Hit Or Miss

It's been a mixed up month of Sundays.  Last week, the dedication of the New Year's antependium was postponed because of a snow storm.  The plan was to do it this Sunday along with the one for Epiphany.  Because of another forecast of pending snow and an early morning sky that looked like this, we hit the road early to deliver youngest back to university.  

You have to respect the wisdom that quipped, "red sky in the morning sailors take warning."  I have to add that when I think of this line, I also recall when we taught eldest son the corollary of "red sky at night, sailors delight."  He watched and waited for his first time to say it and excitedly came out with, "Red sky at night, pizza delight!" (For those unfamiliar, Pizza Delight is a local restaurant chain!) Thankfully yesterday we managed to return home without incident in the first of the snow...but missed the dedication service. 

Here's the one for New Year's, which was a difficult assignment.  I ended up stitching this one three times before I was happy with the results.  All the colours of the liturgical year are included - red, purple, green and white - with white predominant as that is the current season.  The central motif is a blended cross/star, merging the two main symbols of the Christian year.  The antependium is pieced of silk habatai and, although you cannot see it well, is quilted in a "palm tree" fireworks shape in the white centre circle.

The Magi for Epiphany was a fun, colourful piece.  I decided to let the kings fill the width of the space in an almost comic book/caricature look.  My post last week which was entitled "Magi-cal Mystery Tour" was tongue-in-cheek because they remind me of the Yellow Submarine figures.  It was fun to glitz the wise men up a bit, but in an exaggerated way;  there really is no point in fine detail as you want it all to be seen from the back of the church.  The king on the left has a pin tucked top on his crown and silver drageés stitched on his gift.  I was stumped finding a feather for the turban of the central king.  I visited both craft and sewing supply stores to no avail;  no one had packaged feathers.  Finally a store in Truro told me the only feathers they had were in 8 foot long boas.  That's a lot of feathers when you only need one...Sigh...As I stood deciding which colour of boa I would be adding to my wardrobe, I spotted 3 red feathers on the floor beneath the display.  I quickly asked the clerk if I could have one, and she laughed and handed it to me with her blessing.  It would normally have been swept away, thus literally one man's trash being another's treasure.  This king's gift of gold is topped with a shiny gold sequin.  The third and tallest king has a small beaded tassel on his cap, as well as a balled fringe trim.

The bottom was cut to resemble the roof line of a castle.

Other than gold lamé for one gift, the kings are stitched entirely from Chinese silk on a silk dupioni background. They add a splash of colour to a season of white.