Following on from yesterday’s post about the creation of altar linens, written by one of the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa, here are photographs which show some of the details of her work. I must admit that I have barely given a second thought to altar lines, and had no idea of care and attention that is given to them. The comments are hers.
Hemming a Purificator:
Pulled hem and thread pattern:
Pulling threads
Three types of border: single (to hem and bind it once); double (pattern away from hem); and triple (finished part along the hem).
To hem and make a single border:
Pick up a number (in this case four) of threads
After wrapping the threads, take a small stitch to the hem
Double pattern away from the hem:
Wrap two threads from previous binding with two new threads
Repeat, crossing from top to bottom at each repetition
Four styles of crosses
Linen for the high altar of St Eugene’s Cathedral in Santa Rosa
Detail of the corner, wrong side (facing side) up
Linen folded back, wrong side (facing side) up
Fitting around the Tabernacle
