William Morris and St. Stephen Anglican Church, Summerland

An old bridal tale goes:

Something old,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue . . .

In a different tone and context, the good book reminds us:

No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. (Mark 2:21)

The former quote welcomes a combination of old and new fabric; the second is less confident. St. Stephen Church, Summerland member Kathie Gray sides with the bridal tale as she writes:

About one year ago, I was presented with a box of dusty, threadbare church hangings that had been unearthed in the depths of the vestry. The giver was an enthusiastic member of our congregation and she presented them saying, “you are the right person to do something with these!!” I inwardly groaned, thinking of the projects I had lined up in my sewing room.

Eventually, several months later, I pulled out the heavily embroidered altar frontals, the embroidered brocade paraments along with bits and pieces of fabric from earlier times in our parish life, After gaining permission (several times from several people) I started cutting and piecing what ended up becoming a small hanging of jewel-toned brocades. I felt myself gaining interest for the project and eventually, I had an interesting hanging of some of the intact fabrics in the church’s liturgical colours.

I am inspired by a young woman from the UK who on Instagram calls herself “Parrot and Parsnip”. She takes vintage fabrics from thrift shops and boot sales in order to make amazing backpacks, purses and bags. The result is funky, fun and functional. For several months I played with the idea of using some of the leftover liturgical fabrics to make a bag, so I scouted local thrift shops looking for corduroy, canvas and cottons but didn’t find what I was looking for.

Eventually, I settled on a new piece of cotton canvas in a “William Morris” style. Now really excited about this project and following a pattern from the Parrot and Parsnip Instagram designer I made a small pouch bag for each of the three women who had been responsible for digging out these old linens. By this time, I was thoroughly into the project that I even enjoyed installing twelve zippers in the three bags!

In our “throw away world” we need to always be looking for ways of recycling, reusing, and inspired by beautiful things from the past! Ken crafted a blessing rite which captured the project beautifully. We first took a moment to recall those embroidery creators from our church in both past and present: Marjorie Kroil; Pixie Marriott Jean Miles, Diana Graham, Gail Goranson, Doiran Blagborne-Thompson, and likely others we may have forgotten . . . We next continued:

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord
Blessed be God forever

Blessed are those who join with the Creator in the creation of beautiful things that inspire our faith in the One whose name we bear
Blessed be God forever

Blessed are those who visit this place, who worship here, those who pray here, and those who respect this sacred space
Blessed be God forever

Bless O Lord this hanging, created from what has adorned our past, now reshaped into a new creation, part of our present future. As what is old now becomes new, let us likewise allow you, O God, to reshape us in your image. In the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

We concluded our service singing:

You Are Salt For The Earth, O People,
Salt For The Kingdom Of God!
Share The Flavor Of Life, O People:
Life In The Kingdom Of God!

Bring Forth The Kingdom Of Mercy,
Bring Forth The Kingdom Of Peace;
Bring Forth The Kingdom Of Justice,
Bring Forth The City Of God!

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