GIVEAWAY: *Lent and Easter* in Hearts & Homes

Winners announced!! See below:

Many bloggers have written beautiful and encouraging posts and articles on the "keywords" of making a good Lenten preparation for Easter. Words such as "renew" and "prepare" apply to Advent as they do in Lent. After all, this "coming" of Christ as redeemer is also the anniversary of our redemption!

Taking these wise words to heart and home, we're hosting another giveaway, featuring your favorite, Lenten Traditions. Remember all of those great traditions we learned about in the Advent giveaway? Let's talk Lent!

Simply leave a comment to this post with a reflection you put into action during the Lenten season in preparation for Easter. Be they certain family sacrifices, traditions, prayers, works, etc. - we want to hear all about them! In honor of the coming feast of Easter and in thanks for participation from our guests, friends, and commentators, we'll be giving away TWO of the Catholic Embroidery Easter specials to TWO lucky winners:

Pysanky Basket Liner/Cover, embroidered with our traditional Ukrainian Budded Cross design

Congratulations to PATTY, who shared, "In our little family we go out of our way to pray a family Rosary every night. We usually pair it with a novena, which keeps us motivated to make sure to pray every single night. By the time Lent is over, it is a good habit we have formed and we do our best to carry it on the rest of the year."

Lamb of God Apron, embroidered with the Triumphant Lamb of God design on washable white fabric (lol)

Congratulations to Jennifer Gregory Miller, who shared, "A few of our Lenten traditions: We pray a decade of the rosary every night, except Stations of the Cross on Fridays. We have a grapevine wreath with craft picks for thorns. These are removed every time extra prayers, good deeds or sacrifices are performed.

Ladies, please send us your mailing address by March 25th. Thank you all for participating!

**With two winners in the forecast, a second chance at winning is at hand. Simply "Like" us on Facebook and leave a comment here, telling us about it in order to qualify for a second chance at winning these lovely additions to the Easter table.

To ensure that the winners will be able to put these items to good use, the giveaway will end on Laetare Sunday at 11:59PM . International visitors are welcome.

Can't wait to hear about your favorite Lenten traditions!

P.S. Don't forget your St. Patrick Breastplate Pillowcases for St. Patrick's Day!

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

Stella Maris Design

The second of our new designs to be released this week is off the horizon and safely docked in gallery harbor. (Sorry. Can't help the seaside metaphors that this designs has inspired!) Behold our new:

Stella Maris Design

As the Latin name suggests, this design is made to represent Our Lady under the title, "Star of the Sea".  

But with this symbolism in Our Lady's ancient title comes a second title, hidden within. The Star above the Marian "M" in this design is modeled directly after the Star of David - another title to which Our Lady derives devotion. 

Colors: Even in this design's color, we find symbolism! The ocean-full of blue-shades (literally) perfectly complete the metaphor of Mary -- always represented in blue - to the Ocean. Choose your favorite shade to compliment your project, or enjoy the triple color combination we created in outlining this seaside favorite.

For an outline project, consider gold or white, especially in the use of altar linens and palls.

Uses: This design is ready for any adventure - whether on a tote to carry, decorating your treasured missal cover, or accenting a special Marian vestment or linen set, you can be sure that the devotion to Our Lady will not be lacking in it's use!

Stella Maris Design © Catholic Embroidery, 2013

www.catholicembroidery.com

Diamond Cross Design

This week on the Catholic Embroidery Blog, we're introducing THREE new and exclusive designs to our gallery. Our designers have been hard at work to create designs that express the Faith in symbolism for application in a host of treasures around the home and sacristy.

The first of the three news designs is our new Diamond Leaf Cross:

The trefoil leaves flanking the center diamond cross represent the Trinity in typical "clover" style. The leaf grouping of "four" represents the Four Gospels surrounding the life - and in symbolism of the cross, death - of Our Lord.

Colors: Designed as a one-tone color design, this cross with a quartet of leaves in array is stunning as-is, but would also look lovely in one of our varigated threads. 

Uses: Ready to stitch on your favorite item, this design is especially appropiate and lovely on custom palls, altar linens, vestments, and stoles.

Consider white-on-white for altar linens for a subtle look.

The Diamond Leaf Cross design ©Catholic Embroidery, 2013

Altar Cloth: Knights in Shining Armor

What do altar cloths and Knights in Shining Armor have in common?

It was such a delight to work on this altar cloth project with father and daughter as a surprise gift for a very special wife/mother on her wedding anniversary. The idea was to create a custom altar cloth commemorating the family's marriages - starting with the "foundation" of mother and father, including the recent marriage of their daughter, and leaving ample room for future marriages. This altar cloth would then be used for all family Nuptial and family-related Masses. The central feature of the altar cloth would not be, in fact, the marriage commemoration... but the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Mary.

On each end of the altar cloth, would be the Family Crests, embroidered in the striking colors of the authentic artwork of centuries gone-by.

To make this idea a reality, we embroidered the Hearts and Crests as applique pieces that will now be applied to the cloth in their respective places, by a talented seamstress.

While we wait for the final "finished product" images, we marvel at the love and care that went into creating such a project. This will truly be a timeless heirloom to follow a Catholic family's future in generations to come.

Interested in learning more about our designs in applique form? Check out this post for more!

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

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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

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