Church Embroideries

The Pulpit Fall

In September, 2005, our Rector, Pamela, asked who could be approached to make a new pulpit fall for St Hubert's Church.

Jenny Gibson, Janet Osman, Hilary Gooding and Agnes Smith were at the initial meeting. Our numbers gradually grew and Edna Rich, Sally Lench and Hazel Kingsmill joined us.

It was decided that whatever we made, we would make two in tandem and present the second one to our Belgian visitors when they came in July 2006. After discussion we decided on a long fall and to depict our stained glass window of St Hubert using silks to give brilliant colours. A rummage through our fabric collections at home gave us some materials to work with and we bought the rest.

The falls are made using an appliqué technique with black bias binding representing the leading. Everything is stitched in place on a felt backing and then embroidered.

St Hubert: his face, folds and details in his garments are embroidered. Dorset Buttons were made for the studs on his bag belt and Dorset Button-type embroidery stitched on his bag. The silver cord for his horn is chained-stitched with added beads.

The Stag: the face and detailing on the body are embroidered. The mane is bouclé wool couched down.

The Cross: beads are sewn on the cross, ribbons with beading radiate from the cross and a bead rainbow encircles the cross.

The Grass Area: although the St Hubert window has plain green glass for grass, our older windows have a lot of detail etched into the glass, so all the grass areas in the falls are embroidered to reflect this. The two falls are not identical in these areas as the embroidery was left to the imagination of the ladies. There are plants, flowers, ladybirds, butterflies and a robin.

The Sky: the moiré silk was hand dyed by ourselves.

A gold border with red corners was added.

Both pulpit falls were dedicated during Evensong on 18th July, 2006, by le Doyen, Father Guy Leeman after which one was presented to our friends from St Hubert, Belgium.

The names of those who stitched the falls are: Agnes Smith, Edna Rich, Hazel Kingsmill, Hilary Gooding, Janet Osman, Jenny Gibson, Joan Waddell, Sally Lench and Val Burcher.

The Wedding Altar Frontal

As we started work on the St Hubert pulpit fall in 2006 Pamela, our Rector, said she would like a white altar cloth for weddings. Our first ideas were very elaborate and the logistics of actually stitching them rather deterred us. Following a visit to Romsey Abbey to see their Lenten frontal which was made in strips using many different techniques, we came home inspired to rethink our cloth. It was decided it would be a frontal on a frame and made of strips, each person using the techniques they were most comfortable with. Material was purchased at the end of 2007 and stitching began in January 2008. It was completed in March as we each worked on our own pieces at the same time. Blessed on 6th April, 2008, and ready for the first wedding of the year—19th April.

It includes a central beaded cross with Dorset buttons above two gold kid interlocking rings. Then, within the scoop, from the centre: embroidered flowers, horizontal ribbons, braids and machine embroidery, appliquéd flowers, cross stitch lettering taking words from the wedding vows, hand stitched crazy patchwork, Dorset feather stitch with beads, machine layered crazy patchwork, vertical braids and cords, quilting and fabric painting, and machine stitched diamonds with beads.

It was stitched with love and with God’s help by: Agnes Smith, Barbara Cheeseman, Edna Rich, Hazel Kingsmill, Hilary Gooding, Jenny Gibson, Pat Fall and Sally Lench.

Our thanks to Roy Lench for making the frame and fitting it to the altar.

May all who exchange their vows in front of this cloth have long and happy marriages.

Trinity Altar Frontal

As we put the finishing touches to the wedding altar frontal, we were already talking about our next project – a Trinity frontal. As stitching in strips had worked so well, we decided to stay with what suited our skills, and to use the predominant colours in the ceiling bosses – red, gold, turquoise and teal blue – and to use the ‘three hares’ boss as a centre point. Materials were purchased in July and we began stitching.

It includes the three hares in gold kid, on a red square set on turquoise with gold and teal ribbon in the centre, then in pairs from the centre are pintucks and beads in red, Seminole patchwork in shades of gold, wonky patchwork in turquoise and blue with flashes of red and gold, Suffolk puffs and Dorset buttons on red, cross stitch on cream set on teal blue, floral bosses on turquoise with gold and teal ribbon, a stained glass effect in reds, gold ribbon diamonds with pearl beads on turquoise, gold braids, and a Celtic design in gold on red.

Stitched with love and God’s help by: Agnes Smith, Amy Langford, Barbara Cheeseman, Edna Rich, Hazel Kingsmill, Hilary Gooding, Jenny Gibson, Pat Fall and Sally Lench.

It was dedicated on 2nd November 2008 during Choral Evensong for St. Hubert’s Patronal Festival.

We hope it adds to the beauty of the church, and enhances the worship of God in this place.

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