Church Ladies love being Godmothers for so many reasons!
Someone has observed our spiritual life and found some little piece of inspiration.
Someone thinks highly enough of us to entrust their precious child to our care.
We have a reason to re-examine our lives and make improvements.
Graces are poured out to make all of this happen.
For the seventh time, I will become a Godmother next weekend and like many Church Ladies have chosen to give a handmade gift. Instead of the standard-issue white baptismal garment provided by our parish, my last three Godchildren have received a customized one as a loving reminder of this most important day.
Someone thinks highly enough of us to entrust their precious child to our care.
We have a reason to re-examine our lives and make improvements.
Graces are poured out to make all of this happen.
For the seventh time, I will become a Godmother next weekend and like many Church Ladies have chosen to give a handmade gift. Instead of the standard-issue white baptismal garment provided by our parish, my last three Godchildren have received a customized one as a loving reminder of this most important day.
I start out by doing the text and graphic layout on my computer. Here I used MS Publisher to experiment with different fonts and to automatically center the layout. Lay the fabric (batiste, broadcloth, or real linen if you can find it) over the printed page and use a washable fabric pen to trace the design.
(Yes, happily, this child's name is Anselm Augustine!)
Next attach some lightweight interfacing to the back to stabilize your work and do the embroidery. I've done some of this by hand, and some by machine. To do the machine portions, I used a buttonhole stitch and basically free-handed it. An inverted embroidery hoop helps keep the fabric taut to avoid puckers. As you'd expect, the straighter lines were pretty easy, and the curvy ones (like e and s) took more patience and perhaps more than one try.
Voila! The finished project!Gianna and I were discussing variations on this project and decided that embroidering some longer piece (perhaps from the Rites) around the hem of a handmade christening gown would be a worthy use of any Church Lady's nine months of waiting.
Yay for children being named after early and medieval saints! We don't have enough Augustines, Bonaventures, and Anselms running around. A few kids named Quodvultdeus or Adeodatus would be nice too.
ReplyDeleteAlas, as a married man I know better than to question a lady let alone an entire sodality, but I must hesitantly admit that you have trampled on a nerve with "Viola"!
ReplyDelete"Viola" is a woman's name, and also the name of a stringed musical instrument played with a bow. Perhaps the exclamation of that word is some sort of private joke amongsgt the sisterhood but as such it is hardly edifying to your gentlemanly admirers.
I am sure you meant to type - and perhaps were in fact waylaid by a spellchecker - "Voila", a French expression for "See, I told you so" (literally, "See there").
Now if you all will join me in my lonely crusade to eliminate the misuse of "mute" for "moot" my joy will be complete.
How beautiful!
ReplyDeleteDear Archlaic,
ReplyDeleteSuch tactful and gentle criticism is always welcome. Thank you for pointing out the error.