian Vestment sets to be worn by TWO newly ordained priests.

This collection of embroidery pieces came to a whopping 125,964 stitches! That's about 2,078.406 feet of thread!!!!

In honor of these Marian vestments, let's take a peek into the practice of the honoring the Five First Saturdays Devotion, at which these vestments will one day soon take their place at the foot of the Altar. Have you ever heard of this devotion? It all started one day in 1917 Fatima, Portugal...

Our Lady Herself asked for us to make reparation on this day especially saying, "Say to all who, for 5 months, on the first Saturdays, confess, receive Holy Communion, recite the Rosary, and keep Me company during 15 minutes while meditating on the 15 mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to my Immaculate Heart, I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their souls."

Have you made your First Saturdays?

Stay tuned for final product posts as these treasures come to life!!
See you then!

PAX+
Mary Serafino

www.catholicembroidery.com

New to the Shop: Fleur de Lis Throw

The fleur de lis.

Mini Fleur de lis two-tone design

A favorite symbol in the Catholic Embroidery family and a confirmed favorite amongst Catholics around the globe. Not only is it a symbol of Our Lady, representing a lily of purity, it is commonly held as traditional symbol of Catholic France. Tradition holds that an angel appeared to King Clovis and presented him with a lily -- fleur de lis -- to honor his purification upon his baptismal day. This day became the birth of the First Daughter of the Church - France, who has since produced such saints as St. Joan of Arc and St. Louis the King (also remembered in symbolism with the fleur de lis).

Check out our new Fleur de Lis Throw in two timeless styles, complimenting most home decor with an all-over fleur de lis pattern. Warm and cozy, this throw is a great addition to the home, office, or car. Machine wash and tumble dry care make for a family-friendly addition to any home.

Fleur de lis Throw

http://www.catholicembroidery.com/

What is YOUR favorite Catholic symbol?

Sincerely in Christ,

Mary

Project: Heirloom Baptismal Gown

Last weekend, on the commemoration of the conversion of St. Paul, a new little soul became a Child of God and heir to the kingdom of heaven.

It was an honor to be a part of the occasion by embroidering the initials and date onto the heirloom gown. This monogram joins those of his sisters, embroidered throughout the years while the gown itself boasts plenty of room for more in years to come!

Congratulations G.J.R.! 

Sincerely in Christ,
Mary and the Catholic Embroidery Staff

www.catholicemrbroidery.com

Hoop Scoop: San Damiano Cross

Our designer has been hard at work in the creation of new designs to add to our gallery in the coming months. This month brings the addition of two Franciscan designs, the first of which is our own simplified version of the San Damiano Cross:

THE SAN DAMIANO CROSS  Our beloved Saint Francis did not start out life as a fiercely devout and pious man. His early years were spent indulging in the extravagances available to those born to money and privilege. As he approached adulthood, however, he found himself in crisis, searching for deeper meaning in his life. This inner conflict led him to the deserted church of San Damiano in his hometown of Assisi. It was here, praying before the San Damiano Crucifix, that Francis first heard the Word of God. "Francis, go and rebuild my house, which is falling into ruins." When Francis heard these words, he responded by quickly taking up a collection to restore the churches of Assisi, which were in disrepair. Through his efforts, many chapels and churches were rebuilt. Francis eventually realized that God was not merely asking him to restore chapels, but to rebuild His Church around the world as a community. Francis responded with decisive action. He embraced a life of poverty, prayer and service, and began to preach the Word of God. The San Damiano Cross is an "icon cross," meaning it contains not just a depiction of Christ, but icons of various people and scenes relevant to the story of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The Cross is in the Eastern style and was crafted in Umbria, Italy (the region where Assisi is located) in the 12th century. It is made of painted walnut and measures 75 inches high, 47 inches wide, and slightly less than 5 inches thick. The original Cross is now located in the Basilica of St. Clare in Assisi; a replica hangs in the San Damiano church. History of the San Damiano Cross from the Franciscian Fathers Website Coming up later this week... Our signature edition of the Franciscan Crest in stitches! Sincerely in Christ, Mary

Project: Sodality Book Covers

It's always a joy to incorporate the symbols of Our Lady in the Third Orders, sodalities, confraternities, and other establishments of Holy Mother Church.

Some time ago, we given the task of creating custom book covers for the Sodality of the Immaculate Conception & St. Rose of Lima at Mary Immaculate Parish in Newton, Massachusetts. Over 30 covers were made and embroidered for every member of the sodality. Each cover featured our Marian Crest design in colors chosen specifically for the sodality- including the use of gold metallic thread. Below, the monogrammed words, "Ad Jesum per Mariam" reminds each member that the surest way to Jesus is through His Mother.

What is the history of a sodality, dedicated to Our Lady?

"From the era of the Middle Ages very many of these pious associations placed themselves under the special protection of the Blessed Virgin, and chose her for patron under the title of some sacred mystery with which she was associated. The main object and duty of these societies were, above all, the practice of piety and works of charity. The decline of ecclesiastical life at the close of the Middle Ages was naturally accompanied by a decline ofreligious associational life, the two being related as cause and effect. However, as soon as the Church rose to renewed prosperity in the course of the sixteenth century, by the aid of the Counter-Reformation and the appearance of the new religious congregations and associations, once more there sprang up numerous confraternities and sodalities which laboured with great success and, in many cases, are still effective."
Catholic Encyclopedia Online

Initials embroidered on the backside insure that each Sodalist's missal is protected from any mistaken identity!

Are you involved with a Sodality or Confraternity? We'd love to hear about it!